Today, technology plays key roles in the world of education. It is almost in everywhere the teachers are accessible to technology. One of the important uses of technology is in teaching and learning a great number of subjects, including languages. (Ishtaiwa & Shana, 2011) The technological elements that an EFL teacher can use in the classroom are various, but probably smart board, or smart board interactive white board to give its full name, is the most inclusive one which covers auditory and visual facilities together with the internet connection. A smart board is a large, touch-sensitive board that is hanged on a wall and connected to a computer, or mostly a fixed computer inside. Any software or files that are available on the computer can …show more content…
As one of the advantages of the use of smart board in the classroom, Frankova (2011) claims that smart board can bring interaction between pupil and teaching aid, a different way of gathering the knowledge by the students, and it can contribute to the development of cognitive thinking of students. The use of smart board affects learning in several ways, such as increasing the level of student engagement and motivation in a classroom, making flexible use of teaching materials possible, and promoting enthusiasm for learning. (Bacon …show more content…
These challenges include the lack of teachers’ confidence and competence in using Smart Boards, extra time needed for the planning and preparation of the materials, insufficient technical support the ‘digital learners’ who are more familiar with technology than their teachers are. (Momani&Alshaikhi&Al-Inizi, 2016) Gray, Hagger-Vaughan, Pilkington and Tomkins (2005) express that some teachers complain about Smart Board-based lesson preparation and planning is time-consuming, the teachers find it difficult to find appropriate materials for varying degrees of student levels. Other teachers state that too much PowerPoint use can lead to a ‘show and tell’ style of teaching and this may result in changing the role of the teacher in the classroom. In this case, the teacher can be considered as more passive and as less involved in the teaching and learning. Also, distractions from the Smart Board can occur as students begin to focus on the Smart Board from the moment they come into the room. (Gast&Krupa&Mechling, 2007) Mowbray and Preston (2008) state that due to the fact that only one person can use the smart board at a time, other students are sitting and not directly involved. Thus, it is important that the teachers have some training with the use of the Smart Board