Smart board, really?

My son works in a very poor public school. We talk about the technology that is being used there and most everywhere in our school systems. We both think Smart Boards are a terrible waste of scarce resources and where they are easily within budgets they are a poor choice for educators.

Technology is a panacea for the shortcomings of administrators and a forced upon tool for teachers. 

For ten years I used a projector to have very large video presentations in the classroom. My background as a professional projectionist led me to that choice from day one. I watched in horror as the school spent big money on Smart Boards for all the teachers. Of course it was a few years later that they offered me one. (Ironic, I was the most tech teacher there. Hmmm.) I passed on it for one big reason- the size of the screen is meager compared to a straight ahead projection. Plus, the routine I had with classes was time constrained enough without having to create extra reasons for students to leave their chairs to make use of it.

While reading notation as a class form the projector I typically would allow students to ask questions about what they may not understand, then allow the student to approach the wall and point the graphic problem out. No need for a Smart Board for that.

As an aside, may I suggest that our national emphasis on math and science is a remnant of a mistaken cold war response to Sputnik. As my hero Richard Feynman pointed out many times, we should be looking for that special kid with the unique abilities in a subject that could propel them far ahead given the proper education. Looking for breakthroughs by overdoing math and science is like expecting that giant tree to grow by just planting an abundance of seeds.