SmartBoards vs Dry Erase Boards

At the beginning of the school year I was so excited to be placed in a classroom with an interactive SmartBoard.  I thought the possibilities were endless in how I could enhance student engagement and instruction with this wonderful tool.  We could display our power point presentations on the SmartBoard and there would be no bulky projector blocking the views of any of my students.  During our Geometry unit on transformations of figures I was able to construct images and use the interactive features to model how a figure could be translated, rotated, or reflected.  I was able to "grab" the figures on the screen and move them and the students could see how the images moved along with them.  Then students were able to get up out of their seats and move the figures as they explained what was happening with the figures and their images.  The students were often eager and excited to use the SmartBoard when it was part of a lesson.

Unfortunately, I have discovered that I am more comfortable with modeling problems with the regular dry erase board.  I have had some issues with the technology not functioning properly during class and a video I planned to show won't load or my cords are not connecting properly to communicate the information from my computer to the SmartBoard.  The dry erase board is reliable, all I need is a marker that is not dried out and an eraser.  Even without an eraser I can make it work.  I have partially abandoned the glorious technology of the SmartBoard and tend to use the dry erase board more frequently.

Ultimately, I am glad that I have access to both tools and my classroom is set up in a way that I can seamlessly use both of the boards during the same lesson.  I do need to commit to learning more about the capabilities of the SmartBoard so I can work smarter and not harder when delivering content to the students.  I would love to hear others' thoughts on which tool is better, does anyone else have a preference or would you use both as well?


I have found the following resources to help me learn more about what my SmartBoard can do for me:
http://baileybunch6.blogspot.com/p/lets-get-smart.html 

http://teacherslovesmartboards.com/smart_board_tips_and_tricks/

https://www.pinterest.com/Sisterteachers/smart-board/