Turn Up The Sass

Interactive Whiteboards have recently been taking over the classroom and upping the sass.

The first question is, however, what on earth is this thing??

Interactive Whiteboards are an instructional tool which displays computer images onto a board through a digital projector. The teacher has the ability to manipulate these elements by using her finger as a mouse directly on the screen.

As Douglas Cruickshank notes in A Clean Slate: Interactive Whiteboard Makes Lessons Snazzy, the list of possibilities with this tool is endless. Some of the features and uses include:

- Digital storytelling.

- Creating, viewing, and annotating student PowerPoint and multimedia presentations in real time.

- Showing streamed or downloaded videos.

- Using online map and satelite imagery to teach geography.

- Displaying artwork or online museum presentations.

- Teaching students how to conduct research on the internet.

- Working collaboratively on writing and editing exercises, math lessons, and science experiments.

By considering these various possibilities, it is clear to see what a powerful this "clean slate" is as it adds interactivity and colaboration to the classroom as well as allowing integration of media content into the class and supporting collaborative learning.

This tool is also an important pedagogical tool as it promotes creative teaching and motivates students into absorbing information. Teaching with this tool allows educators to accommodate all different learning styles as tactile learners get to touch and move things around and the board and can make notes and highlight elements. The visually inclined learners benefit form a clear view of what is happening on the board and audio learners can participate in class discussion. These notes and presentations can then be saved and printed out for the whole class to further enable collabaritive learning and note-making.

Any further questions? A sassy thing, this interactive whiteboard.