Do you have an interactive whiteboard (IWB) and are you wondering how you can get the best out of it in your teaching practice? An IWB is the modern day educator’s indispensable classroom tool that has revolutionized the whole teaching and educational experience for both teacher and student. With the utilization of the IWB, instructors are able to reach out to students and catch their interest more effectively. Interactive whiteboards can vary in performance depending on its model but ultimately, it is how you, as a educator, would use it to promote a improve educational experience for your students.
So how can you incorporate the use of your interactive whiteboard in the classroom setting? Ideally, the best place to install it is in front of the classroom where it can be comfortably viewed by all of the students. The projector should be ideally positioned directly above the board with the use of the modern ultra short throw projectors. This assists with minimising teacher shadows on the board.
Next, it is a good idea to know about its simplest and most basic functions. This can be quickly achieved with online video tutorials especially for your brand.
A key to quick adoption of the technology in schools is to incorporate a buddy system amongst teachers to ease learning this modern technology.
Essentially the interactive whiteboard is similar to a big computer touchscreen. You can stand at the board and use all the functions and software on your computer.
It comes with a special pen and just like a blackboard, you can make presentations and lessons through it with ease but without the hassle of creating meticulous visual aids. Through this technology, you can present your test questions, activities, drills and the like effortlessly.
Additional basic functions that it can do are as follows: It can facilitate students in displaying their multimedia projects for class reporting and demonstrations and it can permit web streaming and videos for educational viewing. It can also improve critical thinking by allowing students to brainstorm through the use of the IWB.
In addition to its basic functions, interactive whiteboards can also be used in more exciting ways that will be to the delight of both the teacher and the student. You can facilitate interactive 3d tours by integrating Google earth into your lessons, host a quiz, utilize flash animation to make lively class lectures, use it for live demonstrations for science and a lot more.
Indeed, the interactive whiteboard, when used effectively, can work to be your finest benefit. As a teacher, this is truly a wonderful vehicle to make a big difference in the life of your students by generating lessons that get across effectively, in the most interesting method possible.
Resources:
How to: Use An Interactive Whiteboard