Using Interactive Whiteboards as Engaging Teaching Aids
By: Claire Callaghan

Engage. Lately, it seems to be the word of the day in education. Parents, faculty, and even national leaders are all devoting much thought to how they can engage modern students in active learning and the pursuit of knowledge in this ever-evolving, media-rich and technology-savvy world. How can teachers capture the attention of a student who spends two hours a day watching television and 15 hours a week playing video games, while communicating constantly through text messages and Facebook?

One thing is certain. There’s no way of simply avoiding technology. The question for today’s educators is how this innovative force can be harnessed and used to dynamically engage students in the classroom.

Enter the “interactive whiteboard.” An interactive whiteboard is a large display onto which a projector casts a super-sized image of a computer screen that can then be controlled and interacted with at the board via a pen, finger, or other device. Write an equation or underline a key phrase on the board, and the change is immediately captured back to the computer. These versatile systems not only can display multimedia presentations, Web sites, and videos; they even allow teachers to print out their annotated notes at the end of class and archive them or distribute them via e-mail.

The opportunities for dynamic teaching and collaborative learning are endless when authentic and relevant text, graphics, photographs, animation, and Web content can be brought to life and interacted with on the screen. Suddenly the classroom becomes a two-way street, a participatory experience that can capture the attention of all students.

It’s helpful to think of interactive whiteboards as kindling for learning. When building a fire, logs are the primary fuel, but kindling helps to get the fire started. Interactive whiteboards, like kindling, capture the spark of curiosity and introduce it to the logs of knowledge. They draw students to the board and engage them in ways that conventional books and blackboards simply cannot.

With their ability to record, replay, and distribute classroom notes, interactive whiteboards allow a struggling math student to follow the numerous steps of solving an algebraic equation in slow motion play-back, in the classroom or later at home. They enable a science student to walk up to a 6-foot by 4-foot magnified picture of an amoeba, captured right there in class, and label or manipulate its components. They make it possible for a social studies student to watch and engage with current events as the teacher brings up video clips of breaking news and annotates them for later review and comparison to evolving events. They can even connect two history classes – from across the hall or across the country – to compete in an interactive game show quiz on the Civil War.

Interactive whiteboard “system” is probably a better way to describe the latest generation of these dynamic classroom tools, whose abilities and options have expanded significantly over the past decade. For starters, you no longer have to purchase an actual interactive whiteboard, with all the technology built in. Those looking for cost efficiency or added flexibility can now opt for retrofittable systems that “teach an old board new tricks” by attaching to any pre-existing whiteboard and making it interactive. Whiteboards can also be ordered with built-in connections for interactive tools, making it even easier for them to be upgraded later, as users’ needs and budgets allow.

Regardless of the specific make or model, however, the interactive whiteboard has definitely arrived, and its ability to bridge the gap between students’ stimulant-rich environments and their future academic excellence is certain.

Claire Callaghan is the marketing and communications coordinator for Luidia, Inc., the creator of eBeam interactive systems, www.luidia.com.

Product Roundup

PolyVision
PolyVision’s breakthrough interactive whiteboard solution combines the simplicity and ease of a traditional dry erase board surface with interactive performance—without cords, cables or costly installation. Go from markers to multimedia, from ink to Internet, on a virtually indestructible ceramicsteel surface. Navigate through documents, presentations, or Web sites right from the board. This unique surface allows you to write on it with a traditional dry erase marker, use magnets during a lesson, or use it as an electronic whiteboard wirelessly connected to your computer.
www.academicsuperstore.com

EverWhite Resurfacing Panels
Easily turn any old chalkboard or stained whiteboard into a new dry erase board with EverWhite resurfacing panels. EverWhite resurfacing panels come with a factory-applied pressure-sensitive adhesive backing. Unlike other resurfacing panels, there is no need for messy glues or do-it yourself adhesives. Applying EverWhite resurfacing panels to existing boards is as simple as peeling off the backing and sticking the dry erase panel to the board. The EverWhite surface is a unique, dry erase surface which does not allow ink penetration.
www.everwhiteboards.com

Royal Inspiration Station from Copernicus
Inspiration is at the very heart of education. Copernicus Educational Products is celebrating 20 years of inspiring teachers and making teaching a little easier. The Royal Inspiration Station was designed in collaboration with educators. This easel incorporates many innovative features, such as a height-adjustable magnetic dry erase board, an additional 15” slide-out magnetic whiteboard, storage tubs that are guaranteed for life, telescopic rods for pocket charts, and 3” casters with foot-activated brakes.  All this is featured in a compact 30” x 30” space.
www.copernicused.com

Walltalkers Dry Erase Presentation Wallcoverings
Walltalkers ez•rite dry erase wallcoverings instantly transforms faded and outdated chalkboards into clean, bright, highly readable surfaces that actually enhance teaching and learning. Ez•rite is applied over existing chalk/marker boards, so installation is fast and easy, and costs considerably less than replacing a chalk/marker board. Insistence on quality materials and processes results in a longer-lasting, better-looking product for the school. Walltalkers uses only vinyl substrates, never paper, so the dry erase presentation wallcoverings consistently maintain their unique flexibility and strength. They won’t crack, chip, or deteriorate, even under daily use.
www.walltalkers.com

Script-n-Skills Station-Mobile from Jonti-Craft
Jonti-Craft has introduced the new Script-n-Skills Station – Mobile to its lineup of early learning furniture. This literacy center on wheels has everything you need, wherever you need it. The four-sided station has a one Magnetic Write-n-Wipe easel, one Flannel board, two adjustable shelves and four slots for Big Books. The Script-n-Skills Station – Mobile also comes with three cubby trays and measures 29.5 inches wide by 15.5 inches deep by 51 inches high. It is constructed with Jonti-Craft’s exclusive features: KYDZSafe edges, KYDZTuff finish, and KYDZStrong construction.
www.Jonti-craft.com