Week 10

I am appreciative of the opportunity to learn more about interactive whiteboards. Regrettably, I have been teaching in a classroom with a SMART board for approximately one and a half years and have used it as nothing more than a fancy PowerPoint tool. I was certain that it was capable of serving as more than a projector screen but never took the time to learn more about it.

I like the idea of considering an interactive whiteboard an additional tool in the teacher's toolbox. It is different, and most definitely interactive (if used appropriately). Overall, it has numerous benefits to the learning environment. For one, it enables a more polished presentation than a simple chalkboard, whiteboard, or overhead projector. Second, you can write on the images that are being displayed and even save the additions you've made with the writing tools. Third, it can be utilized as a method of displaying content that can be used to support a lecture or may be implemented into an interactive review session in which students can get out of their seats manipulate the projection as required. Hence, I believe students would most certainly be engaged, not merely by having this tool in their classroom, but by being subjected to a well designed, interactive activity utilizing the "magic" whiteboard.