Interactive+Whiteboard+SmartBoard,+Panasonic,+etc.

= - **Interactive Whiteboard:** SmartBoard, Panasonic, etc. =

Interactive whiteboards are in effect large mouse pads that connect a computer or laptop to a large screen. The projector casts an image of the desktop onto the screen in which the user can control the computer through the use of a finger or special pens. The most popular interactive white board in American classrooms is the SMART Board, which is affixed to the wall, although not all brands have to be hung. Other brands include ActivBoard, Mimeo, and Webster. Interactive whiteboards function as a tool to present information in a more effective and interesting way. Instead of using traditional whiteboards, educators can make lessons on their interactive board and save them for future reference. This material can be re-read at a later date to review by students and educators alike. One positive aspect of this is absent students can look back on the material they missed and see exactly what was presented in class. Another interesting note is that many teachers of deaf children find interactive whiteboards to be very useful because they do not have to write on the board while they are signing.

Interactive Websites

[]

This site provides many resources for a broad range of subject matter. It gives lessons in a general field that incorporates different topics, mathematics, language arts, science and social studies.

Science:


 * Categorize (i.e., landforms, creatures)
 * Compare characteristics and properties (i.e., rocks/minerals, plant/animal cells, vertebrates/invertebrates)
 * Conduct a dissection (i.e., frog, owl pellet)
 * Explore science visuals and processes (i.e., cell parts, electrical circuit, life cycle, mitosis, water cycle)
 * BBC Games
 * Explore solar system
 * Go on virtual field trips
 * Label parts of plants and animals (i.e., skeletons)
 * Records science data (i.e., atmospheric pressure, wind, temperature, humidity, clouds). Write questions for an online expert
 * Trace plagues, spread of fires, and other movement.

[] All About Atoms

[] Lots of great animations for teaching cell biology, microbiology, immunology, and microscopy. Interactive animations on plant and animal cells, mitosis, meiosis, cell cycle.

[] virtual dissection and lab software

Applied and Fine Arts:


 * Analyze works of art
 * Compare techniques
 * Demonstrate drawing techniques
 * Explore famous artists
 * Create art as a group
 * Examine sculpture and masks

[] resources, lessons, standards, and how to's

[] Links to professional organizations, starting points and resources

Communication Arts:


 * Change or add adjectives
 * Circle elements to check authenticity of a website
 * Explore editing and proofreading marks
 * Highlight words in sentences and paragraphs - use e-books!
 * Identify the fact or opinion in an article
 * Match words
 * Use highlighter tool to highlight parts of speech (i.e., nouns, verbs, adjectives)
 * Practice words. Move the icon to see the answer.
 * Use a story starter, write a class story, chain story, or peer story
 * Put key words in middle and write two points of view
 * Scramble words and make sentences
 * Share autobiographies
 * Write a daily journal, news article, or newsletter with key information from news websites
 * Write poetry such as haiku
 * Write rhyming words
 * Write sentences based on photographs
 * On e-grid paper, plot the relationship between two characters (i.e., calm/stressed, happy/sad) through the book
 * Use photo of a person (i.e., character from book, person from history). Ask students to write in “bubble” about their thoughts.
 * Show a book cover, analyze the photo before you start reading, then after. Use bubbles for brainstorming.

[] This link actually focuses on Social Studies, but can be adapted to other fields.

Math:


 * Build graphs
 * Create number lines
 * Explore area and perimeter
 * Explore shapes and patterns
 * Explore Pythagoras
 * Make change
 * Sort objects
 * Telling time
 * Work with math manipulatives and patterns

[] The National Library of Virtual Manipulatives created a site that focuses on mathematics. This site is nice because it breaks up the lessons based on grade level so it is easy to find the resource most appropriate for one’s needs.

Social Studies:


 * Build timelines
 * Categorize landforms
 * Compare time periods, groups, and civilizations (i.e., Mayans/Incans/Aztecs, Indian Tribes, Ancient Civilizations)
 * Compare political parties
 * Compare the clothing of rich and poor in specific time periods (i.e.,Victorian times). What would it be like to wear these clothes? How would they feel?
 * Distinguish laws, interpretation of law, and enforcement of law
 * Examine primary resource materials such as historic documents and maps
 * Label maps
 * Identify branches of government, states vs national government, types of governments
 * Show development of cities, movement of people (i.e., immigration), developments of products (i.e., transcontinental railroad, food from farm to city)
 * Take virtual field trips
 * Trace the movement of people (i.e., authors, characters in story, movement of troops, Lewis and Clark)

[] National Geographic website that takes the viewer through a virtual museum of geography

[] google earth is another great resource to create a context for children of the topics you’re teaching

Foreign Language:


 * Present new languages other than the romance languages offered in schools
 * Highlight or circle elements
 * Present authentic documents such as websites
 * Keep track of vocabulary
 * Enhance oral interaction with the whole class
 * Organizing, setting goals and objectives, planning for a language task
 * Spelling and language mistakes can be corrected on the board by overwriting

[] “Language of the Month” free computer programs that introduce children to a range of languages

[] French video resources

How Effective Are Interactive Whiteboards?
There is some debate about whether or not interactive white boards are truly effective tools for facilitating students' learning in the classroom. Some praise the interactive nature of interactive whiteboards as a means of capturing students' attentions, which can improve participation and retention. Interactive whiteboards can require that students take on more active roles in lessons instead of sitting passively at their desks while listening to a lecture. However, critics of interactive whiteboards contend that they are nothing more than very expensive versions of standard whiteboards and are a frivolous technology that provides much flash but little substance. Some education professionals also believe that interactive whiteboards are merely a continuation of classroom strategies that have proven to be ineffective and that their utilization does not provide a fresh, alternative method to efficiently teach students that is currently necessary.

[|An anti-interactive whiteboard argument]

[|A positive account of using interactive whiteboards in a Florida charter school]

[|A study on the effectiveness of interactive whiteboards]

Different Types of Interactive Whiteboards
[|Touchboards.com] This site is one of the most popular for purchasing interactive whiteboards and their accessories. It carries twenty different brands and most range in cost from $1000 to $5000 per unit. The most highly recommended brands are SMART Boards, Hitachi, Panasonic, and PolyVision. Despite the wide range of brands available, most of the interactive whiteboards are very similar in terms of the features that they offer.

[|SMART Board Tutorial]

[|Hitachi Tutorial]

[|Panasonic Tutorial]

[|PolyVision Tutorial]

In addition to interactive whiteboards, the use of tablets has also become prevalent in classrooms. Textbooks can now be stored on tablets, which eliminates the need for students to physically carry multiple textbooks with them from class to class. Schools also do not have to worry about the wear and tear that textbooks can absorb if they rely on digital copies. Students can also record class notes on their tablets, which allows them to store information neatly in one place. Tablets are also comparable to devices such as iPhones and iPods, which many students use everyday and are therefore seen as comfortable and familiar. However, critics of tablets in the classroom see them as needlessly expensive alternatives to traditional ways of taking notes and using textbooks. There are also concerns that only affluent school districts will be able to afford to purchase tablets for their students, which would only serve to heighten the current socioeconomic inequalities plaguing the American education system.

[|An argument for using tablets in the classroom]

[|Article on affordable tablets]

[|Video on types of tablets (part one)]

[|Video on types of tablets (part two)]

[|Tabletcomparison.net] This site gives an overview of the different brands of tablets currently available as well as their various characteristics. The tablets range in price from about $150 to $500. Popular brands of tablets include iPad, Samsung Galaxy, HP Touchpad, and Sony Tablet S. The differences between the various brands are largely storage, weight, processing speed, screen size, and resolution.

Videos on Using Interactive Whiteboards in the Classroom
[|Using technology as an accelerator of learning]

[|Teaching Physics with a SMART Board]

[|5 Tips and Tricks for the SMART Board]

[|Interactive Whiteboard Teacher Training]

[|Kindergarten Interactive White Board Use]

[|Complete SMART Board Tutorial]

[|Cool Tricks on the SMART board]