Just as in a traditional classroom, the interactive white board is an additional tool for instructors to use to help reach their students. It is another platform to discuss information, which can only help add t what is hopefully already a diverse classroom in terms of disseminating information. Not all learners are the same, so when we can differentiate our teaching tools we have a better chance of reaching all of our students. Another benefit is that it can be accessed after the fact. Students can use it as a study tool and can refer back to it when they need too. ~Melissa
The use of the whiteboard allows students to see what is being discussed and to see ideas come together real-time. As an online instructor, I am able to throw my ideas up there and as students participate, their ideas are listed up there as well and they can see things come together. I think this encourages them to think and put their ideas together - even for those that tend to be a bit more shy.
Catherine,
Good points - so as well as help facilitate the discussion the capture of the logic and flow of the discussion can also reinforce the process.
Dr. Ruth Reynard
You can turn over the control to a student and have them draw on top of graphics to illustrate their point. It acts like a Smartboard in that way and is highly beneficial for interaction.
Dawn,
Good example...also the capturing functionality extends the usefulness of the exchange.
Dr. Ruth Reynard
Use of a white board increases student participation. If an open ended question is asked, students are free to provide their opinion on the topic. This allows for discussion among the instructor and interaction among students in the class. I try to make these questions apply what they have learned in their textbook to a real life situation they may encounter.
I also like to provide the class a website location if the student wishes to look for additional information outside the class room.
Linda,
Great examples! Yes, open-ended allows for continuing exploration and discussion which is perfect for this technology .
Dr. Ruth Reynard
I think the biggest benefit is the ability to take the learning moment outside of the classroom. Traditionally, students have to take notes of the material an instructor writes on a whiteboard or a chaulkboard. A whiteboard allows saving of the material for later review. With current systems, instructors can also allow students to participate in the whiteboard activity.
Kurt,
Yes, both maximizing the collaboration and ideas-sharing as well as capture and distribution are all amazing benefits of this technology whether physical or digital.
Dr. Ruth Reynard
It provides a method by which the students are able to contribute to the input, and allows for the end product to be shared. This can also help with student focus as the visual learners won't have to worry about taking notes, since they will have the image to take with them.
Melissa
Melissa,
Yes, very true. It supports collaboration as well as provides a means to capture and distribute...both very important instructional supports.
Dr. Ruth Reynard
In my experience, whiteboards most definitely heighten interactions with students and contribute effectively to online learning. I like to engage the students by asking thought provoking and open-ended questions that challenge thinking, allowing them to express their opinions and creativity to their fellow classmates. I find that for students with different learning styles, this empowers them to feel more com¬fort¬able expressing themselves and contributing to group discussions in the course. With positive reinforcement from interactions on the discussion board, an increase in participation usually occurs, therefor creating an enjoyment in participating in the course.
Christina,
I like your methods and approaches...it remains a challenge to encourage critical thinking regardless of increasing connectivity.
Dr. Ruth Reynard
I am not familiar on the use of an interactive white board as I have not had the opportunity to actively participate with or on one, however, I do recall several years back when I was in the military, there were these boards (white in color) which the Generals were using for briefings e.g., moving around maps, slides, erasing and adding thoughts etc., and it appeared rather interactive in nature by the staff but this could also be because they are Generals :). My institution does not use them, so perhaps in the future; we may lean towards this if there is value added through the use of the White Board.
Mike
Michael,
Yes, that sounds similar - actually there are digital versions now of course used within real time meeting environments that are often used for online courses etc. There are still hardware versions, though, that can now be remotely controlled and can be totally mobile. All of these flexible options mean that the learning engagement can be expanded and shared regardless of time or space.
Dr. Ruth Reynard
I have unfortunately never had the opportunity to use an interactive white board in any course that I have taught. But I do believe that it would be an interesting tool in that you could actually "share" the stylus and let students come to the board and make their own notes, diagrams, etc on the board. Then as the instructor you could save your presentation for the students to access outside of class and Boom! There's the students' own notes and work on display.
Erik,
Yes, the functionality to capture various inputs as well as distribute those are the strength of this technology.
Dr. Ruth Reynard
The smart boards provide greater flexibility in the classroom with a complete learning system that allows you to streamline your learning experience, ensuring that students are the focus of all kinds.
Karely,
Yes, and the functionality of being able to capture interactions and distribute means that the learning can continue beyond the moment.
Dr. Ruth Reynard
Proper use of the White Board can help engage students and involve them in the learning process. The White Board can allow the student to put their own thoughts and ideas on display for the rest of the class to discuss. The lecture no longer becomes a one-way flow of information. When used effectively, the instructor can incorporate multi-media to help keep the students engaged and interested in the subject matter. The White Board can help create a more dynamic teaching environment and allow the students to become more involved and contribute to overall learning process.
