There are very few images that bring up the concept of education as the picture of a chalkboard. The idea of teaching without this tool (or it’s contemporary equivalent – the dry-erase board) seems impossible.
We’ve been using a board at the front of a room to teach for a very long time. There are many thoughts on whether it is the “best” way to teach, but even the most modern learning environments will feature some type of “board” to use in communication.
Is there a way to improve on this tool using technology? Given the title of this BLOG post – it should be obvious that I think there is. While the tool itself isn’t a solution (it never is) – the use of the tool can make us more efficient and allow for methods that would be difficult, if not impossible without it.
Digital Whiteboards offer almost all of the benefits of a traditional board, but add:
- Distance – we can extend the board from the front of the class to the student’s screen – in-class and across the world.
- Collaboration – through a shared environment, we can invite richer participation on the board – students that may not want to come to the front of the class can easily participate from their desk (or remotely)
- Better visuals – circles can be … circular, images, photos, documents can all be imported and seen
- Magnification – we can magnify to highlight
- Persistence – we do not have to erase the board to free up space – with an infinite canvas and the ability to save and share the digital board.
- Projection on a screen – we can project the Digital board onto a screen (or wall) in the class
- Keep the lights on – we do not have to darken the room into a sleep-educing environment so that everyone can see it. By making it available as a shared resource, we don’t even need a screen – students can watch the board from their computers or devices.
There are many other benefits to these Digital Boards and in a recent YouTube video LiveStream I looked at four popular ones.
Check out this Wacom Tablet if you do not have a screen that supports the use of a stylus – they are very handy.
