While interactive whiteboards were released way back in 1991, it only started gaining popularity in the last several years. Interactive whiteboards are large displays that connect to a computer and projector. It comes with a dry-erase whiteboard, with an LCD projector mounted on the wall or floor stand. The whiteboard becomes a computer screen viewable to anyone in the room.
Read on to learn more about interactive whiteboards:
High Technology Learning
Whiteboards allow you to draw on the surface, print the image, or distribute it over a network. You can project images on to the board and control it by touching the board or using a special pen. Interactive whiteboards are just like conventional boards so they can help technophobic educators use the technology with ease.
Multi-sensory Learning
Interactive whiteboards facilitate multisensory learning and encourages collaboration among students. According to RICGroup.com.au, these make it easier for teachers to enhance presentations by integrating different materials into the lesson. Teachers can use a graph from Microsoft Word or even use pictures from the Internet.
Easy to Use
These whiteboards are used to promote group work and collaboration on word processing documents and design projects. These also offer the same features of traditional whiteboards, like writing directly on the boards, highlighting words on screens, and erasing errors.
Customised Lesson Plan
These allow teachers to have customised learning objects from different sources and adapt it to the needs of the class in real time. These also help broaden e-learning, as they demonstrate the different modes of lesson delivery.
Ideal for Students with Disability
These boards work especially well for learners with special needs. Interactive whiteboards allow you to drag and drop exercises with graphics or images instead of text.
While interactive whiteboards are more expensive than conventional whiteboards, they help make teaching lessons more efficient. These allow the students to work collaboratively in shared work areas and helps learners absorb information more easily.