Interactive educational tools are revolutionising teaching in classrooms across the country. With interactive whiteboards encouraging pupil participation and granting teachers access to a wider range of educational resources than ever before, whiteboards are looking to be the most important educational tool for 2010 – and teachers can combine their whiteboards with interactive tools to improve their user experience and make sure pupils are getting the most out of the technology.
Without the proper tools to unlock its full potential, an interactive whiteboard is just a chalkboard. Interactive whiteboard tools work together to improve usability for teachers and pupils alike – from pens that allow multiple users to interact with the whiteboard simultaneously to remote tablets and slates, allowing pupils to influence the board from their desks.
By providing pupils with their own tablets, many of which can be operated at the same time, teachers can also encourage their independent learning and critical thinking, as well as get them accustomed to the technology at an early age.
Teachers retain ultimate control of all these educational tools however, and by encouraging class participation they are helping children to get more out of their education through the sort of technology they are used to in the modern world, like remote controls. Remote controlled whiteboards give teachers even more freedom in interacting with pupils all over the classroom, while still retaining control of what is displayed on the board.
This also means that whiteboards do not need to be cluttered with distracting toolbars and other input features, ensuring that the focus is entirely on the learning resources being displayed rather than the technology itself.
Interactive teaching tools make it easier than ever for teachers to plan and modify lessons on the go, with many downloadable teaching aids and core resources being easily accessible over the web from various sites. Portable tablets liberate teachers from the classroom by allowing them to work with the interactive content wherever they are.
Schools can even equip classrooms with interactive tools designed for specific subjects, such as chemistry. The days of awkward cell diagrams are over, now that interactive microscopes can be linked directly to the whiteboard to present live magnified views for the whole class to experience on the big screen.
By offering a simple and effective way to interact with a huge range of learning resources, interactive whiteboard tools are the key educational tools for 2010.
Children are all off back to school and there are a few people breathing a sign of relief at getting some peace and quiet. But along with getting their new clothes, pens and pencils and books, we also like to think of how we can help our children do better. The thing about school is the older they get the more important it becomes for them to learn and learn quickly.