The Whiteboard Conundrum

How fun is this podcast. Music and everything, and Chris Betcher who actually is interesting to listen to...his voice isn't monotone like the last guy I listened to. He actually sounds enthusiastic about what he is talking about. Imagine that!

This podcast is on "The Virtual Staffroom" and is titled "The Whiteboard Conundrum." Listed below are some key concepts I took from the podcast; what the interactive whiteboard is doing to the classroom.

• Get the students up to use the board (smartboard) to have a more interactive lesson plan
• Use it as a teaching tool for the teacher.
• A lot of different ways to use a smartboard, it's not just a whiteboard or a projector
• Students should not notice the smartboard when they walk into the classroom, technology should be used all the time so the smartboard is familiar.
• Suddenly teachers are learning how to use more technology by using the smartboard. They want to improve their teaching!!
• Smartboards are cool! You can touch them and they will react! There is a human connection.
• Interaction is better with students when a teacher is up using the smartboard
• A lot better then finding a cursor on a projector. 
• It is easier to follow the teacher
• Students are connected in a physical way. They are part of the information. 
• Students are a group and when one student is up using the smartboard, they are completely focused in
• They help start conversations after using the technology of the board. 
• finding information on Google maps that relates to history
• Schools need to provide training to the teachers so they know what the smartboards can do
• If schools are going to spend the money on smartboards, they need to train the teacher as well
•  Students can become interested in learning again because they are engaged
• What I can do with a smartboard that I couldn't do before?
• Take stills of a video and then flip through those to reinforce the point of what the video was teaching.
• Make information available instantly to students
• Explore more difficult concepts

How cool is it that one piece of technology like the smartboard can offer so much to learning. I hope my future classroom has one!