Hi Austin-

I teach in Wisconsin, and until this coming Tuesday, we have not had an interactive white board in the building.  So, I had to get creative.  For less that $100, I was able to BUILD an interactive whiteboard using a Wii remote, a homemade infrared pen, and a bluetooth dongle.

It is a great tool.  It'll take some time to convert traditional lessons into one where students can use the interactive whiteboard, but in the end, it is highly worth it.

 Hi Austin I am a teaching Principal in Australia.  I have introduced IWBs into every classroom and as the oldest teacher, I have had to learn fast in order to provide my students with the latest access.  I believe every school should be provided with everything that children need for free.  If we were to wait for that to happen, our children would be left behind.  The children today deserve the best opportunities to learn with the latest technology and just because we are old and experienced teachers is no excuse for not keeping up to date.  It has kept me excited, keeps me learning and there is not enough time in the day to explore all the possibilities - wish we had them when I was learning and I love them.  There are so many talented people out there creating so many exciting ways to learn and have fun in the process that I find the technology so stimulating my husband thinks I am attached with computer in tow!!  So, no they are too expensive, but we have come a long way over the past five years and I cannot imaging what it wil be like when I retire in a few years.  I think I will buy one for myself in case I do supply work around OZ and the schools I go to haven't got any!  I want to use them forever and our children love using them,  I wish I had enough money for the walls and tables to be interactive so every child has instant access! Cheers, Rob

Our disrtrict just purchased 5 smartboards. They have been a fantastic addition to each of the classes. Students are excited when they enter the room, anticipating the lesson just so they can use the smartboard.  What a difference. Each of the teachers have spent countless hours redoing lesson plans to accomodate the smartboard. Plus, many hours just learning how to become profiencent on the smartboard.

Once we had most of our lessons in place, Wow!!!

Hi All,

I've just read all your posts and so what can I tell. I can the only dream about interactive white board in my classroom. I know it's difficult to believe but I even haven't got a computer in my classroom. If I need it I bring my own. So it's a hard life.

Maria

They are worth the money IF you use them regularly, and considering the number of applications for interactive whiteboards, you should probably be using them in some capacity almost every lesson. I use a Smartboard almost every lesson. Among the many benefits, I have found that it allows me to spend more time engaging with students as it greatly reduces the amount of time I spend writing on a blackboard, since much of the visual material is prepared in advance. It also allows me to "save" a lesson at any point, including any text or diagrams on the board. These can be easily recalled at the start of the next lesson for smooth continuation.

One caveat: I know some schools where Smartboards were introduced by higher-ups (boards of education). These boards are mostly sitting unused, because nobody thought to allocate time and money to train the (mostly technophobic) teachers how to use them effectively.

They are worth it!! My students are excited when they can physically place the shape of a state in the correct place on a map. If I were to put a blank paper map in front of them they would give that long sigh like "Great another worksheet" There are websites galore that have interactive lessons. I just do a search to find them. The white boards are a great teaching tool!

White boards is a fantastic idea. Technology is very expensive. No worry about that. But having a white interactive board is a good thing. It brings reality in the classroom. We have one in Chavakali High School-Kenya and it is serving us well. thanks Edward Ombajo

I love your idea of using the interactive whiteboards for maps and such in History. That really would be a perfect tool to show a map, or even a route someone took for something.

I have had the advantage of trying to get students to one spot on several computers without an interactive white board and then with an interactive white board. Let me tell you - no teacher who uses technology on a regular basis should have to teach without an interactive whiteboard. Teaching and Learning is 100 times more smoother! And that might be an understatement. My students are more engaged and see exactly where I am and where they should go and be during instruction. I could go on and on but I think you understand! Tina

I would appreciate if you can send me more information about that experience. I`d like to have the same experience with my students to let them know about specific animals. Thanks. Write to me please.

I am using an interactive whiteboard in my classes this year. It's a great way for me to present information and it engages the students. For example, students can come up to the board and underline main ideas in a color. Another student can use a different color to underline a main idea that may differ from the first student. This often leads to discussions. The work can also be saved as a snapshot for review in the future. This is only one example of how I use the interactive white board.

To get the screen to play you hit the function key and on my computer it is F5. This key might be different for each laptop. Hit the function key that has a picture of a large screen or it will have the letters LCD on it. I hope this helps. Karen Kempt

Susan, What is the site for the information from the Missouri teachers? Pam

As with anything, it's only as good as the person who uses it. I work in a school in New Orleans that has just had them installed and we think they are great. Not all the teachers are experts in using them but the students love the idea of their lesson being taught on the big screen, so to speak. Therefore the more interested the kids are the more they will pay attention to what's being taught. I am not a teacher, but I do work with teachers to help integrate technology into their lesson plans and this is the best thing for them. The teachers are able to use the boards to show videos or real pictures of what they are teaching. They are also able to create lessons on the flip chart that can be saved on the computer. There is also a place on the web where teachers can share lessons with each other. In addition to all of that, the kids get the opportunity to interact with the board as well. The board makes it much easier for teachers to prepare lessons in advanced. The more prepared the teacher are the more they can cover in a week. So I say Good Bye to the flat, Black Board and the messy chalk and Hello to the new age of technology.

I am a 3rd grade teacher and I have used an interactive whiteboard for the last 3 years and I love it! It engages the kids more than I thought possible. I have seen it used effectively in grades as low as 1st. Smartboards are rather expensive but worth the money. My district found an interactive whiteboard called the Mimio which was significantly less money and just as good, if not better. I would recommend having mounted LCD projectors as they have fewer issues. Well worth the money if you have teachers who are willing to use them and learn. Keep in mind though that you'll need a computer to connect it all and the companies recommend using tablet notebooks.