Author: Magda Origjanska

With the rapid expansion of new technology, today’s schooling may seem easier than ever yet never more challenging. 

On one hand, teachers and students can teach and study online anywhere and the progress of digital learning devices is skyrocketing. On the other hand, most teachers would agree that keeping students’ attention has never been harder. 

The truth is, there’s no more room to connect with students if you insist on old-fashioned chalkboards and paper-based study materials. 

Students nowadays live in a smart, connected world and receive information fast through digital services. Therefore, they expect to receive knowledge at school in the same way. Otherwise, they easily lose interest.

You can use technology in multiple ways to simplify and improve your teaching methods while engaging students in fun, interactive lessons. Among the top and most practical ways to do this is using an interactive whiteboard in your classroom that will upgrade your standard text-based teaching.

What Is an Interactive Whiteboard?

The interactive whiteboard is also known as “smart whiteboard” or “electronic whiteboard”. It is a learning tool in the classroom that displays multimedia content from a computer onto a classroom board, so teachers and students can interact with the content on the screen using tools, digital pens or even fingers.

You simply connect the computer to the internet, and you can access any information and use it while teaching. Interactive whiteboards also enable teachers to store data used in previous lessons and search through it when needed. All in all, these smartboards are a teacher’s treasure case.

Both teachers and students can benefit from the interactive whiteboard in the classroom. The content can be shared and used during lessons, which simplify teachers’ work and motivates students to collaborate and interact.

Also read: 7 easy tips on how to establish a hybrid classroom

How Can Teachers Use Interactive Whiteboards In the Classroom

The majority of teachers have reported seeing improvement in their students engagement and a more positive and livelier atmosphere since using this digital learning too. Nevertheless, many educators of different ages and levels of tech-savviness may find switching or frequently using the interactive smart whiteboard a bit tricky. 

Although we’ve been using technology for over two decades, its exponential growth in the past several years might seem like a big leap when one needs to implement it daily in the classroom. According to my experience, the sooner, the better. 

When they first brought me an interactive whiteboard in my classroom, I felt a bit unready to do a full switch. I instantly changed my mind when I saw the smiles on my students’ faces and when I saw just how simple and fun this tool was for me too. 

There are so many ESL activities you can do using an interactive whiteboard. Games, quizzes, charades, karaoke shows, drawing… 

Find more activities here:

• 10 information gap activities
• 51+ technology questions for discussions
• ESL writing worksheets

Advantages and Disadvantages of Interactive Whiteboards for the Students

Student involvement in the classroom would surely progress when students realize that teachers speak their language, i.e., fast and interactive information input. Therefore, interactive whiteboards contribute to building positive student experience in the classroom, however, just like any learning tool they have certain disadvantages when it comes to student learning.

Let’s take a look at both the advantages and disadvantages of interactive whiteboards for the students:

Advantages

Students learn in different learning styles

With the interactive whiteboard, teachers can support and encourage different styles of learning, i.e., visual, kinesthetic, and auditory.

Students who are keen on visual learning would be able to draw, manipulate and present on the board, while the auditory learners will enjoy videos, songs and sound effects. The kinesthetic students can have physical interaction with the board that allows them to touch and move objects on the display.

Enhances language learning

The interactive smart board is especially effective for language classes. Language teachers usually combine the digital format of their teaching materials with the textbooks, so students can get multiple interaction with the language they are learning.

Students can work with new vocabulary or grammar content by clicking, highlighting, watching dialogue videos, listening to pronunciation of words related to images and much more.

Direct-from-source information remains available

Another important benefit of interactive whiteboards in the classroom is that presentations during lessons can be recorded, saved, shared and used at any time when needed.

Students can thus plan when to revise study material and be sure that they rely on correct information. This way, students feel more self-confident, motivated and focused.

Storytelling

According to research of educators, ESL students exposed to digital storytelling develop their English skills and progress fast. For young learners, for example, teachers can use comics and cartoons to introduce new vocabulary and grammar structures.

Another practical and fun way to use storytelling in the classroom is with predictable storybooks or picture books with no text that you can change, adapt or upgrade together with your students’ ideas.

More experienced students can write words or sentences and add to a story to finish it, or create a new one from scratch together with their classmates.

Enhanced interaction in the classroom

Smart interactive boards have a touchscreen that can be used by many students simultaneously. Teachers would be happy to see that their students turn into active participants in the lessons, communicating and enjoying the hands-on experience of learning.

Disadvantages

Negative impact on eye health

No need to go any deeper, as it is clear that staring at any screen for a long time may have a negative impact on the eyesight. One of the best ways to avoid this is to limit the time of use of the interactive board and combine it parallelly with other activities that do not involve screen time.

Risky when remote access by students is permitted

To increase students’ engagement, many teachers allow their students to interact on the board through their personal computers. In one way, this can have a positive outcome, as students can share relevant data related to the curriculum.

However, students often use their access to share inappropriate and irrelevant information on screen that may disrupt learning time.

Technical problems

Both teachers and students can use these boards only when the lighting in the classroom is appropriate. Inadequate lighting can make students’ reading experience unpleasant.

Also, if the power goes out, or the computer collapses, the lesson material might disappear and it is likely that this will interrupt students focus and break the learning atmosphere.

The Best Whiteboards for the Classroom? 

Teachers can enhance their lessons by using the interactive whiteboards in various ways, incorporating a wide range of audiovisual material to have more motivated and engaged students. However, choosing an interactive whiteboard can be a bit challenging if you don’t know where to start from.

Here are my top 2 suggestions:

Samsung Flip 65 Inch 

[amazon-button link=”https://www.amazon.com/Samsung-WM65R-Flipchart-Business-LH65WMRWBGCXZA/dp/B07WXZDCC9?crid=60QK5R3QTLFM&keywords=samsung%2Bflip%2B65%2Binch&qid=1653912076&refresh=1&sbo=RZvfv%2F%2FHxDF%2BO5021pAnSA%3D%3D&sprefix=Samsung%2BFlip%2B65%2Binch%2Caps%2C128&sr=8-3&th=1&linkCode=ll1&tag=jimmyeslus1-20&linkId=51c2c08a09706a2648a824431b6f5a02&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_tl”]

With its digital flip chart and screen size of 65 inches (1.65 m), this interactive whiteboard makes any room turn into a classroom.

Samsung Flip 65 Inch includes a built-in Wi-Fi module and a built-in speaker that will enhance your presentations of various audiovisual teaching materials within your lessons.

It has a rather large display, a temperature sensor and time and date memory which are practical for steady control of this learning tool and the data you want to save and classify.

This interactive smartboard comes with two passive digital pens, a power cable and a touch out USB cable that you can use to connect to your computer or smartphone.

Plus, you get a 3-year warranty with on-site pickup service during the warranty period.

VIBE All-in-One Computer Interactive Whiteboard

[amazon-button link=”https://www.amazon.com/Vibe-Interactive-Touchscreen-Collaboration-Whiteboard/dp/B081LPL772?crid=21GPPMOHWCPW8&keywords=Vibe+All-in-One+Computer+Interactive+Whiteboard&qid=1653912258&sprefix=vibe+all-in-one+computer+interactive+whiteboard%2Caps%2C145&sr=8-1-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUEyOUZDMzY1R1MxWlI5JmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwMzIyMzMyMzZZVzdEOUtXREhTNSZlbmNyeXB0ZWRBZElkPUEwMjcxNjQ4U0NIQTZLQUo3VU04JndpZGdldE5hbWU9c3BfYXRmJmFjdGlvbj1jbGlja1JlZGlyZWN0JmRvTm90TG9nQ2xpY2s9dHJ1ZQ%3D%3D&linkCode=ll1&tag=jimmyeslus1-20&linkId=346770ead3f3c082c6d6f2e649403f76&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_tl”]

This exceptional interactive board is designed to make teaching and learning experience a breeze. One of its main pros is the pen that you can use on the touchscreen, which looks natural and feels familiar like a marker on a regular whiteboard.

Next, you can edit and share information with many people at the same time, either face-to-face in the classroom or while working remotely (ping, offline-online teachers!). 

The size of the screen of the VIBE smart board is 55 inches (1.4 m). You can use various apps for teaching, as the board works with almost any of the teaching tools.

Plus, you can store all of your necessary data in the VIBE Cloud in real time. So, you don’t have to worry about the whereabouts of your notes – they will all be stored and ready to use back and forth during lessons. Then, you can export the content to your cloud drive like Dropbox, Google Drive etc.

The VIBE Smart Digital Whiteboard can be easily installed and has a thin and compact size that makes it convenient for any classroom.

Also read: The 10 best laptops for teachers

To Sum Up

Using an interactive whiteboard in the classroom is beneficial for both teachers and students. This learning digital tool is rapidly taking over, so the sooner you catch up with the multiple ways to use it, the better the attention and motivation of your students.

Not so long ago, the internet and the use of technology in education were discussed as things of the future. Education professionals would often question the possibility and accessibility of incorporating technology in the classroom.

Today, it is evident that technology classrooms are rather the rule than the exclusion, so the question is not whether to integrate technology in our learning environments but how to do this in ways that would be productive and enjoyable for both you and your students.

There’s a popular belief that technology in the classroom means distraction and too much information. In contrast, research made in the last two decades has come to the conclusion that the effective integration of technology can significantly change and improve the classroom and increase student engagement in learning.

Read on and discover how to take the first steps toward successful technology integration in your classroom.

How Students Benefit from Using Technology in the Classroom

Introducing technology in the lessons of your curriculum can be beneficial for students in many ways. Most of them spend a lot of time with digital technology at home but that doesn’t mean that they know how to use the same technology for learning.

This is where you step in and offer a helping hand by providing guidance and collaboration through the digital tools for learning. Understandably, the access to technology and the age group of students might require different approaches.

So how do students benefit from the tech classroom?

Learning in an Engaging Environment

When you integrate technology in your classroom, regardless of whether by using a mobile device, a laptop, or an interactive whiteboard, you abandon the dull, traditional pattern of presenting new content and replace it with fun, interactive activities that encourage participation and communication among students and the teacher in the classroom.

Learning Through Different Learning Styles

One of the important advantages of the tech classroom is that teachers are allowed to adapt and modify their lessons to fit students’ individual needs and preferences as each of them is learning differently. Most digital learning tools allow each student to learn new content on their terms but also to communicate and exchange knowledge with peers and the teacher.

Improved Collaboration

Many of the tasks and activities in the technology classroom require students to interact with their classmates or ask questions – excellent ways for students to collaborate while learning new content. If students work in small groups, this process might be even more effective. The teacher could encourage more advanced students to help less experienced students in the group.

Prepared Digital Citizens

In the tech classroom, you will surely teach a lot of practical digital skills to students, like Word or PowerPoint, however, it is equally important for them to learn about the most challenging aspects of the digital era, such as proper conduct online, cyber safety, cyberbullying, plagiarism, digital footprint, etc. One practical way to teach these amid lessons is by setting rules for safe usage of online information and expected online conduct.

Improved Teacher-Student Relationships

Regardless of what your subject matter might be, the wide array of digital activities and tools will make it more fun and attractive to students and this will automatically create a positive atmosphere in the learning environment.

Make sure you always check the current context of what you’re teaching and try to keep up with the tech advancements, so you can easily approach students and encourage critical thinking and idea exchange.

Types of Technology Integration in the Classroom

When it comes to implementing technology in the classroom, one of the most relevant things to consider is that teachers don’t teach technology as a separate subject work on integrating it when presenting content and that students can later also use it to demonstrate what they’ve learned.

This approach can really help teachers who are less tech-savvy or skeptical about the benefits of digital education tools. The term “technology integration”, however, is quite broad, but here are some of the most applicable types of technology integration today:

Online Learning & Hybrid Classrooms

Hybrid learning had been a hot topic among educators in the last two decades before it became almost a necessity right with the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. Teachers and education professionals are exploring and practicing various ways of blending online and face-to-face education, which makes learning quite challenging and yet more accessible than ever before.

Learn how to use a green screen for online teaching in this article.

Project-Based Blended Learning

Though the so-called project-based learning (PBL) is familiar to most educators, blended learning is yet to be discovered. Blended learning refers to teaching practices that combine traditional methods with online learning, so we can say that it’s a hybrid learning experience.

This type provides learning content in a highly adaptive and personalized way, allowing students to follow their own pace while engaging in the online content and then apply what they’ve learned in the common project, i.e. the hands-on part of the learning process.

Gamified Learning, Web-Based Projects & Research

Even the simplest of games can turn learning from a passive activity into a fun and motivating process. When you use technology for gamified learning, for example through quizzes or virtual information hunts, you really change the atmosphere in your classroom – playing digital games is one of the students’ most favored activities in their free time.

Another simple and practical way to encourage students to use technology for learning is through digital field trips, using web resources, and helping students to do online research on a specific topic.

These types of technology integration will practically merge your objective with their focus and interests and this creates a seamless learning experience.

Learning through Mobile Devices & Social Media

Integrating handheld devices and social media as learning tools are among the innovative ways to use technology in the classroom. Instead of observing these as attention takers, try to find a convenient way to make them work for your benefit.

Mobile phones and tablets can be quite practical for connecting students to classroom resources and sharing materials. As for social media, it allows teachers to create groups or pages for discussions, poles, and debates for their students.

Learning through Interactive Whiteboards & Classroom Response Systems

More and more schools abandon the green chalkboards and replace them with interactive whiteboards to make lessons more fun and appealing. The “smart boards” allow you to design your lesson using their tools, use the internet at any time to browse information together with your students, etc. In addition, most of the teacher resources nowadays contain a “smart board” extension of the textbooks with extra activities.

The classroom response systems (CRS), on the other hand, aims to transform abstract learning into a hands-on experience by using remote devices which allow students to individually engage in the content projected on the screen through a receiving device and software.

Levels of Technology Integration

According to Mary Beth Hertz, a director of Education Technology and an expert in the field, there are four levels of classroom technology integration. Here is how she defines these on her blog:

1. Sparse: Technology is rarely used or available, so students rarely use it for their projects or assignments.
2. Basic: Technology is more often used in the lab, but not in the classroom which makes students’ access to it limited. Students use only one or two digital tools when creating projects.
3. Comfortable: Technology is used on a fairly regular basis in the classroom and students know and can use many tools for creating projects and presenting knowledge.
4. Seamless: Students use technology daily in the classroom and can use different tools to create projects and assignments and demonstrate understanding of content.

The levels of integration can vary and depend on a number of factors, especially the availability of digital resources, equipment, and support as well as the access to technology in a specific school or classroom.

Tips on How to Use Technology in the Classroom

Now that we’ve presented some of the integral ways of incorporating technology in the classroom, let’s look at a few tips on how to do it practically:

Great Tools to Use in the Classroom

Regardless of whether you’re a beginner or a veteran in integrating technology in the classroom, it’s always practical to have a list of apps and tools that are practical and easy to use in your tech classroom.

Google Classroom

A simple app that many find to be super convenient as it is connected to Gmail, Google Docs, Sheets and Slides, Google Meet, and Google Calendar. It encourages collaboration between students and teachers. Teachers can add students and form a class while students get a clear overview of their assignments and can enroll in discussion forums.

Khan Academy

A free education app that offers exercises, instructional videos, and a personalized learning dashboard. The app can also help you find resources for subjects like science, math, reading, writing, etc. One of the most convenient things is that you can download the videos and watch them at any time.

Edmodo (not available anymore)

This is a social learning app that provides communication, polling, and sharing assignments between students, teachers, and schools. It contains millions of resources that are created and shared by teachers worldwide. Also, parents get access and can keep track of their children’s school calendar, grades and assignments.

Kahoot!

Teachers can use this tool to conduct quizzes, surveys, and discussions. It is a classroom response system, so the whole class can participate simultaneously. The activities involve multiple-choice questions that are projected on the screen and students can answer through a tablet, smartphone, or computer.

iCan-Special Educational Fun

This app is specially designed for young students with learning difficulties. It contains a rich add-free library of educational videos and games that promote the cognitive and socio-emotional skills of the students. There are 8 games available for practicing different skills like Matching, Memory Building, Coloring, Tracing etc.

Edublogs

This app caught my attention as it provides simple creation and management of student and teacher blogs but it can also be used for creating videos, photos and podcasts with the support of a growing lesson library included.

To Conclude

Integrating technology in the classroom is a challenging, yet exciting process that takes patience and willingness for continuous learning. Results won’t come overnight but strong diligence and an open mind can surely help you go a long way in this pursuit that would improve the learning experience for both you and your students.

The challenging development of the COVID-19 events from 2020 onwards has drastically changed most of the important aspects of our lives, including jobs and professional lifestyles.

Teaching and studying have instantly and directly felt the price of social distancing as lockdowns around the world have caused a massive migration of both students and educators from the regular physical classroom to online teaching and studying.

Currently, institutions and individuals are implementing innovative ways of learning and teaching intending to adapt to the new circumstances. One of these learning models is the hybrid classroom, which combines the virtual and the physical classroom.

Read on and find out more about how the hybrid classroom works, what are its pros and cons, and how to run it successfully.

What Is A Hybrid Classroom?

The term ‘hybrid classroom’ can be simply explained as a classroom that combines two different elements, i.e. hybrid. The distinctive elements in this learning model are the traditional, in-person classroom and the online, virtual classroom.

In other words, teachers and students who engage in this type of classroom will participate in a combined learning environment where there will be students present in the physical class and remote students.

The hybrid classroom is also known as a “hyflex classroom” as it is a flexible and creative way of studying that seeks to provide flexibility and safety while maintaining good quality education.

For remote students, the lectures and seminars in the hyflex environment can be attended from any location through the popular video-conferencing software platforms like Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, etc.

As a learning model, the hybrid classroom can vary depending on the institution and the educators that would implement it. Some schools choose this model to offer their study programs to foreign students who find it practical to attend lectures they’re interested in without their physical presence.

Another popular way is the so-called 50-50 hyflex classroom where the curriculum is taught in a certain number of days appointed for in-person participation in the classroom while other students are learning online – this approach was especially effective in schools that insisted on remaining open during a lockdown but still wanted to keep a safe environment for students and staff.

Many teachers choose this model to let their students be flexible and keep their enthusiasm and engagement in the in-person classroom. According to most teachers’ experiences, students show better results when they can choose their time and place for studying.

Benefits and Downsides of the Hybrid Classroom

In the perfect scenario, a hybrid classroom sounds almost like an edutopia. Students choose their time for studying, they commit to their choice, engage their efforts while teachers have the best technical support at hand, and never fail to complete classes successfully.

The reality, however, is quite different, since the hyflex classroom has both its benefits and downsides.

Benefits

The top benefit of this learning model is flexibility – a trait much required in today’s dynamic digital world. Students appreciate when they have the chance to study from the comfort of their location.

Other benefits are accessibility and inclusion, aspects that are crucial when it comes to equality in education. Online students from all around the world can enroll in courses without physical presence, which can be conditioned by health or financial circumstances that could prevent studying in the traditional way.

Latest studies have shown that the performance of students in hybrid classrooms surpasses the traditional learning and teaching experience.

Downsides

Nevertheless, learning environments thrive on interaction and communication between teachers and peers, and this is one of the top challenging aspects of the hyflex model.

Teachers complain that students can easily lose interest in a specific topic and reduce their engagement when they follow lectures in a combined class. Reading our guide on interactive learning might help you to avoid this.

Another, yet equally important downside of hybrid classrooms is the hybrid classroom technology, i.e. the technical requirements and issues that can appear.

If the technical support is not good enough, remote students will have difficulties in following the classes and teachers will become frustrated while trying to maintain the dialogue between the physical and the online classrooms.

Finally, this type of classroom requires teachers to follow the latest technology advancements and invest in their knowledge and practice and support their schools regarding the tech infrastructure. Unfortunately, this is more often regarded as a privilege than a necessity.

Tips On How To Introduce A Hybrid Classroom

Introducing a functional hybrid classroom is not an easy task, as you need to use top tech and think of new creative ways to bridge online and offline students.

However, there are ways to make great lessons with a bit of effort and use this challenging way of teaching to your advantage.

Turn Lesson Exercises Into Games

If you feel exhausted by jumping from the remote student group to the students around you and vice versa, try combining different approaches of communication while performing exercises.

For example, you can mute online students while giving a task to in-person students and then gather them together to guess, add or swap information or send the online students’ lesson materials that the physical students cannot see.

Use Interactive Online Tools

Online lessons depend on the multitude of online quiz tools and games, and these can be as effectively used in the hybrid classroom. Useful tools for both teaching and revising of the study material are Mentimeter Quiz, GimKit, Kahoot!, Quizizz, Quizlet Live etc. Moreover, you can use real-time cloud-based apps like Google Docs or Google Jamboard for collaborative writing activities.

Use An Online Whiteboard

Using an online whiteboard will ensure that all students can follow the lesson. One of the benefits of using a cloud-based notebook as a whiteboard, like Microsoft OneNote, for example, is that you can keep all your files in one place and not be bothered with sharing them later.

Also read: Tips for using interactive whiteboards in lessons

Pair the Screen Share With Your E-Book

Most of the course books nowadays come with an online version, i.e. an e-book that contains the content of lessons plus extra materials like worksheets, additional exercises, and audio files that support the lessons. Share the e-book on your screen and engage all students in the virtual materials.

Leave Room and Time for Repeating and Revising

The hybrid classroom requires a clear and straight-to-the-point approach when it comes to presenting and explaining lesson materials so that all students can simultaneously follow and understand the information addressed to them.

However, the uncertainty of the technical support can easily impede the dynamic in a classroom, so it is important to always be ready to repeat and revise what you have said to be sure that all students’ have received the message successfully.

Create a Backup for the Low-Tech Environment

Many teachers have only a laptop and a speaker in their virtual learning environment, so most of them come up with alternative ways to keep the flow and the quality of their teaching despite the poor technical conditions.

One such way is to organize research activities for students in advance and then just revise and give feedback during the lesson – this will keep students more engaged and introduced to the lesson materials before you give them a deeper insight into a topic.

Create Quality Time Sessions With Students

Hybrid classrooms can seriously affect the level and quality of social interaction between students, as well as their attention span in class. Therefore, you must contribute to creating a comfortable and welcoming classroom environment.

One way to do this in the challenging hyflex conditions is by appointing a monthly session of 20-30 minutes in which in-person and online students would meet and share their latest experiences, discuss popular topics or engage in group activities related to their interests outside the school curriculum.

To Conclude

Undoubtedly, the hybrid classroom model was a life savior in the ever-changing situation caused by COVID-19, although it has been present and under extensive development in the last two decades. We live in a digitalized world that’s continuously growing and changing, therefore, the traditional models of education are no longer applicable.

Embracing hybrid learning is a smart way to move forward. It not only removes the expired ways of teaching and thus changes the way we think of education, but it also makes education more accessible and gives students the freedom to choose their way of learning.