Blackboards and chalk may be going the way of fountain pen and typewriter as 21st-century classrooms evolve with digital, interactive “whiteboards.”
A new learning environment called an “ACTIVclassroom” by U.K based manufacturer Promethean, engages students through a computerized projector, laptop and large, firm plastic whiteboard. It can access the Internet and video clips in colorful, fast-paced, flip-chart lessons plans stored by staff.
The whiteboard ? roughly a 4-by-6 foot home movie-sized board ? looks much like a typical PC screen, but with the teacher and students using a plastic pen instead of a mouse.
David Robbins, a technology integration analyst with Baltimore City Public Schools, gave a demonstration for 75 city teachers, principals, and technology staff Wednesday morning at the Maree Garnett Farring Elementary School in South Baltimore. Robbins, a former teacher and tech specialist at the Brooklyn school, brought the first whiteboard to the school five years ago. They now have 15 and are purchasing 11 more this year ? at about $3,000 apiece ? enabling Principal Linda Brewster to put one in each classroom. There are single whiteboards at only 11 other city schools, but that is likely to change.
“I was blown away the first time I saw one and everything teachers could do with it,” Brewster said. “It?s effective in every class. In social studies, maps can be pulled down, you can access the Internet, kids can write on it. I can?t think of anything you can?t do on it.”
Teacher Ben Posner used the whiteboard to teach fractions to his third-grade class, which also “voted” on the correct answers to on-screen problems with handheld devices.
Student Davonte Hutchings got a smile from Washington Redskins coach Ernest Byner for knowing “one-fourths” also were called “quarters” ? and that meant there were four, like in football. Byner, invited to the demonstration, said he uses a whiteboard to coach his running backs.
“It?s fun,” said Davonte, 8. “You can play games on it, vote on it and you can get out of your seat and write on it.”
“You can play games and you can do the same stuff you do on a computer at home,” said Stephanie Aviles, also 8.
