We all know that uneasy feeling of sitting in front of a blank white screen trying to decide where to begin when it comes to designing and creating an interactive lesson. You can feel it just thinking about it, right? We also know how tough it can be to look at lesson after lesson on the web or an IWB website trying to decide if a lesson is good and whether or not it will be engaging for your students.

Interactive whiteboards give us an opportunity to excite our students about learning through multi-sensory, hands-on interaction with content, so we want to be sure that the lessons that we create and use for instruction are high-quality and engaging. Here are some design components that will help you create and/or choose lessons that achieve positive learning outcomes with your students.

I always thought I’d be a nurse or a pediatrician. I babysat and enjoyed taking care of kids—I wanted to make a difference in their lives, if only for the short time I was with them. In the early years of high school, I was a volunteer at a nearby hospital. I realized pretty quickly that I hated seeing sick kids. I would cry in the bathroom after leaving a patient’s room because I worried about the child and his or her family. It was hard to feel like I could make a difference in their lives when I was so overcome by what they were facing.

Teachers enjoy the holidays for multiple reasons: Two weeks off school, extra time with our family, a few extra moments to catch up on a good book or television show, and—of course—presents! Even teachers make a list for Santa, and they are checking it twice hoping they get something nice. What’s on your list for Santa this year? Perhaps your list is full of things that others teachers also want most. 

After polling elementary school colleagues and friends, here are the top 5 gifts that teachers said would “wow” them this year:

An online educator community is an extension of the educator network you have in your school and district. The online community allows you to connect with hundreds of teachers who teach your subject and your grade level. You can even get lessons and ideas from students all over the world. In this post we will discuss our MimioConnect™ online educator community. There are many others out there, such as these started by Google and Microsoft. Our FREE teacher-sharing website with FREE materials and resources is ready for you to explore. Simply register at http://www.mimioconnect.com/user and start enjoying the benefits of this community. Read on to learn more.