Whole-class learning is a key aspect of the modern classroom, but how do you find the right solution for your school? There are a variety of options, so you need to take a closer look at each one to determine which is the best choice for your students, teachers, curriculum, and budget.
Last week we looked at interactive touch boards, which can be used as both a conventional whiteboard and a touch board. This week, we're going to explore portable interactive whiteboards, which allow you to easily bring interactivity from one classroom to the next. Some of the most important considerations are what will work for your classroom configurations and for the teaching and learning styles of your educators and students.
Is a Portable Interactive Whiteboard Right for Your Classroom?
Portable IWBs, like the MimioTeach interactive device, allow you to use the projectors and whiteboards you already have to create an interactive space. Portable IWBs allow you to easily create another interactive learning area on any flat surface. The low implementation cost makes it possible to outfit more classrooms with this interactive technology.
Pros
- Affordability: Allows schools to transform the projectors and whiteboards they already own into interactive whiteboards. This portable solution typically allows schools to outfit three classrooms with interactive technology vs. one standard IWB.
- Portability: This flexible solution can be moved from one classroom to the next quite easily—the interactive bar is just over a foot tall and weighs less than a pound. This tool allows teachers to share resources, maximizing school budgets.
- Ease of Setup: These devices are designed to work with your current projector and classroom computer, so after a simple calibration process, you have an interactive solution that’s ready to go in less than a minute.
Cons
- Single User: Typically, these devices only allow one student or teacher to use at a time.
- Projector Required: Its strength is also a con for some schools. If you don’t already have rooms equipped with projectors or the budget to add on an affordable projector, this might not be the solution for you.
No matter what you are teaching with, new technology has one main purpose: to educate. While traditional tools can capably communicate knowledge and ideas, interactive solutions more easily engage today’s students and create countless opportunities for collaborative learning.
You can read more about portable interactive whiteboards, along with a variety of other whole-class learning solutions, in our new Interactive Solutions in the Classroom guide. Click here to download your free guide today!