As technology advances we as teachers have been given more
options to create new and exciting lessons for students. One of these technical
tools is Interactive White Boards or Active Boards. The power of an Active
Board depends largely on the teacher’s own knowledge and creativity. Some
creative possibilities for lessons include the following: highlighting or
coloring important text, hiding and revealing items, importing pictures, shared
reading or peer teaching, providing feedback, and using student response
systems. All of these will help take a simple lesson to the next level and
really engage your class. Along with active learning white board activates will
also aid in classroom management, lesson organization, and add variation to
lesson content. 
While Active Boards have many different applications
available I have found Student Response Systems to be one of the best. Student
Response Systems allow everyone in the classroom to submit answers to questions
posted on the board. Displaying answers in graph, charts, or even in short
sentences. Most response systems are anonymous, but some systems show names or
ID numbers. These systems are wonderful tools for teachers because it allows
teachers to quickly asses the classes understanding i.e. if 100% of students
answer a history question correctly you can move on to new material, but if a
large number of students answer incorrectly a review or elaboration may be needed.
These response students keep even the most distracted students involved in the
lesson with constant learning checks.
Proper teacher training is vital when incorporating Active
Boards into instruction. Teachers mush have the ability to troubleshoot when
technical issues arise. Students can easily become frustrated and lose
confidence when teachers struggle to properly teach lessons. When starting out
keep your lessons simple and practice going through interactive elements before
presenting to your class. The more proficient you become with the Active Board
the more advanced techniques and lessons you will implement.
