Tips for Effectively Using Interactive Panels in the Classroom

Creating a fun learning experience is now easier than ever, thanks to interactive panels for classrooms.

But have you truly utilised your interactive board to its full potential? Are you sure there is no functionality that you missed?

If you said no to any of these questions, then you will find this article helpful. Below, I share with you actionable digital board tips for both remote education and classroom teaching.

How To Use Interactive Flat Panel in the Classroom

1. Prepare Your Teaching Method

With all the benefits of interactive flat panels, it’s easy to get carried away and rely on your digital board too much.

But, one thing you should keep in mind is that you’re still the one in charge of the lesson quality and delivery.

So, make sure to explore all the features of your interactive panel and plan your materials accordingly.

For example, you can take advantage of the panel’s multimedia support by preparing visually engaging learning formats, such as videos, graphs, interactive maps, and more.

2. Explain Complex Concepts With Multimedia

Speaking of multimedia content, animations are great for explaining complex concepts in a digestible way.

Why? Because humans are naturally visual beings. So, your students will understand information faster and retain it much longer if you integrate multimedia content in your curriculum.

For example, in a science class, use a combination of educational videos, interactive simulations (like PhET), and animated diagrams to explain complex concepts such as cellular respiration.

Likewise, you can use interactive maps in geography classes to help students remember different countries, continents, and historic venues better.

3. Replace Papers With Tablets

In traditional classrooms, teachers and students use papers for pretty much anything – note taking, homework, progress tests, final exams, and more.

But since you can connect multiple tablets with your interactive display via WiFi, it’s now possible to make your class fully digital.

From sharing multimedia content to working on collaborative projects, education is now available at students’ fingertips.

4. Create Interactive Lessons

Interactive activities are basically any learning experiences that involve active student participation.

In the context of interactive flat panels, it means using the touchscreen capabilities and software features of your smart board to turn your boring classroom into an engaging one.

Here are some ideas:

• Games and simulations: Educational games like Kahoot! can be displayed on the screen and played by students individually or in groups. This helps them learn unpleasant subjects like maths and physics in an enjoyable manner.
• Polls and quizzes: Creating interactive polls or quizzes is another proven method to boost learning enthusiasm among students. Each class member answers questions directly on the panel, and the results are displayed in real-time, allowing for instant feedback.
• Brainstorming and mind mapping: Digital whiteboards are also great for brainstorming sessions. Students can contribute ideas by writing or drawing directly on the screen, fostering better collaboration and creativity.

5. Host Remote Classes

The notion that students must be physically present in the classroom for effective learning is so yesterday. Today, knowledge should be shared beyond school bricks, regardless of where the students live.

Fortunately, there are plenty of must-have digital panels for teachers that support video conferencing tools like Microsoft Teams.

Teachers can easily share their screen and show lesson materials in any format, including videos, graphs, and text.

During remote classes, it’s also possible to facilitate breakout sessions where students work in small groups on different parts of a project.

After a certain time limit, students can then come back to the main call to share their findings.

6. Record Your Screen

With traditional whiteboards, teachers have to explain the same thing over and over again to different students. And this goes on for years.

If you use an interactive board, chances are it comes with a built-in screen recording feature. Even if it doesn’t, you can always install a third-party app for this functionality.

The screen recording feature on interactive flat panels allows you to capture what’s happening on the screen, including teacher’s actions, student interactions, and any content displayed, such as a video file.

Here are some of the benefits of screen recording:

• Lesson review and refresher: Anyone can revisit the recorded lessons at their own pace to review concepts, clarify doubts, or catch up on missed material.
• Missed class coverage: Students who are absent can access the recording to stay on track with the curriculum.
• Flipped classroom: In a flipped classroom model, students watch pre-recorded lectures outside of class time, allowing more in-class time for interactive activities.
• Teacher development: Recordings are useful for teacher training or professional development purposes, allowing educators to reflect on their teaching methods or share best practices.