Interactive Whiteboard Tips: Making the Most of Your Board

More Than a Projector

Interactive whiteboards and displays (SMART Board, Promethean, ViewSonic, etc.) are in most classrooms, but many teachers use them as expensive projectors. Here is how to actually leverage their interactive features.

Basic Best Practices

Touch Calibration -- Calibrate your board regularly. If touch response is off, students get frustrated and you waste time.

Font Size -- Use at least 28pt font so students in the back can read. Test readability from the farthest seat.

Contrast -- Dark text on light backgrounds. Avoid yellow, light green, or pastel text colors.

Keep It Clean -- Only display what is relevant. A cluttered board is a cluttered mind.

Interactive Strategies

Student Interaction -- Let students come up and interact with the board. Drag-and-drop sorting, matching, highlighting, and drawing are engaging and kinesthetic.

Annotation -- Write over any content: websites, documents, images, videos. Annotate as you teach, then save your annotations.

Screen Shade -- Reveal information progressively instead of showing everything at once. Build suspense and check understanding step by step.

Random Selection -- Use built-in random name generators to call on students. This keeps everyone engaged.

Timer and Stopwatch -- Display timers for activities, transitions, and assessments. Visual timers help students manage their time.

Subject-Specific Uses

Math -- Graphing tools, virtual manipulatives, number lines, and geometry tools.

ELA -- Text annotation, highlighting, graphic organizers, and shared writing.

Science -- Virtual labs, diagramming, and interactive simulations.

Social Studies -- Interactive maps, timelines, and primary source analysis.

Troubleshooting

Keep a backup plan for when technology fails. It will fail. Have a whiteboard marker ready, a printed version of key slides, or an alternative activity that does not require the board.