As the needs and interests of students have changed over the years, so have the ways educators teach their students. The days of students primarily learning from textbooks and in-class lectures have passed and have been replaced with more hands-on and collaborative approaches that are grounded in the use of technology. We’ve also seen an evolution in the tools that institutions use, as they’ve moved from blackboards to projectors to the most interactive and engaging educational tool yet–the smartboard.
With all the changes that higher education has witnessed in the past couple of years, professors and TAs need a better way to communicate with their students, and to be able to do so in a way that fits everyone’s busy schedules. Students may not be able to make it to campus due to inclement weather, illness, or be a permanent remote student. Vibe Smart Whiteboards can help all classes communicate more effectively, whether they’re in-person or online.
If you’re still on the fence about purchasing a smartboard for your college or university, or looking to gain buy-in from administrators, here are 8 great reasons why your institution should invest in a smartboard.
Digital whiteboards increase student engagement
It’s no secret that today’s students live in a digital world. When given a break in class, how many phones immediately pop out? The same is true when students return home for the day. Given this knowledge, using the same tools and apps in class that students regularly interact with and enjoy using can only help keep their attention.
Smartboards offer a myriad of resources to help engage students that were not available in the past. Educators can teach using interactive games, show video demonstrations, and access unlimited audio resources–all at the touch of their fingertips. With Vibe Canvas, students can collaborate in real time from their own devices, even if they’re not in the same classroom or lecture hall together. The Vibe board itself can be used to captivate students on its own. Students will be attracted to the writing and drawing capabilities the board offers, and its 10 multi-touch points allow multiple students to interact with the screen simultaneously via touch or stylus.
Easier Student Communication
Some students may feel shy asking for help in a crowded lecture hall, or feel reluctant to approach a professor they barely know after class. By offering a Vibe Smart Whiteboard as a common ground for communication, all students can have access to a more informal form of communication with professors and TAs.
Create a Vibe Canvas for any questions that students may have. Allow this space to feel informal, and help your students to feel free approaching you with any questions they may have. Offering more open access to information, during time that is more convenient for them (which may be outside of your office hours) will help students to easily get the information they need.
Smartboards help reach all learners
As an educator, you understand how many diverse learning types exist in each classroom. The beauty of a smartboard is that it can be used to teach all learning styles. For those who have an auditory learning style, a smartboard provides access to limitless audio tools. The same goes for those who learn best from visuals. Instead of being limited to reading or listening to someone talk about a complex science process, educators can show a video in class that provides a more tangible explanation. A smartboard also allows those who need to do something to actually learn it, the opportunity to interact with the board by touch or stylus.
The Vibe Smart Whiteboard also has the potential to help educate students with other learning differences. For example, students who are deaf or hard of hearing can follow along with in-class instruction easier due to the visual capabilities of a smartboard. The ability to save lessons from a smartboard also gives those who need extra time with class material the opportunity to revisit lessons later.
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Lesson planning improvement
While a smartboard has the potential to greatly assist students in the learning process, it offers educators significant benefits as well. Smartboards enable educators to prepare lessons that provide a better learning experience for their students. With their boards, educators can create graphs, charts, and images to give more engaging presentations, provide visual models and demonstrations for further understanding, develop interactive learning activities and exercises, and even assist in class organization and management.
A smartboard also allows educators to capitalize on those important teachable moments that arise during class. The most important lessons that are learned in a classroom are often those that aren’t planned. Having access to a resource that can easily bring up information in video, audio, or text form on any topic you can think of is truly an incredible advantage for teachers to have in their back pockets.
Related: Dissecting Vibe’s Impact on Virtual Healthcare Learning
Saves in-class time
Educators are incredibly busy. Who wouldn’t love a tool that can help you save time? On a smartboard you can write notes and draw diagrams ahead of time instead of wasting precious class time at the blackboard. Rather than searching for multiple tools in separate locations, a smartboard provides you with access to all the resources and apps you need for your class in one place. In addition, a smartboard can save time outside the classroom as well. The ability to save lessons and class notes means that you can easily use material again without having to re-create them, and gives you the ability to then transfer those items to a learning management system that allows students to access them when studying for tests and exams.
A Movable Resource
Unlike many tech tools used in the classroom, a Vibe Smart Whiteboard can also be easily moved from one room to another. Vibe offers a portable stand that’s easy to set up and even easier to move around the classroom or to other rooms or lecture halls in the school, giving you the option to use the smartboard for larger student presentations, professional development events, and other school assemblies.
Aids in Remote Teaching
With most schools back in person, very few teachers want to see a return to remote classes anytime soon, as up to 42% of teachers surveyed in a recent study declared they have considered leaving or retiring from their current position during 2021 partly due to the challenges remote teaching had caused. However, if the pandemic has taught us anything, it’s that we need to be prepared for future emergency measures. If we do find ourselves locked down again, a Vibe Smart Whiteboard can play an instrumental role in remote teaching. Vibe allows educators to use their favorite video conferencing apps to host virtual classes, record classes for students who cannot attend, and allows remote students to work and interact on the same Canvas as their teachers or classmates, all in real-time.
Improved Professional Development, Staff Meetings, and Office Hours
Professional development days can be improved through dynamic and interactive presentations tools that a smartboard provides, and by providing meeting participants with access to Vibe Canvas (allowing them to comment, share files, make notes, conceptualize, and design), your team can enhance their collaboration during important staff meetings and conferences.
With a Vibe Smart Whiteboard, the need to host in-person office hours is greatly reduced. Professors are busy–finding the time to stay on campus can be difficult, which is why a smartboard can be essential. Instead of meeting in person, educators can host these meetings using apps like Zoom or Microsoft Teams on their smartboards–where they can easily display and share students’ work for review in real-time.
A Vibe Smart Whiteboard in the classroom provides students with a technology they recognize, and educators with an invaluable teaching resource. It provides greater opportunities for collaboration, both in-person and remotely, and invites stronger engagement and interaction with lessons. Smartboards have the potential to save teachers, instructors, and professors precious time that could be used to help students achieve their academic goals.
Looking to learn more about Vibe’s Smartboard technology, price point, and classroom advantages? Request a quote from Vibe today.