K-12 Education - Interactive Tools
- The interactive whiteboard (a.k.a. SMART board) is the best innovation for schools since the blackboard. That's because it has all the features of a "dry-erase board" and can interact with computers, enabling students to learn subject material by moving information around on the SMART board's surface.
- Wireless slates may be used in conjunction with SMART boards/interactive whiteboards. With this application, teachers can maintain total control of the room by standing among students while students work at the whiteboard.
- Interactive Pen Displays also allow students to move information around on the SMART board's surface and are ideal for high school classrooms.
- Audience response systems (a.k.a. 'clickers') are useful in elementary school classrooms because there are relatively few buttons that students must learn to use.
- Microphone systems are useful to teachers because they reduce the strain on teachers' voices, as well as cut by more than 60% the number of voice-related sick days that teachers take.
- The SMART Ideas flowcharting software package is ideal for brainstorming ideas and organizing content in middle school and high school classrooms. This learning tool has the versatility to show everything from complex math problems to the plot of a novel.
- SMART Sync is ideal for teachers who want to monitor students' classroom computer activities. With this software package, teachers can see whether students are doing their work or surfing the Net. If necessary, a teacher can shut down a student's computer. On a more positive note, teachers can upload instruction files that students need to master subjects. Instructors can also use the software to upload and score quizzes and tests, enabling students to know their scores immediately.
