Interactive Whiteboards in the Classroom

I believe that interactive whiteboards give children a hands on opportunity to learn. Children learn best when they are actively included in the process. By allowing them to experience using a whiteboard, students can also understand the technology of our world and today's society. It is important that they become active members of the technological community because their generation will be the most impacted by it.
Learning how to use the technology was dfficult for me to learn at first because there were so many options. However, once I got the hang of using the different applications, using the smartboard actually became fun.
One of the benefits of having an interactive whiteboard in the classroom is that there is no more wasting of paper. You can save the application and use it as many times as you want. It is a major time saver for an educator because once it is saved, it is always ready to go. The downside of using a smartboard is that it needs to be oriented before it is used. If someone bumps into it, the alignment will have to be done all over again. For educators who may not be as technologically advanced as others, the software can easily become a frustration. It is also important to know where a smartboard will be placed in the classroom before it is installed. Depending on the age of the children, the board may need to be placed at a particular height in order to be reached.
A lesson plan that I have written in the past included learning the physical anatomy of a horse. In the lesson, each child was given a worksheet and asked to label the parts of a horse. I could definitely use a smartboard for this activity because children could label the parts of a horse by writing on the smartboard. The might also be able to put together puzzle pieces that come together to form a picture of a horse.
Interactive whiteboards are essential within the classroom environment because they create maximum student interaction and participation. They allow children to enjoy learning through technology.