This was our final week of classes in EdTech, and we got to hear from the various different groups on the technologies they found interesting and useful in their teaching. These included ClassroomScreen, Google Classroom, JustSketchMe, BandLab, and more.

The one that I found particularly interesting was ClassroomScreen. Before the presentations I had never heard of this technology. This tech turns your projector screen or smartboard into a virtual whiteboard which is customized with several different widgets and a variety of interesting backgrounds. It includes widgets such as timers, clocks, notepads, a randomizer (which allows a student’s name to be randomly generated and posted for functions such as doing tasks or answering questions etc), and more.

Example of a teacher using ClassroomScreen. Image from https://teachnet.ie/how-i-use-classroom-screen/

What really stood out to me about this tech was that it is way more personal than a boring whiteboard with blocks of instructional text handwritten on it that students can barely read. What I’ve often noticed at Link2Practice is that teachers who use the old school whiteboard method often have to repeat themselves several times and students do not often pay much attention to any directions on the whiteboard. Sometimes a teacher’s handwriting is too small or messy for students to be able to fully read from the back of the class as well.

This software makes teacher instructions much more clear and organized (and aesthetically, much nicer to look at). Allowing images, videos, graphics, and plugins like timers (which you can’t do with a traditional whiteboard) also make the e-whiteboard more interactive and engaging. Finally, this allows for the personality of the teacher to shine through. If it were my classroom, I would love to include funny memes or gifs as students walk in each day, or include a random fun science fact or background (as long as it isn’t too distracting). I think that little personality touch helps make your classroom feel more like your own space and makes it easier for you to connect with and engage students!

I will definitely be making use of this in my classroom!

Cover image from: classroomscreen.com