Maximizing Student Participation and Engagement with Mini-Whiteboards on Whiteboard.fi
Using mini-whiteboards is a teaching technique that has been around for a long time and that allows teachers to quickly assess the understanding and progress of all their students at once. They are small, portable whiteboards that students can use to record and share their responses to a shared question. When prompted by the teacher, students hold up their mini-whiteboards to show their answers, which allows the teacher to quickly gauge their understanding and determine what learning should come next.
Mini-whiteboards are a useful tool for encouraging participation from all students and fostering a culture of risk-taking in the classroom. They can be used in a variety of response formats and are typically given to all students.
However, there are a few downsides to using physical mini-whiteboards in a physical classroom environment:
- Limited space: Physical mini-whiteboards can take up a lot of space, especially if you have a large class. This can be problematic if you don’t have enough room to accommodate all the whiteboards.
- Limited use: The whiteboards can only be used for a limited number of activities, such as recording responses to questions or working on math problems. The single input method is a marker pen (albeit in a variety of colors). This can limit their utility as a teaching tool.
- Sanitation concerns: Hands-on whiteboards and markers must be cleaned and sanitized regularly to prevent the spread of germs. This can be time-consuming and may require additional supplies.
- Cost: Physical boards can be expensive to purchase, especially if you have a large class or need to replace them frequently.
A digital alternative helps keep hands (and clothes!) clean
Whiteboard.fi is a formative assessment tool from Kahoot that allows you to create a virtual space for your class where students have their own digital mini-whiteboards. As a teacher, you can view and interact with all student whiteboards in real time, share assignments and media materials, and monitor progress. You can also save whiteboards as PDFs and invite co-teachers to collaborate. The platform includes an evolved math editor and a waiting lobby for controlled access to the virtual classroom.
There are several pedagogical values that the features and functionality of Whiteboard.fi can produce:
- Formative assessment: Whiteboard.fi allows teachers to constantly monitor the progress of their students and provide instant feedback, which can help them adjust their teaching strategies and better support student learning.
- Personalized learning: By providing each student with their own digital whiteboard, Whiteboard.fi enables teachers to tailor their instruction to the needs and abilities of each student.
- Differentiated instruction: The platform’s content capabilities and tools allow teachers to use a variety of materials to support different learning styles and needs.
- Flexibility: The ability to work at their own pace and access materials at any time can make Whiteboard.fi a convenient and flexible learning tool for students.
- Inclusivity: The platform’s wide arsenal of expression tools and the teacher overview can make it more inclusive to students with different backgrounds and abilities.
Whiteboard.fi is similar to mini-whiteboards, in that it allows teachers to quickly assess the understanding and progress of all their students at once. In Whiteboard.fi, each student has their own digital mini-whiteboard, and the teacher can view and interact with all student whiteboards in real time. This allows the teacher to quickly check students’ responses and provide instant feedback.
One advantage of the digitized version of mini-whiteboards on Whiteboard.fi is that it allows for greater flexibility and convenience. Teachers and students can access the virtual whiteboards from any device with an internet connection, which makes it easier to use the tool in a variety of settings. Additionally, the platform’s multimedia capabilities allow teachers to incorporate a wider range of materials into their assessments.
Overall, the digitized version of mini-whiteboards on Whiteboard.fi can be a useful tool for engaging students and fostering a culture of risk-taking in the virtual classroom. It can also help teachers quickly assess student understanding and adjust their teaching strategies as needed.
