Schools and Education

A teacher's first priority is—and forever will be—guaranteeing the best possible instruction for his or her students. After speaking to thousands of teachers across the US, we've come to realize that measuring the effectiveness of a particular lesson plan and its impact on students isn't an exact science. Each student is unique; some require more attention than others, and when you're dealing with an entire roster of students, it can be easy to lose sight of individual progress. Our Student Progress^® Tracker whiteboard systems have proven to be a great tool for dealing with progression tracking of students on a subject-by-subject scale. Since there are so many ways in which you can use a Progress Tracker in your classroom, we put together this handy infographic detailing the biggest benefits of tracking student progression in the classroom.

A couple weeks back we received a picture of WhiteWalls being put to use in a local high school English classroom. This image is just one of the many we frequently receive from satisfied Magnatag customers on a regular basis. I recently followed up with the member of our sales team that was responsible for the order in hopes to better understand what prompted the school's interest in WhiteWalls.

As of 2011, over one million children have been enrolled in the government-funded early childhood Head Start program. What began as part of President Lyndon B Johnson’s Great Society campaign that sought to eliminate poverty and racial injustice, the Head Start program “promotes the school readiness of young children from low-income families through agencies in their local community.” As further explained by the program’s official website, the Head Start and Early Head Start programs support the development of children up until the age of 5; in centers, child care partner locations, and in their own homes. Of the many responsibilities of the Head Start program, the program aims to provide early childhood education, health, nutrition, and parent involvement services to low-income children and families.

The end of the year is an incredibly busy time for educators across the nation. With the months of December and January marking the halfway point of the school year for many districts across the US, our sales team frequently meets with District Administrators and Guidance Counselors during the winter seasons to help educators prepare to enter into the second half of the academic calendar with their best foot forward. I recently caught up with Jessica, a veteran member of our sales team, to see what educational product most educators are calling about right now.

The Easton, Redding, and Region 9 school district is a tri-district located in Easton, Connecticut made up of five schools: Redding Elementary, Samuel Staples Elementary, Hellen Keller Middle, John Read Middle, and Joel Barlow High School—all of which fall directly under the supervision of Walter Czudak.

Teaching plays a fundamental role in the upbringing of our youth. We’ve all met that one person that we view as a positive influence; perhaps it was a parent, teacher or close friend—someone you could count on. With October 5^th recognized as World Teachers Day, we wanted to give the spotlight to those that make a difference. We asked you to share personal stories of teachable moments in your past, highlighting individuals that strive to make a difference every day. Here's a few of our favorite stories:

Everyday, thousands—if not millions—of posts make their way onto Reddit in hopes of achieving 15 minutes of Internet fame. With the domain’s user base exceeding seven figures, only the best of the best content makes its way to the site’s front page. A few months ago, James Mayne, a high school History teacher living in Paradise California, uploaded a collection of personal whiteboard illustrations to the popular site to much acclaim (a link to which can be found here). The Magnatag team was extremely impressed with James’ craftsmanship so we managed to get in touch with him for this week’s iteration of Whiteboards We Love. Here’s what he had to say:

How do you know when your students are falling behind on grades and struggling with a specific subject?

The answer to this question is always met with a variety of responses ranging from the sarcastic, “Of course, I’m the best educator in the world! How could I not know which students of mine are falling behind?” to the less enthusiastic, “I try to.”

The truth of the matter is that no educator can always know how every one of his or her students is performing. Sure, you may have an idea of perhaps a handful of students that may be falling behind, but in order to prove that theory you are forced to dig through a plethora of binders just to validate your belief.

Our visual systems specialists at Magnatag frequently receive calls from school administrators asking for help on how to display, communicate, plan, and track everything from Student Progress, to Master Class and Course Schedules. With the help of whiteboards, students and staff are encouraged to come together in an effort to collaborate, ultimately resulting in better classroom cohesion. With such a variety of products to choose from, it can sometimes be difficult to decide what works best for you. Here is a brief overview of magnetic whiteboard systems that administrators tell us work best for them.

With all of the recent changes in education relating to common core, there is constant pressure put on administrators and teachers to have students meet standards. To complement enterprise software, forms and charts to track student progress, some administrators, counselors and academic coaches use a whiteboard as a visual representation for tracking.

As another March Madness ends, coaches are naturally curious to learn how the top programs prepare for games.  How do coaches communicate strategies so players have a clear picture of what they need to do to win? Some university athletic programs such as Sacred Heart University come to Magnatag Visible Systems for help developing the visual tools they need. Interestingly enough, the current Sacred Heart coaches adopted the strategy of using a Magnatag custom whiteboard for their game preparation from former employer, Hofstra University.

As technology becomes more dominant in the educational setting, it is important to have a system that will work cohesively among a number of areas to enhance communication and productivity. The implementation of whiteboard systems has been a welcome advantage in assisting teachers and administrators in the identification of student and district-centered solutions.

When children begin school, they are often overwhelmed with new information. They quickly begin to learn to read, and initially, children are often taught to spell and write words in a kid-friendly manner where everything is spelled the way it sounds. Unfortunately, however, many times words are not spelled exactly as they sound. As children become more advanced with reading and writing, they eventually learn the basic rules of the English language and begin to spell words properly.

Whiteboards or dry-erase boards are a wonderful addition to every learning environment. Whether in the classroom or for individual study, whiteboards enable students to write, draw, practice, or create lessons in an easy, fun, and convenient manner. Students can easily erase mistakes and rewrite problems or diagrams until they are correct, which saves on total paper costs. Teachers are embracing whiteboards in the classroom and easily adapt lesson plans designed for chalkboards, overhead projectors, and monitors to whiteboards. Students of all ages use whiteboards, and they are a practical, affordable, and environmentally friendly alternative for studying. Students use dry erase or whiteboards to play games, practice vocabulary words, create flowcharts and pictorial aids, and work through math problems. Whiteboards are a preferred method for reinforcing student lessons and help increase student participation. Learners may use whiteboards in a group setting or for individual study. Additionally, teachers use them to facilitate group learning and demonstrate how processes unfold. Whiteboards have proven to be an invaluable teaching tool that engages student learning and enhances participation. They are affordable, practical, and easy to maintain.

Bulletin board displays are creative ways to share information, enhance learning or feature students' work, and foster community spirit. They are visually stimulating and pleasing displays that quickly became a central focal point of any classroom or office. With a little creativity and ingenuity, teachers and businesses can maximize the effectiveness of the bulletin boards they display. Their value is immense, but in order to be their most effective, those making bulletin boards must ensure that they are well-organized, visually stimulating and engaging, and easily accessible. Bulletin boards should maximize the space where they are established and be located in high-traffic areas where viewers will see them. Many choose to affix bulletin boards to classroom and office walls, as these make the best use of available space and ensure that students or office workers may easily view the displays. Students and office workers should have easy access to viewing and interacting with bulletin boards as applicable.

Any teacher will tell you that their students learn in different ways. While some students may learn best from lectures, others need to participate in hands-on activities in order to fully understand something. Still other students must see a concept demonstrated or explained in pictures in order to comprehend it. Students in this third group are known as "visual learners."

What it Means to Be a Visual Learner
A visual learner is an individual who learns best when he or she is able to view information in the form of visual aids, including demonstrations, videos, diagrams, and pictures presented by the instructor or the textbook. Visual learners remember what they see more often than they remember what they hear. They often have trouble with verbal instructions and are much more likely to be able to complete a task successfully when it is explained using images. These students often prefer art to music, and they would rather read than listen to someone speak.

Handwriting is a foundational skill that young students must master. With neat and effective handwriting, the student can organize thoughts and ideas and communicate effectively. As important as handwriting is, this skill requires that children practice and work to develop skills. Some children resist handwriting due to its tedious nature, making it difficult to teach skills. Handwriting practice on a whiteboard can help children hone skills to develop neat penmanship, while keeping them interested in the lessons. Children love having the chance to get out of their seats and write on whiteboards. When children practice handwriting exercises on the whiteboard, they are fully engaged and active participants in the learning process.

When developing a class curriculum, it can sometimes be difficult to integrate an interactive element. Many middle-school-aged children cannot focus on more than an hour of memorization, lectures, or even slide shows. It's important to have an interactive activity to both break up the monotony of class, and to enhance learning at home. In the classroom, teachers don't necessarily need the best technology to create an interactive lesson. Using a whiteboard or a dry erase board, teachers can create a game using cards, dry erase pens, and their imagination.Low-cost games can be tailored for certain subjects. Almost all of the students will know how to play hangman, for example, but they might find it more difficult when learning specific vocabulary. This type of game would be good for a second-language class, or for learning difficult SAT-worthy English words. An English teacher could provide a short definition after the students finish the word, or give hints if they're having difficulty. Another great game for an English class would include practicing sentence diagramming, where students can come forward to diagram, and receive points for correct answers. The classic card game Spoons can be played to match 4-of-a-kind words for either difficult vocabulary or grammar knowledge.

What Else Can We Use Whiteboards For?

Sure, whiteboards for businesses have many uses, but they can also be used for fun inside the classroom. Part of the reason why whiteboard games are so popular is because of the challenge involved with keeping students engaged in lesson plans. According to many education experts, introducing some form of activity within your classroom can boost student engagement, concentration, and retention skills.

There are dozens of classroom games you can play with your students that only require a dry-erase board, a marker, and a little bit of creativity. We've put together this helpful list of whiteboard games to help detail some of our favorites that can be enjoyable for both students and teachers alike.

Some of the Best Whiteboard Games for Kids

One of the first things that people look for when they walk into a classroom for the first time is whether the room has a blackboard or a whiteboard. The chalk that is used on black (or green) boards has been a staple of education for over a century. There are plenty of stories of great historical figures who spent hours in classrooms writing out the solutions to problems in chalk. But the whiteboard, also known as a dry erase board, is starting to become the standard in classrooms around the country. What is it about the dry erase board that makes it a growing preference in our schools? There are actually several benefits to using dry erase boards over the traditional chalk boards in our schools. When a teacher writes on a dry erase board, regardless of what color marker is used, it is much easier for the class to read than chalk. The most common marker used is a black marker, and anything written in black marker can be seen by the back of the class just as easily as it can be in the front rows. The contrast of the white board against the colored markers creates bright and discernible content that students can use.

Whiteboards are an increasingly versatile tool in the classroom and create tremendous value for school districts.  Traditional chalkboards are becoming dated as they tend to be messy and difficult to see. It can also be difficult to differentiate between different subjects and coordinate topics when using a chalkboard. A dry-erase board has bright and vibrant colors that make it easy to separate ideas into color-coded segments. It is also possible to use magnets and accessories on dry-erase boards, which adds a whole new dimension to education. With a little imagination, educators can come up with a variety of ways to use dry-erase boards to help educate students more efficiently.

A whiteboard is convenient because it can be used over and over again without any mess or hassle. Whether you have a small whiteboard or a whiteboard that is a bit larger, you have a resource you can use to study and absorb material. The great thing about a whiteboard is that you can use different colored markers, magnets, and other accessories to help make your studying easier. Another great thing about a whiteboard is that unlike a computer keyboard, everyone in a study group can access the same whiteboard at the same time. The whiteboard encourages interactive studying and makes it easier for people to share ideas.

It's no secret that many students may find reading from a textbook dry and boring. This is why it's up to their teachers to make the classroom more fun and engaging while still proving to be educational and informative.Teaching games can be a great learning experience for students of all ages and in all subjects to create an interactive environment for both teachers and students to have fun while learning and to better retain all of the information. The children can benefit from dry erase board games and other educational exercises not only by learning through enjoyable means, but they will also have a better understanding of team work and communication with their peers, more respect towards their teachers, and ultimately, a better appreciation for learning and the pursuit of knowledge. Below you will find a list of resources that includes: games to be played using a whiteboard covering a variety of subjects, how to take care of a whiteboard, other classroom activities to promote education and fun, and how students and others can benefit from using a white board.