How do you keep students engaged with what you’re teaching?
In today’s digital world, the question becomes even more prescient, because we’re also competing with technology and user-attention in the form of smartphones. One way to look at the problem is with a, “if you can’t beat them, join them” approach, and technologies like wePresent’s WiPG-2000 interactive gateway could be the perfect tool to keep your students’ focused during a lesson, and enhance interactive and collaborative learning.
Image: wePresent
The wePresent WiPG-2000 wireless interactive gateway which allows teachers to weave regular technology students use in their day-to-day lives, such as mobile phones and tablets, into the learning environment – all in the name of increased classroom interactivity and collaboration.
Connect Wirelessly:
With wePresent, a teacher acts as a moderator operating a presentation screen, while their students connect wirelessly with their own devices. The wire-free aspect is key here, as it allows up to 64 users – easily an entire class – to log in at once, as compared to a usual data projector with which just one device can be connected at any time.
The teacher is then in full control, with the ability to bring up different students’ screens, share multiple screens side by side, and even operate the cursor if the student is on a laptop. This keeps students eyes up and focused on the teacher delivering a lesson – and with the ability to watch over all their students’ work at once, also provides an element of truth to the teacher’s old adage “I’ve got eyes in the back of my head”.
Providing Feedback:
The overlay annotation functionality, best utilised by connecting an interactive display, is a handy tool for giving quick feedback on a student’s work. The teacher can easily scribble the correct workings and answer for a math problem, or draw a scientific diagram in front of the class to share the feedback, not just with one student, but the whole classroom. This way students have the ability to learn from their peers’ as well as their own – and they can screenshot the annotated screen too so that they can refer back to it later. Again, the students’ eyes are up and focused on what the teacher is doing and saying, rather than in between pages, furiously scribbling what the teacher has written on the board, not paying any attention to the verbal explanation accompanying their notes.
I’ve used the WiPG-2000 technology in our school; it’s perfect for the classroom and an excellent resource around the table in meetings. Work can be saved, annotated and shared with anyone connected to the device. I’ve seen ideas presented in various forms, presenters walking the room and even multiple devices logging in to help present ideas. It’s perfect for making dull meetings more engaging and a great solution for the classroom. (@TeacherToolkit)
Possibilities:
wePresent also offers a virtual white or blackboard; a teacher can bring up a blank screen and invite a student to work out an equation, for example, which again can be screenshot at the end. Their peers then focus on how that problem was solved during the process, rather than fretting that they won’t have time to copy it all down before a teacher inevitably swipes his or her eraser.
The wePresent embedded media player also helps teachers efficiently manage their workload, allowing them to stream videos for students to watch whilst they continue working on their device to prepare for the next subject or activity.
Keeping students’ eyes on the teacher, rather than down on paper, means their learning process becomes more efficient, effective and focused. We know that an interactive learning environment is the best way to win hearts and minds in the classroom and this kind of collaborative approach is good for teachers and good for students alike.
Do get in touch with wePresent to request a demonstration at sales@wepresentwifi.com
To find out more, visit wePresent.
