Interactive panels take learning to a new level at SBLSD
For the 2022-23 school year, there’s a new tool in Sumner-Bonney Lake School District classrooms that allow for interactive learning with students in a whole new way.
Viewsonic ViewBoard Interactive Panels were installed in all K-12 classrooms over the summer.
Melissa Blanco, fourth grader teacher at Maple Lawn Elementary, started using the panels at the end of last school year.
“I'm just noticing that with time, with training, we are finding out there's a lot of resources available that we have access to,” Blanco said. “So I'm enjoying it. My students enjoy it.”
What do these panels do, exactly? A lot of things, said Blanco.
Blanco can display what’s on her computer screen for the class to see, from PowerPoint slides to videos, and also can write on the board as she teaches her lessons, just like a white board. Blanco’s students say the resolution on the panel is easier to see than overhead document cameras.
“I have the ability to annotate over the slide itself if I want to highlight what I would like for them to do,” she said.
Unlike a whiteboard, the panel can easily save notes and lessons for students to refer back to.
The panels can also connect to the internet, and to each student’s Chromebook.
“I'm able to have my students log in, and they are able to share answers with me from their Chromebook that I can pull up on the board and we can correct as a class,” Blanco said.
The panels “allow interactivity with students at a level never before used in the classroom,” said Robyn Rich, director of technology for the Sumner-Bonney Lake School District. From timers to interactive tests, there are many cool features for staff and students.
Increasing student interactivity and engagement through the panels was made possible by the District’s Tech Levy, approved by voters in 2018.