for students, how can the whiteboard used in classrooms be improved?

[Uhtrinity]

For college, I think the best thing you can do to the whiteboard is to get rid of them.

Honestly, all of the bad professors just stand there writing notes, or worse, copying from the book. That isn't teaching. Teaching is giving us new information in multiple different formats in case we didn't understand the first format. Writing on a whiteboard isn't teaching, no matter how smart the board is. If you want to put a lot of text in front of the students, then hand them the text and ask them to hand write it as homework. Then you can spend the class time actually teaching.

For highschool and younger, I can see a limited point in the whiteboards. But, keep its use limited.

The problem is lack of proper training and actually utilizing the tools in an effective manner. There are studies that show improvements in learning when the tools are used correctly vs. traditional methods. The problem is that most teachers either don't have that training or don't utilize it.

 

[coxmaster]

As a student I must say the biggest problem is lack of training/implementation. Every classroom in my high school had a smartboard and lots of other tools: the biggest problem was that I only had 2 teachers that know how to use or do anýthing with them.

Same siuation in college, smartboards are great but only when used/used correctly

 

[DrPizza]

Some kind of way to record automatically and send it to the students. Its really annoying taking a math type class where the professor basically writes on the board at lightning speed 90% of the class. You spend the whole class frantically trying to take notes instead of listening.

It's a piece of cake to do this. I already do this for any students who are absent.

 

[BurnItDwn]

Whiteboards are lacking the most important feature.
When fingernails are scraped against a whiteboard, it is nearly silent. It should make the same noise that a chalkboard makes, in order for a teacher to get the attention of the students.

 

[DrPizza]

Whiteboards are lacking the most important feature.
When fingernails are scraped against a whiteboard, it is nearly silent. It should make the same noise that a chalkboard makes, in order for a teacher to get the attention of the students.

Quoted for truth!
edit:
almost. I have a .wav file of the sound of fingernails being scraped across a chalkboard. It's even more effective.