Blackboard 2.0
The blackboard is set to go the way of the inkwell as schools nationwide replace their dusty slates with high-tech Smart Boards
Over 800 schools are scheduled to have their blackboards upgraded to internet-connected flatscreen monitors, daily newspaper MetroXpress reported Monday.
The technology, called Smart Boards, can be used to show internet sites as well as functioning as a high-tech overhead projector.
Teachers at schools that began using the technology last year say the ability to use several teaching aids at once adds a new dimension to their classes.
'During geography class, we can download maps and street-level satellite images. We can also use them to show films and pictures,' said Ole Krogh Mortensen, the assistant headmaster at Vestre Skole in Silkeborg, Jutland. 'What's more, when we write something on them, we can e-mail it to the students or ourselves.'
Increasing the amount of audio-visual content will help capture the attention of weaker students, according to education experts.
'The gap between students will be narrowed, as weak students can use pictures instead of just text,' said Carsten Jensen, an IT researcher at the Danish University of Education.
