New age: Butcher Paper; Old Pedagogy-New tools

Whiteboards wonderful for collaboration tasks. 

I have seen the individual small whiteboard become very popular of late and they have a place in the classroom as they save a lot of mess and wasted paper.  Education World offers five lessons to engage students in learning with whiteboards. Included: Tips from whiteboard users plus alternatives to whiteboards!  "As thousands of teachers have found, whiteboards are a great way of actively involving students in the learning process -- and a terrific tool for immediate feedback and assessment."  


However, I can also see these large whiteboards being a great tool in the library and in many classrooms. From an economical point of view I like that you can make your own collaborative-sized whiteboards by visiting your local hardware store. It also supports the drive towards the #paperless classroom. The boards can be used many times unlike butchers' paper of old. 

Whiteboarding your way to great student discussions

Using large whiteboards to facilitate group learning helps 

students communicate their ideas

Thanks to Louise Windsor for sharing this link.

"Ideas are more easily exposed, discussed, accepted, discarded, and modified 
 with the flexibility of a whiteboard."
"A large board gives enough room for the students to divide the board into sections. This is valuable if you have
multiple focus questions of if you want the students to have both a diagram and a written explanation."

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 If we go one step further we can look at a desk sized whiteboard:

Saving Paper, One Desk At A Time!

 From this                          to                       this.

IdeaPaint is a single-coat, roller-applied whiteboard paint that transforms almost anything into a high-performance dry-erase surface. Dry-Erase Board Paint for the Home | Kids Room Paint Ideas | IdeaPaint

The post: Desk Reorganization demonstrates the use of a whiteboard desk.

Whiteboard desks   

The (Nearly) Paperless Classroom blogger, David Wees, shares his ideas about using whiteboards to achieve his #paperless goal. 

David Wees also reminds us we need to change our mindset that the paperless classroom needs a lot of technology. He is quite sure that it doesn't. What it needs, and I totally agree with him, is a transformation of pedagogy from teacher centred and content focused to student centred and a focus on developing skills. 

I love this idea of creating a whiteboard notebook. 

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For instructions on creating whiteboards try these links:  http://www.instructables.com/id/Low_Cost_Lettersize_Office_Whiteboard/. http://www.instructables.com/id/DIY-Homemade-Whiteboard-on-the-cheap!/. http://www.instructables.com/id/Recycled-Mini-Dry-Erase-Board/
or we can go even larger by creating whiteboard walls_ From classroom walls in to whiteboards Sebel also supplies IdeaPaint. 
There is a new term (to me) for the activity of students who are engaged in 

using whiteboards collaboratively-"whiteboarding".

Do your students learn by whiteboarding? 

Modeling through whiteboarding:

Tips for whiteboarding in the classroom. 
and not to be left out Apple have brought out:

iPad Application Preview - padBoard - collaborative whiteboarding application  

Can you see yourself organising a few of these whiteboards for your classroom or school library? Would/Do you use whiteboarding as a teaching strategy?