Imagine if you could ask a question in class and immediately get a response from every student. Understanding what students are thinking is one of the greatest challenges for experienced math teachers. In an article for Edutopia, my co-author Larisa Bukalov and I discuss ways that we can better grasp a student’s thought process in math class by using online whiteboards — web-based tools that enable students to write or type content that teachers can instantly see and share. We are particularly fond of Desmos because it allows students to create and manipulate animations.
Even when we resume teaching in person, we plan to continue using them. Online whiteboards can reduce the need to make copies, cut out cards, and prepare other handouts. Being able to see all students’ work simultaneously helps us quickly identify who’s struggling so that we can walk over to help them.
The full article is here: http://bit.ly/online-whiteboards