Mimio Interactive Whiteboard

You might be more familiar with the term SMARTboard… it is the “Kleenex” of interactive whiteboards. There are several technology products on the market now that fall into the category of interactive whiteboards. These tools all have a few things in common… they use a LCD projector to project a computer screen onto the whiteboard; they have a “stylus” that allows the user to control the projected image like a mouse; and can be used as a writing surface to make notes on the projected image. Most importantly, students can interact with the content on a whole new level.

How is a Mimio different than just using a projector and writing notes with a dry-erase marker? Let’s use PowerPoint as an example. You have your slides created and information organized. You’ve included bulleted notes, images, a webpage, and even a short video clip; but instead of standing at the computer to present the information, you can present where the information is being displayed. A student has a question? You can reinforce the concept with notes directly on the slide (or image, website, video, etc.). If you are teaching this lesson again, those notes can be saved and displayed again for the next class. A few simple review questions could be displayed at the end of the presentation. Have students interact with the Mimio by answering the questions and moving objects (such as a rectangle) to reveal the correct answer.

Being the lesson is presented electronically; it can be saved in a variety of formats. Print the notes for study guides or to meet IEP requirements. If a lot of students are absent for the lesson, it can be posted to your TeacherWeb site to be viewed or printed online. The saved lesson can be retrieved next trimester or next year and easily modified.

The middle school and high school currently have a number of Mimios in use with a few available on a checkout basis. If you are interested in learning more, please join Steve Mefford, a Mimio sales representative, for a product demonstration on Wednesday, December 6 at 7:00 am at the Middle School (Kim Borwege’s computer lab).