Promethean Board is also known as an Activboard. It is a component of the Promethean ActivClassroom which is a way to create a more active and dynamic environment that allows greater student participation in learning activities. The ActivClassroom is a more integrated solution that allows the instructor to more easily bring together formative assessments, resources, divergent lesson planning, lesson development and delivery tools. One instructor noted that the Promethean Boards are a great tool to allow students to interact more personally with the lesson. Additionally, it allows the teacher "to teach the way [they] want to teach -- to all the class to control the learning, to address misconceptions or misinformation without demeaning the student. It gives students control of their own behavior and their own learning" (Vines, 2007). The use of the Promethean Board also increases the possibilities for collaboration, communication, and interaction in a way that is not terribly complicated, yet it is affective. It "makes learning come alive, encourages students to embrace technology, provides immediate feedback on student comprehension, and gives a new dimension of interactivity to lessons" (Fahie-Breedy, 2008).
Essentially, the Promethean Board is an interactive display that works with ActivInspire Personal software. It uses an ActivPen, or touchscreen to allow learners to interact with various components and lessons. There are at least 50,000 free resources and lessons, the board is scalable and adaptable, and is available with different types of projectors. It has a USB port to connect to a computer to tablet and even has a sound module for lessons that benefit from audio (ActivBoard 100, 2012).
Rather than just using a Whiteboard in which the instructor projects images onto a screen or solid board and works through issues with learners, the Activboard is interactive and allows the learner to try to solve issues, discover if the answers are correct, and move onto the next stage. It can be used in a multidisciplinary manner in which different software packages can easily be downloaded for use. For example, Figure 1 shows an example of a resource pack that helps learners with fractions. Various components can be touched and then moved, through dragging, into flipcharts, answers compared, games played, etc. (Fraction Resources, 2011).
Software exists for most any level, but many educators say that the system is particularly useful for the elementary classroom because of the great visual and interactive aspects. There are four major ways it can be used:
Whole Class Learning -- Whole Class Learning allows the instructor to present interesting and interactive materials in lecture or discussion format. It can stimulate engagement of materials, simplify lesson plans, leverage the resources already in the classroom, and impact learning proactively.
Collaborative Learning -- The system is flexible and will assist in collaborative, small group learning, and the transition from teacher-led activities to student led-projects.
Learning Anywhere -- Teachers can interact with other teachers in workshop or courses; students can share data with other classrooms or parents, and the learning environment can move from classroom to global village.
Personalized Learning - ActivProgress is a web-based curriculum and assessment program that integrates with the Promethean Board. This allows self-paced learning, home-based training, and a way to ensure that students keep current with lessons (Solutions, 2012).
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