Not Thinking Outside the Box

I've come across an issue using the Promethean. I've gotten used to it being in my classroom, I've grown accustomed to using it in every part of my routine and have found as many daily uses as possible. And while my students always scramble to be the one writing or moving things around, I really haven't made my flipcharts that interactive. I think, for the most part, I've been using ActivInspire as a PowerPoint replacement. I've treated it like PowerPoint and used it just like PowerPoint, but with an easier way to move information around the board. And sure, PowerPoint can be interactive if you put the time and effort into it. However, ActivInspire is so easy to make interactive that it's just ridiculous not to. I just don't think I've made my flipcharts as interactive as can be.

I think back to our last science unit on the phases of the Moon. Tina, who has had a Promethean in her room all year, found a great flipchart on Promethean Planet and converted it to PowerPoint for those less fortunate to use. I spent time going through and adding some of the interactive content through PowerPoint. This particular flipchart used the "erase and reveal" tool as it asked questions and showed great pictures. Now that I've had the chance to sort through all the ActivInspire resources, I've also found that the flipchart took advantage of some of the pictures already available instead of searching for new ones. Had I a Promethean in my room during this unit, I would have had the students come up and "reveal" the answers and draw on the charts as we went through. I need to incorporate that into my lessons now. I need more student driven flipcharts that encourage student participation in a variety of ways. I need things that fit into my routine that don't feel routine. The students will know how to use the board in different ways, but it will be different all the time.

Guess I'll get started on our soil unit and some more entertaining EOG practice. Any ideas?