Making the most of i3SIXTY in the classroom

The evolution of technology and globalization are important topics in education today; how do we as a school ensure that we create a correct worldview for our students and what role does technology play in this?

Just think of the 'screen culture' that has found its way into young peoples’ lives.

We can use technology to make lessons more inspiring and efficient, and thanks to the input of technology in the classroom, bring a worldview and vision of the future to students. Our school recognizes the importance of technology in the classroom and has invested heavily in new equipment in recent years. This is always done in close consultation with colleagues so that the equipment, technology and materials purchased are in line with our goals and expectations. It is very important for us to have a low entry barrier, so that everyone can quickly and fully utilize the new technology. As we see the positive effect of technology and new equipment on the learning performance of our students, we feel almost obliged as a school to invest in new equipment.

 "The use of i3SIXTY came up by embarking on a new path in terms of teaching."

Initially, we were looking for an alternative to a classic whiteboard or flipchart and found it in the i3SIXTY.  On this interactive screen, we could offer further visual support in addition to regular notes. We were also looking for a flexible solution which is possible with the screen rotation, either horizontally or vertically, and makes it applicable in numerous subjects and teaching moments. For example, simply switching during math, between a conversion table in the horizontal position, and doing long division in the vertical position.                

We want to gradually develop our classrooms into multi-purpose rooms, where the design and arrangement of the class is fully functional for the objective of the lesson or activity.

Given the mobile character of the i3SIXTY, this seemed like a valuable addition to our existing material.

Of course, we also pay attention to small learning curve. The equipment should be suitable for large and small purposes, for both teachers and students. Due to the sturdy build quality, the intuitive software, the clear icons and the multi-purpose use, i3SIXTY meets our requirements.

"The solutions of i3-Technologies has already proven its usefulness for many years. The products they deliver are reliable and innovative. In terms of hardware, we can definitely say that the i3-Technologies team have their finger on the pulse of what is going on in the educational landscape."

i3-Technologies responds to new insights in the field of learning, classroom design, preconditions for successful learning, such as air quality, and so on… The company also dares to think "out of the box", which enables us to use innovative technology in a simple way in a classroom environment, with successful results as an outcome. An i3SIXTY in the classroom is perhaps the best example of this.

At our school, the i3SIXTY was initially placed next to the interactive board which was already in place. During class, it was used to take additional notes to support the reading process. As mentioned earlier, the horizontal and vertical rotation are used interchangeably according to the lesson or activity.

During extended instructions with a particular group, the i3SIXTY is rolled over to that group to clarify the learning using additional notes. It is also used in peer-to-peer networking, where one of the students supports the other students in group work.

The i3SIXTY is also used for communication between classes, e.g., for having 'online' moments or talks with another class. Our lesson becomes 'an interactive class' that travels along with our conversations and into different classrooms.

The board is also very useful for music education, films can be shown easily, then switched back to drawing, mind mapping, step-by-step planning, etc.

The mobile capability of the board ensures that it travels easily through the school, from the school cafeteria to another class, a room for a staff meeting, or a room for a support worker.

At staff meetings and consultations, the i3SIXTY is used for formatting mind maps and streamlining the train of thought during a creative exercise around a particular topic.

Some colleagues were not immediately convinced of the usefulness of an electronic screen for making individual notes or mind maps. For them, a flipchart was good enough.  However, most colleagues received it very enthusiastically and were impressed by the ease of use and the quick mastery of the various functionalities of the device.

Reactions were already extremely positive after the first staff meeting. The ease of saving and exporting the created mind maps or notes convinced colleagues that this technology really helps us to simplify our work.

The ease of use by students and teachers, combined with the many possibilities of the device ensured that in a short time, this equipment became indispensable for us as a school.  Colleagues or visitors who use the device for the first time react very positively.