Wipebook Flipcharts; The perfect tool for online learning
Julie Naugler, Monsignor Neville Anderson School, Calgary Catholic School District
Here I was, settling into a nice little system with my grade 4 class, when every routine I had worked so hard to establish got thrown out the window when our school closed to students and we went into social distancing due to Covid-19. I went about setting up my ‘online classroom’ at my dining room table and treasured that I am a natural with online technology.
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Reality set in
My vision slowly began to get crushed as I recognized that not all computers/tablets/phones were created equally, and just because I spent hours creating the best online resources for my virtual class of 10 year old students, their devices were not always able to run them, and they did not always have the support available to help them work through these new platforms. I decided that in order to meet the needs of all of my students, I had to return to what we already knew and what worked for us. I didn’t give up on technology completely - I still love it and think there are amazing resources out there, many of which I have learned in the past three months. I worked to intertwine the two in a way that would engage the students online while keeping learning accessible to all.
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What works for us
This is where my Wipebook becomes essential. After learning about the benefits of non-permanent vertical surfaces (VNPS), I bought a set of 10 back in the fall. They could easily be taken apart to spread around the classroom for break-out work or kept all together. I quickly realized it was light enough that I could attach all 10 sheets to the wall with just 2 reusable hooks. I really appreciated this for the space it saved, plus, when I had to move my ‘classroom’ to another location, I could move my Wipebook flipchart easily too. I use it to create my own video lessons to share with my students. I use it when a student needs a private video chat to walk them through something with a little more detail. I haven’t had to switch online drawing tools based on which platform my student was video calling me on - I could just angle my laptop and we could work through material together.
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A great tool!
Not only do I use my Wipebook daily, as a teacher, but my own daughters love having access to it for their online learning. They have used it as a tool in their online school presentations, working out math problems before typing the answers in online, and my favourite - leaving me messages. I’m so grateful to have WipeBook as one of my online tools!
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