Explain Everything on just one iPad – engaging creatively with limited tech

“If you don’t use technology, you’re doing your students a disservice.”  

– Ioannis Kominis

Ever dreamed of how convenient it would be to have an entire semester’s worth of materials on a single slide? Meet Ioannis, a teacher who has it all figured out!

Ioannis Kominis is an English teacher at Maximilian-Kolbe-Schule elementary in the picturesque Black Forest town of Rottweil, Germany. His school might not yet have acquired many mobile devices, but that cannot stop an ingenious teacher like him! Equipped with just his own iPad, the Explain Everything iPad app, and an in-class display, Ioannis engages his students with dynamic, media-packed lessons everyone can participate in. We visited Maximilian-Kolbe-Schule personally to see how he does it, and we were not disappointed.

Watch our short interview with Ioannis to see for yourself:

Everything fits on the Explain Everything Whiteboard canvas

Many teachers are beginning to realize that an iPad running the right software is all they really need – no big book bag heavy with textbooks, workbooks and notebooks, no constant trips to the (always broken!) photocopier. Ioannis is living proof of how practical and time-saving having everything on one device can be. His method is surprisingly simple and impressively effective. Every class he teaches has its own dedicated Explain Everything project containing:

• The entire textbook PDF, divided into units
• The entire workbook PDF, divided into units
• All of the listenings and video files

…and all this neatly organized on one infinite canvas, making it even easier to maneuver between materials. An online whiteboard is increasingly seen as a must, and not just for remote learning. Check out Ioannis’ creative use of Explain Everything Whiteboard below for inspiration!

When teaching his lessons, all Ioannis has to do is connect wirelessly to the display panel to quite literally get everyone on the same page. Using the wide array of tools available in Explain Everything, he can zoom in on, point to or highlight anything he wants. Just as importantly, he can spontaneously put students’ answers and ideas up on the screen for discussion. When reviewing tests, Ioannis likes to scan and add students’ work to the canvas on the fly to discuss commonly made mistakes or compliment someone on a job well done.

Whatever the lesson topic, Ioannis is consistently dedicated to engaging students in their own learning process. His students return the favor through their near constant activity – this is constructivist teaching philosophy at work!

Explain Everything for schoolwide digital transformation

Digital transformation is one of the biggest challenges facing schools today, but forward-thinking teachers are well aware that change is necessary if schools are to prepare students for their future careers.

Thanks to the determination of Ioannis and his fellow tech-savvy teachers, including Sven, whose amazing article on constructivist classroom activities you can read here, Maximilian-Kolbe-Schule is currently planning a wide-scale iPad/Explain Everything trial. We join them in their excitement about all of the new creative possibilities giving students access to these tools will bring. As both a collaborative and recordable digital whiteboard, Explain Everything offers teachers and students virtually limitless possibilities both inside and outside the classroom.

For now, Ioannis’ savvy use of the tech available to him can be an inspiration to us all. If you haven’t yet, be sure to check out that interview to hear him tell the story himself!

See more stories from educational experts.