Have you ever been in a crowd and pointed skyward. Everybody looks skyward.
It is not much different in a class. Give the kids something at which to look.
If you are studying water, have pictures of dams, if you are looking at Africa have pictures of lions, if you are studying film and drama have a picture of Pamela Stephenson.
Use the board as a YOUR scribble pad and watch how the kids focus. This is the SCREEN generation. I’m sure some of these kids would sit at a screen saver if the computer ever had a chance to need it.