Session 2 - Interactive White Board

Hey again,

 

Week 2 of ICT at Middlesex University and things are beginning to get interesting!!

 IWB - Interactive White Board

 Once upon a time teachers could only use flip charts, blackboards, OHP's, maps and printed pictures. The problem with these types of resources is that 1) they take up a lot of room in the classroom to store; and 2) they can be become outdated very quickly and will therefore need replacing (far too much effort!!!)   ......................so..........................

Today's main focus was the Interactive White Board, and its endless possibilities including its powerful software which can be brought in to the classroom. For those who are unsure what an IWB is, and what it can do watch this fantastic YouTube video called The Magical Classroom

It shows how accessible the IWB can be, and how it can literally be used for every National Curriculum subject. Children can engage more with lessons when their activities are flashing, spinning, making noises and generally being more inviting.

What we learned about teaching without technology,

 will be the basis of how we teach better with technology.

                                                                                      Dr Robert Marzano, 2009 

Basically.... if we as teachers keep the same structure to a lesson that was taught to us as children, but integrate it with Interactive White Boards, videos, sound clips etc we are embracing the new age and therefore enhancing a child's learning. However we must remember our students are only as good as our teachers so; unless us as teachers are confident and IWB 'savvy' the class will not gain any benefits at all. In 2008 an online report (The Daily Beast) stated '70% of classrooms in the United Kingdom have, and use Interactive White Boards compared to America with only 16%' I am sure these figures have risen since as there are many benefits to using the IWB tool.

Benefits

• Helps develop discussion and thinking skills (e.g. from observing fascinating videos)
• Addresses all learning styles (e.g Visual - seeing the board, Auditory - hearing sounds from the board and Kinaethetic - being able to move items/interact with the board)
• Keeps a record of previous learning ( e.g. unlike a black/white board the work can be kept and referred back to/ updated at a later stage)
• The board is more stimulating, motivating and engaging to younger children.
• It can help children with SEND or EAL (providing large selection of pictures and vocabulary)
• Develop every child's ICT skills (e.g. allowing children to use the IWB for their own work). 

However there are some Considerations to think about as a teacher when using the IWB:

• Reliability (always have a Plan B as technology is never a sure thing!)
• Board placement (can all children reach the board??)
• Is the board positioned in the best place within the classroom (can everyone see??) 
• Visibility (is there too much light from outside? Is there a glare on the screen preventing learning?)
• Access (is the IWB shared with other classes? Make sure time in allocated for everyday use)
• Text Visibility (does the text compliment the background colour or is it hard for children to read?)

 

Creating Engaging Lessons!!

After establishing IWB's can be a valuable piece of equipment in the classroom, next it's time to discuss what you can do ON an IWB. The software I've looked at is SMART - Notebook and it  is  

 MIND - BLOWING!!! It is incredible the stuff that can be done with this software (I know I am usually easily pleased, but it really is that good). If every teacher had the opportunity to just 'play' with the software lesson ideas that could be generated is limitless. Here are a few examples (click on the titles to reveal clips of how to use the tool):

 

 Magnifying Glass Effect - This allows the teacher to 'hide' information/text on the page and get the students to find the words. This can be used in Science when getting students to name parts of a plant or animals as well as in Mathematics when answering starter questions. 
 

Page Recording - This allows the teacher to demonstrate moving items that have been pre-recorded. This can be used by the teacher when showing handwriting practice or in mathematics to show number sequences and the jumps that are needed between each number. 

 

Click to Reveal - This tool can be used to reveal answers written underneath. This can be used in any curriculum subject as every lesson will have questions needing answering by the class.  

 

Checker Tool -  Allows the teacher to create questions with multiple choice answers. This can be carried out in English when reviewing a book that's been previously read. For example in the story Jack and the Beanstalk the question could be: What did Jack trade in for magic beans? Possible answers: sheep, cow and bread. 

 

Erase to Reveal -  This allows the teacher to make words disappear within an image or piece of text. Then allow the students to come up one at a time to use the rubber and reveal what is written. This can be used when showing the class statements about a topic or quote. For example when describing the parts of a plant the different parts (stem, petal, leaf), can be shown but their meanings are hidden and have to be revealed. 

 

Random Generator -   This tool is used for picking words or numbers at random. Some examples of using this during a lesson could be a mathematics starter or choosing children's names to answer questions.

 

Pull Tabs and Grouping - Words or pictures can be hidden off the notebook screen and pulled in to view.  This tool is very handy to use when asking the class a question which needs multiple answers. The answers can be hidden and children can pull each individual one in to the screen once answered.
 

Balloon Pop -  A teacher can type words on to an IWB and hide them behind balloons which can be popped to reveal the answer. This can be used for any lesson that requires the class to answer questions for example, geography (answering questions about the globe) or history (answering questions on the Romans).  

 

Magic Tunnel - This tool is a little tricky to create but has a very magical feel for the class. A question is in written on the left side of the page and dragged through the tunnel. The answer then pops out the other side of the tunnel creating a hide and reveal effect. Again this tool can be used for any subject as long as there is only one correct answer.  

 

That is the end of this week's blog; I hope you have learnt some new tricks for the IWB. I feel there is only one word to sum up this lesson and that's....................

 

Until next time bloggers

 

Bye x