Before my first year teaching prac, I had only ever heard about Interactive White Boards (IWBs). I had no idea about just how quickly a person can learn to use an IWB or about the diverse functions that it could perform before my first time using one 10 minutes prior to teaching a class.
Within those 10 minutes, I learnt how to use the technology, display a powerpoint presentation and easily flick between screens. During the lesson with my students, I quickly discovered how to stop the powerpoint presentation and draw all over it to highlight important information. This was the most engaging and rewarding class that I have taught as the students were so excited about the learning and the technology. The multiple purpose and functions of the IWB is astounding as it provides unlimited resources for teaching in the classroom.
Promethean Planet, an online community for interactive whiteboard learning, contains a number of ready made lesson plans, resource material and information for learning managers to access for free. Learning managers can also upload their own lesson plans and resources to share. After browsing this site for a couple of minutes, I was able to find some very exciting resources that I would love to use in senior Chemistry and Physics classes.
One exciting piece of technology that I found while browsing the Promethean Planet website was a device that is very similar to a mobile phone. With the vast majority of student's today possessing a mobile phone and sending hundreds of text messages per week, imagine how useful it would be to have a device in the classroom that resembles a mobile phone, where students can text their answers or solutions to the IWB!
Visit http://www.prometheanplanet.com and have a look at the number of learning resources that are available for interactive white boards.
This technology has major implications for teaching and learning. It provides a fun and interactive system for students and enables learning managers to showcase a broader range of learning material quickly and effectively. This is technology that all learning managers should be using whenever the opportunity presents itself.
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Hi. Thanks for sharing the information about Interactive Whiteboards for use in the classroom. This has been a major development in the interactive delivery of learning experiences. I recently witnessed the capabilities of this technology in a Special Needs Class with 6 students who have varying disabilities including Intellectual Impairment. The Smartboard (Smart Classrooms Initiative) encourages motivation, participation, active learning and social interaction with the teacher and other students. The technology accommodates different learning styles utilising sound, visual and touch technology. Students achieve significant learning outcomes through active learning that enables them to understand the information by doing something with it.
ReplyDeleteReference:
Learning Styles and Strategies. Felder & Soloman. Retrieved 25/11/2009 from www4.ncsu.edu
Hi Liisa
ReplyDeleteI agree with Emma, thanks for sharing. I like the idea about the mobile phones. Particularly as the applications for the modern mobile phone are so diverse. If every child had an i-phone or similar I imagine there would be a even wider range of activities that could be incorporated into the classroom. One day when it is cost effective of course! Maybe there will be some sort of applications to link the phone with the whiteboard? Or maybe there already is such a thing?
regards
Michele
Hi Emma and Michele,
ReplyDeleteI think that it would be relatively easy for a method of linking student's mobiles to the white board to be developed, just think about everything that is becoming wireless now! One problem that may occur would be that rebelious need to use personal mobile phones for texting during class. Perhaps a class set of the devices that already exist may be best.
I wish there were opportunities for student teachers to attend a tutorial on the use of Smartboards and IWBs, with a little bit of hands on practice, as I entered a school where most teachers just used it as another white board. I had to teach myself most of the other functions and still there are so many more that I would like to learn.
Thank you both for your comments,
Cheers!
Liisa
Liisa,
ReplyDeleteI think you're very savvy to pick up the fact that many teachers lucky enough to have an IWB do in fact just use it as a whiteboard. The challenge is to use it to engage and to promote higher order thinking as you have alluded to in this post.
Linda