Interactive White Boards

The recent session on use of interactive white boards in the classroom enabled me to gain more of an understanding of how to create teaching resources to use on the white board. Handy for this piece of ICT is that they link up to the internet (in my school they do at least), which means that resources found online can be easily shared with children in the classroom, without having to disrupt the class to get to the ICT suite. However, this "disruption" may be extremely important if children are required to play around with this resource themselves.

During our last PSHE lesson, we were introduced to the gogivers website, which highlighted many resources that could be used in the classroom and on the interactive white board.

Plus, whilst carrying out the serial weeks in school, I saw the interactive white board used several times to show resources to the class. For example, during a literacy lesson, a picture was put up on the IWB for all to see and the children were required to build up their own story around this picture. Here, the IWB enabled all the children to see the picture, and discuss as a class what they can see and therefore what they could write about. It allowed the teacher to acknowledge what the children know, and expand on what they were saying. However, following this, the picture was also placed on each table so that the children could get a clearer look at the picture. It is becoming apparent, then, that IWBswork across all subjects. The fact that the smartboard software comes with banks of pictures and animations to use that span across all subjects, from history, to maths and science (plus others) also backs this up.

Yet, IWBs not only present a great way to plan, teach and share with children resources found for the teachers, but also a great way for children to learn. Resources can be made using the smartboard programmes that allow children to come up and place answers in correct boxes, or underline the answer they think is correct, for example. Children very much enjoy doing this and teachers should try to incorporate this into their teaching as much as possible as this begins to create a friendly learning enviornment in which everyone is learning together. Also, as children get so excited about using the interactive whiteboards, so they will look at the topic they are learning with fondness and excitement....or you would hope so!

However, with all the good the IWBs bring, during my serial days, it became apparent that it is important not to rely to heavily on them as teaching aids. Like all ICT, they very often have a mind of their own and can break down when they fancy. It is therefore important to either have a back up plan, or ensure that the lesson can continue as normal without the white board element. Thus, as great as it is that all classrooms appear to becoming kitted out with IWBs and corresponding equipment, it is important not the forget about the good that a non-interactive whiteboard can do in the classroom also. Normal boards can still hold the interactive element to learning, enabling children to come out and write on it, or pick the right answer.

But perhaps that is the digital immigrant in me fighting to get out!!