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I have been involved with using interactive whiteboards (IWBs) for several years. Most of that experience has been with Promethean ACTIVboards although I have had some experience with other boards. This page relates to use of IWBs in all subject areas, not just for inquiry-based learning. For the results of my research relating to interactive whiteboards see the Inquiry & ICT page. For information on the Kopu Digital Opportunities project which used IWBs to support inquiry see the Digital Opportunities website and the public pages of the Opoutere School KnowledgeNET. I would not like to
have to teach in a classroom without an interactive whiteboard. There
are four main reasons why I think IWBs are great classroom tools. They
are:
Interactivity
- the ability to interact with the activity is, for me, the most
important feature of the boards.
There are several aspects to this, the
first, and probably most beneficial, is the ability to physically
Reading activities such as sorting or matching text and pictures or Cloze exercises can easily be developed. Maths is another subject where this ability is extremely useful. Students can classify objects, move them, resize them, rotate them etc. Students can also physically interact with the numbers and equipment on the screen. This aspect especially appeals to tactile/kinaesthetic learners but all students (at primary school level anyway) seem to enjoy this feature. |
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The ability to find sounds and video and save them on a flipchart is a very valuable tool. Adding sound and video can add another dimension to a lesson. Some examples of ways this can be used:
Having students record themselves and using these sound files is very easily done. The sound recorder in ACTIVboard automatically inserts the recorded sound file into the current flipchart page. This feature is useful for all ages but especially with young students who are not yet fluent writers. The files can be saved in the flipchart to be used at a later date. Some uses for sound recording:
Write, Save and Review - being able to record student brainstorms etc for later review is very useful. Being able to write directly on the board is a lot faster than having to type answers and, if wanted, the handwriting recognition tool can be used to turn handwriting into text. I found the ability to save and review work especially helpful during inquiry units where all work on the unit, including student responses, could be saved into one flipchart. Reviewing at the end of a session or referring back to previously saved work was then very easy to do. In addition, being able to write on the board also means being able to draw. Thus it is very easy to draw diagrams, pictures etc. which, along with accompanying text, can then be saved if wanted. The interactive functions mean that any text, diagrams etc can also be moved and sorted if necessary. Resources readily
available One of the advantages of IWBs is the resource libraries and tools accompanying the board. The tools available as part of the board software such as a protractor, ruler, timer, compass etc. are very useful, especially for maths lessons. There are also an array of images easily available. If you need a New Zealand or World map, graph paper, blank clocks or picture of a skeleton during a lesson for example, they are available very quickly. There are also a number of interactive games and activities within the board software. A large number of ready-made flipcharts are available in the library and many more are available for download. These are easily adapted to suit the individual group or class. Student motivation and engagement In my experience
students find the use of the IWB engaging and motivating. This is not
just when boards are new in a classroom but can still be seen over three
years later. One of the reasons for this is the multimedia nature of
content on the board. The ability to interact with the board would seem
to be the main factor however. This was apparent in my research where
students mentioned being able to use the board themselves as a reason
they liked the boards. Issues Teacher up front One danger of using IWBs is it can lead to the teacher spending more time at the front of the class. I have noticed that when teachers first get their boards this can often be the case. Professional development in use of the board seems to solve this as teachers learn new ways to use their board and learn to hand more control of the board to students. Glorified whiteboard Another danger is that of just using the board as a substitute whiteboard. I have spoken to teachers who have had their traditional whiteboard replaced with an IWB so that is all that they have. This situation does not seem to lend itself to full utilisation of the IWB. There are some things that a traditional whiteboard is needed for - things that need to stay in view for an extended period of time like the day’s timetable for example. Take away this whiteboard and teachers tend to use their IWB for those purposes, meaning they cannot take full advantage of the uses of the board. In addition, if teachers are not given professional development on ways of using the board then many will continue to use them as glorified whiteboards - a huge waste. IWB vs Data projector I personally believe every classroom should have a ceiling-mounted data projector. As I mentioned previously there are several areas where IWBs come into their own including interactivity, saving and reviewing, engagement and ready access to resources, but some of the benefits ascribed to IWBs can be achieved using a data projector. These include:
If these are all you intend doing with an IWB, then a data projector will be enough. If however you want the other aspects I mentioned, especially the interactivity, then an IWB is the better option. I would suggest that if you are having a data projector installed and intend in the future to get an IWB that you think carefully about where you put the data projector so that you don't end up having to pay to move the projector at a later date. Screen Shadow Screen shadow can be an issue when using an IWB. Newer versions of the boards with attached projectors virtually eliminate this, but if you are using the board with a separate projector then I have two pieces of advice:
Professional development Professional
development is essential if teachers are to use the boards effectively.
Attending sessions at conferences where teachers with boards share some
of the ways they use their boards has been a great way to gather new
ideas. Training courses provided by the Envision board suppliers have
also proved very valuable. Initial training was skills-based but later
sessions involved practical classroom applications of the board and were
very valuable.
The Promethean Learning site has
tutorials that can be completed and the
Promethean World site has a Hot Tips
section that includes video clips of ACTIVboards being used in the
classroom. Resources Articles on IWB Use www.e-learningcentre.co.uk/eclipse/Resources/whiteboards.htm A list of articles on IWB use. IWB Research www.edfacilities.org/rl/interactive_whiteboards.cfm A list of IWB research articles ACTIVboard Resources www.prometheanplanet.com/uk/ Promethean Planet has an extensive collection of resources for the ACTIVboard. There are numerous flipcharts that have been created by teachers and which can be downloaded. www.prometheanworld.com/uk/server/show/nav.5394 has resources including video clips of ACTIVboards being used in the classroom.
www.prometheanlearning.com/uk/index.php The Promethean Learning site
has training courses for using the ACTIVboard. The level one certificate
is free and has tutorials for all basic skills. This is a great one to
do for both teachers and students if they want to improve their skills
in board use. Websites that work well with IWBs www.iknowthat.com This is one of my favourite sites. There are lots of interactive activities for maths, language, science and other areas. www.bbc.co.uk/skillswise/numbers/wholenumbers/ Maths activities www.ictgames.com/ Literacy and maths activities www.kented.org.uk/ngfl/subjects/science/IWB/index.htm A variety of IWB resources www.crickweb.co.uk/Promethean.html Maths activities www.crickweb.co.uk/ IWB activities in a variety of subject areas www.bbc.co.uk/schools/websites/4_11/index.shtml Activities in a number of different areas www.starfall.com/ Junior reading activities http://www.magickeys.com/books/ Online stories www.childrenslibrary.org/ Online books, fiction and non-fiction and includes some New Zealand books. www.tki.org.nz/r/digistore/ A lot of the learning objects because of their interactivity work well on an IWB. Your school will need to register and get a password. |
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2008 Jan-Marie Kellow Photos must only be used for educational purposes and must be attributed. Photos of children may only be used with my permission.
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move
things around on the screen. This is particularly useful when sorting ,
mind-mapping etc. 
The
highlighter tool is extremely useful, allowing teachers and students to
interact with text and images. For example students can highlight areas
of text that support their answers or opinions. It can be used in
reading and language to highlight parts of speech, examples of text
features etc. Students can, for example, highlight the similes in the
story or highlight all the adjectives. Being able to share a big book
on the screen (pages of any book can be scanned and inserted into a
flipchart), then interact with the text, is something I have found
extremely useful.
The
camera tool in ACTIVboard is very useful, allowing you to take snapshots
of anything on your computer or the internet. What I like about this
tool is the ability to not only take the usual oblong pictures but also
to take point-to-point or freehand snapshots. I have found the latter
very useful when working with a shared book. I can scan the book onto a
flipchart then I can also create freehand snapshots from the scanned
images. This is useful for getting images of individual characters which
can then be used in a number of related activities such this activity
from the story "The Big Block of Chocolate", where students move the
characters into the correct place. The screen can be printed to provide
a cut and paste follow-up activity for students if wanted.
