The Interactive Whiteboard - #1 - Principles and Practice/#2 –a checklist of good and bad practices.
Found at http://www.maximise-ict.co.uk/
This site is dedicated to increasing ICT in schools. ICT is short for Informative Communication Technology or Information Communication Technology. IWB’s are definitely an important part of this process. On the side bar there is a link to information about IWB’s. This is where I clicked to get to the following information.
This site first discusses how Interactive Whiteboards are not being used efficiently in classrooms. The author compares them to overhead projectors of the past where the teacher scrambles to find the overhead, puts in on backwards, and then proceeds to simply read the handout. I can see how many teachers would use their whiteboards like this. I, myself, have been guilty of making the children wait while I find my flipchart; “oops not that one, let’s try this one.” I try to never just read what is on my flipchart because I know how bored I get when presenters do that to me!
On the next page of this site there is a list of good and bad classroom practices for interactive whiteboard use. One of the considerations seems obvious but is neglected by many. The location of the whiteboard is very important. Is it at the right level for students, too high or too low? Does the location of the IWB interfere with other writing space? This is what happened to me. My IWB was installed on top of my chalkboard so I have very little room to write on it. Another consideration made was whether or not all teachers have the same software and brands of IWB. I hadn’t thought about a school not using the same brand. I think it would make it very difficult if brands were different. We share flipcharts in a common folder at our school so each teacher can access the work of others. The one problem we do have is different versions of the software make it difficult for one teacher to use the IWB in another teachers room. When the teacher across the hall from me has a question about how to do something, it is hard for me to figure it out because our software is just a little different.
These are just a few of the considerations you should ask yourself before getting an IWB. I would encourage you to look at the full list on this site.
Monday, March 31, 2008
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Awesome Interactive Sites
Educational Technology Training Center. (2008). Interactive
Whiteboard Links. Retrieved March 26, 2008 from
http://www.ettcnsc.org/Instructional_resources/other/interactive_whiteboard_links.htm
I found this website through the Georgia Department of Education (go figure, I've never seen it before!)
This website has listings of sites that can be used with the interactive whiteboard of your choice. All of these sites could also be used with personal computers, but they have interactive features that the kids could use in whole-group instruction or practice. There are sites listed for every subject but I was interested in mainly in Language Arts and Social Studies since these are the courses I teach. An added bonus for this site is that it lists sites for all grade levels. This would be good if I needed to maybe use elementary activities with some of my lower students. I've saved it to My Favorites so I can refer to it regularly, especially since I am need of some review activities before the CRCT!
Whiteboard Links. Retrieved March 26, 2008 from
http://www.ettcnsc.org/Instructional_resources/other/interactive_whiteboard_links.htm
I found this website through the Georgia Department of Education (go figure, I've never seen it before!)
This website has listings of sites that can be used with the interactive whiteboard of your choice. All of these sites could also be used with personal computers, but they have interactive features that the kids could use in whole-group instruction or practice. There are sites listed for every subject but I was interested in mainly in Language Arts and Social Studies since these are the courses I teach. An added bonus for this site is that it lists sites for all grade levels. This would be good if I needed to maybe use elementary activities with some of my lower students. I've saved it to My Favorites so I can refer to it regularly, especially since I am need of some review activities before the CRCT!
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Helpful software for my ACTIVboard
Tom Snyder Productions (2006). Harness the Power of Projectors and Interactive White
Boards to Improve Classroom Teaching and Learning. Retrieved March 25, 2008
from http://www.tomsnyder.com/whiteboard/pdf/WB_Research.pdf
This article was mainly written to promote certain software packages from Tom Snyder Productions®. The packages promoted, however, were all to be used with interactive whiteboards. The article pointed out that interactive whiteboards support teachers in the classroom. Just having an interactive whiteboard means nothing; it is what you do with it that counts.
The article cites that teachers have significant and lasting impacts on their students. I totally agree with this. Good teachers reach all students, not just white, middle class students. IWB’s provide an invaluable tool to help teachers improve their teaching. IWB’s help students and teachers work together, connect lessons to students’ lives, engage students with interesting and challenging lessons, and promote dialogue over lectures.
As mentioned before, this article promotes certain software products to aid the teacher. The software that most appealed to me was the Reading for Meaning software. This program displays a passage on the whiteboard, reads the passage, asks guided reading questions about the passage, and also provides interactive graphic organizers for the class to complete as a whole. I think this would help me reach all my students, primarily my low achieving students who struggle with meaning and completing graphic organizers on their own.
Boards to Improve Classroom Teaching and Learning. Retrieved March 25, 2008
from http://www.tomsnyder.com/whiteboard/pdf/WB_Research.pdf
This article was mainly written to promote certain software packages from Tom Snyder Productions®. The packages promoted, however, were all to be used with interactive whiteboards. The article pointed out that interactive whiteboards support teachers in the classroom. Just having an interactive whiteboard means nothing; it is what you do with it that counts.
The article cites that teachers have significant and lasting impacts on their students. I totally agree with this. Good teachers reach all students, not just white, middle class students. IWB’s provide an invaluable tool to help teachers improve their teaching. IWB’s help students and teachers work together, connect lessons to students’ lives, engage students with interesting and challenging lessons, and promote dialogue over lectures.
As mentioned before, this article promotes certain software products to aid the teacher. The software that most appealed to me was the Reading for Meaning software. This program displays a passage on the whiteboard, reads the passage, asks guided reading questions about the passage, and also provides interactive graphic organizers for the class to complete as a whole. I think this would help me reach all my students, primarily my low achieving students who struggle with meaning and completing graphic organizers on their own.
Monday, March 24, 2008
More research on IWB and increased achievment
Lowe, Kirsten (2003). Raising Achievement. The Impact of Promethean ACTIVboards on Underachieving Boys and Their Learning. Retrieved March 24 from
http://www.virtuallearning.org.uk/2003research/Raising_achievement.doc
This article discussed the increased academic success in geography that boy students had using interactive whiteboards during an 8 week trial in a United Kingdom school. Underachieving males were picked to participate in the study. At the beginning of the study, the boys completed a survey that indicated 65% preferred PE to any other subject and 57% said they did not enjoy many lessons at school. Forty-six percent said they did not like to learn anything new.
Using small groups and interactive whiteboards as the primary mode of instruction, the boys’ perception of school and learning changed. Students were allowed to work in groups and individually with the boards. They had interactive lessons with the boards including flipcharts, activotes, videotaped presentations, and use of the boards to show their work. Students even came back in the afternoons to “play” on the board.
At the end of the eight weeks, students were given the same survey again. This time only 50 % of students said PE was their favorite subject and 88% said they now enjoyed learning something new. The author states that this change in attitude could be attributed to working in small groups but that 59% of the students said the IWB were the most enjoyable part of the subject.
I think my students would agree with these findings. They always enjoy a lesson so much more when the IWB is involved, especially when they somehow get to interact with the board. I think as I deliver more lessons with my IWB, I will find my students more and more engaged, especially if I find ways to make boring content come to life through animation and interaction with the board.
http://www.virtuallearning.org.uk/2003research/Raising_achievement.doc
This article discussed the increased academic success in geography that boy students had using interactive whiteboards during an 8 week trial in a United Kingdom school. Underachieving males were picked to participate in the study. At the beginning of the study, the boys completed a survey that indicated 65% preferred PE to any other subject and 57% said they did not enjoy many lessons at school. Forty-six percent said they did not like to learn anything new.
Using small groups and interactive whiteboards as the primary mode of instruction, the boys’ perception of school and learning changed. Students were allowed to work in groups and individually with the boards. They had interactive lessons with the boards including flipcharts, activotes, videotaped presentations, and use of the boards to show their work. Students even came back in the afternoons to “play” on the board.
At the end of the eight weeks, students were given the same survey again. This time only 50 % of students said PE was their favorite subject and 88% said they now enjoyed learning something new. The author states that this change in attitude could be attributed to working in small groups but that 59% of the students said the IWB were the most enjoyable part of the subject.
I think my students would agree with these findings. They always enjoy a lesson so much more when the IWB is involved, especially when they somehow get to interact with the board. I think as I deliver more lessons with my IWB, I will find my students more and more engaged, especially if I find ways to make boring content come to life through animation and interaction with the board.
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Promethean Planet
www.prometheanplanet.com
This is the website for Promethean Planet, the maker of ACTIVboards. ACTIVboard is the type of interactive whiteboard I have in my class. I need to find an article next that discusses the major differences between white boards because I don’t know how my board is different from others. Anyway… this site provides teachers with ACTIVboards a wide variety of resources and training. It has a large collection of flipcharts for all ages and subjects and provides tips for using the board effectively. They even host contests to promote flipchart contributions. Best of all – it’s free! You just have to register.
This is the website for Promethean Planet, the maker of ACTIVboards. ACTIVboard is the type of interactive whiteboard I have in my class. I need to find an article next that discusses the major differences between white boards because I don’t know how my board is different from others. Anyway… this site provides teachers with ACTIVboards a wide variety of resources and training. It has a large collection of flipcharts for all ages and subjects and provides tips for using the board effectively. They even host contests to promote flipchart contributions. Best of all – it’s free! You just have to register.
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Whiteboards promote "fun" learning
Painter, Diane D., Whiting, Elisabeth, and Wolters Brenda. (2005). Interactive Whiteboards for Interactive Teaching
and Learning. TechLEARNING. Retrieved March 19, 2008 from http://www.techlearning.com/shared/printableArticle.php?articleID=169400643
This article is about three teachers who studied the effectiveness of interactive whiteboards in a primary school. As a case study, their principal purchased one whiteboard and put it in a common room for the teachers to share. The teachers were primarily interested in finding the answers to the following two questions:
1. How does the use of the ACTIVboard promote interactive teaching and learning?
2. How do interactive whiteboards tap into various multiple intelligences and learning styles?
After reviewing journal entries and lesson plans of the teachers after using the whiteboards, the authors found that the most commonly used terms to describe their experiences were “student-centered” and “involved.” The students enjoyed using the ACTIVboard and were more likely to participate. Students also indicated that they thought the whiteboards were “fun” and they “liked” them. Different activities called for different amounts of student interaction with the board. Some activities focused on the students categorizing material by physically moving objects on the screen. Other activities help organize students’ thoughts by creating class story webs or outlines. Students were also shown pictures (instantly gleaned form the web) and asked to form conclusions with them.
I love creating webs and graphs on my ACTIVboard for my students to use. Students usually have a paper copy to fill out themselves and then we complete the graph or web together. Because I can make the graph ahead of time, I do not have to waste class time drawing one on the board. I can print off my screen for my special needs students who cannot take notes well. I can also save the information and come back to it at a later time for review. My students also love when we do compare and contrast activities and they get to move something on the screen. This supports the findings that students like to use their kinesthetic and tactile learning styles…they love to be up and moving and touching something!
Some of the limitations the authors pointed out were the use of one ACTIVboard per grade level and the board not being properly mounted. Luckily, I have neither of these problems. Every regular education teacher has a permanently mounted ACTIVboard in his or her room. We do not have to schedule a time to use the whiteboard or worry about it being knocked around on a stand.
and Learning. TechLEARNING. Retrieved March 19, 2008 from http://www.techlearning.com/shared/printableArticle.php?articleID=169400643
This article is about three teachers who studied the effectiveness of interactive whiteboards in a primary school. As a case study, their principal purchased one whiteboard and put it in a common room for the teachers to share. The teachers were primarily interested in finding the answers to the following two questions:
1. How does the use of the ACTIVboard promote interactive teaching and learning?
2. How do interactive whiteboards tap into various multiple intelligences and learning styles?
After reviewing journal entries and lesson plans of the teachers after using the whiteboards, the authors found that the most commonly used terms to describe their experiences were “student-centered” and “involved.” The students enjoyed using the ACTIVboard and were more likely to participate. Students also indicated that they thought the whiteboards were “fun” and they “liked” them. Different activities called for different amounts of student interaction with the board. Some activities focused on the students categorizing material by physically moving objects on the screen. Other activities help organize students’ thoughts by creating class story webs or outlines. Students were also shown pictures (instantly gleaned form the web) and asked to form conclusions with them.
I love creating webs and graphs on my ACTIVboard for my students to use. Students usually have a paper copy to fill out themselves and then we complete the graph or web together. Because I can make the graph ahead of time, I do not have to waste class time drawing one on the board. I can print off my screen for my special needs students who cannot take notes well. I can also save the information and come back to it at a later time for review. My students also love when we do compare and contrast activities and they get to move something on the screen. This supports the findings that students like to use their kinesthetic and tactile learning styles…they love to be up and moving and touching something!
Some of the limitations the authors pointed out were the use of one ACTIVboard per grade level and the board not being properly mounted. Luckily, I have neither of these problems. Every regular education teacher has a permanently mounted ACTIVboard in his or her room. We do not have to schedule a time to use the whiteboard or worry about it being knocked around on a stand.
Monday, March 17, 2008
Some data supporting interactive whiteboards...
Beeland, William D. Jr. (2002). Student Engagement, Visual Learning and Technology:
Can Interactive Whiteboards Help. Retrieved March 17, 2008 from http://www.prometheanworld.com/uk/upload/pdf/student_engagement.pdf
In this research paper, William Beeland investigates “whether or not the use of an interactive whiteboard as an instructional tool affects student engagement,” as well as whether or not “the method in which an interactive whiteboard is used as an instructional tool in the classroom affects the degree to which students are engaged.” Beeland gathered research by conducting surveys and questionnaires with students and teachers as well as gathering data during the instructional time the boards were being used (to monitor what types of instruction was being completed, how much interaction the students had with the whiteboard, ect.).
Beeland found that the use of the whiteboard overwhelming affects student engagement. All students (except for one) who took the questionnaire reported being able to learn better by using the whiteboard. Most students thought the visual aspect of the boards helped them focus better on the lesson and that the whiteboard made the lessons more interesting (more graphics, less teacher talk, more interaction). Related to this is the question of whether or not the whiteboards helped students pay better attention. Once again, all but one student said yes to this question. The students really like having the graphic/visual representation and interaction with the whiteboards.
Teachers also answered questions about the use of whiteboards. Teachers liked using the whiteboards because they believed it helped “grab” their students’ attention. The increased attention to the lesson led teachers to believe that the use of the whiteboards led to learning more. When sound and interaction was involved they thought it helped reach all three modalities of learning (visual, auditory, and tactile). I agree with these teachers. My students are more eager to participate if they think they are going to get to use the interactive whiteboard.
Teachers really liked being able to use the internet and other software in large group settings. One teacher pointed out the effectiveness of using video in her classroom to make lessons come to life. This is one aspect of my whiteboard that I love. Students don’t actually have to interact with the board to become more engaged. Today during class we watched a video about the Berlin Wall. The video discussed the building of the wall and how East Germany kept its people from leaving. I guarantee you that my students got a better feel for the desperation of the East German people by watching as an elderly woman jumped from a second story window to West Germany. We were able to stop the footage and discuss why the East German soldiers were trying to pull her back inside the building. Students were eager to ask me “Is that real, Did she live?” There interests were sparked and I took full advantage of it.
Beeland did find that the classes who ranked the use of the whiteboard highest were ones who had the least interaction with it. This surprised me because I would think that the more interaction kids had with the board, the better they would like it. All ratings, however, were well above a score of 3 (with 1 being the lowest and 4 the highest.) Beeland did point out, though, that the classes where students had no interaction with the board did have the best use of multimedia in their presentations.
I really enjoyed reading this article because it is the first time I’ve seen true data on the effectiveness of whiteboards. This research report could be used by school personnel to make the argument for the necessity of interactive whiteboards in schools. I know a lot of people in my community don’t think we need all this high-tech equipment in our school to do well on the state tests. Showing them this actual data would help make our case!
Can Interactive Whiteboards Help. Retrieved March 17, 2008 from http://www.prometheanworld.com/uk/upload/pdf/student_engagement.pdf
In this research paper, William Beeland investigates “whether or not the use of an interactive whiteboard as an instructional tool affects student engagement,” as well as whether or not “the method in which an interactive whiteboard is used as an instructional tool in the classroom affects the degree to which students are engaged.” Beeland gathered research by conducting surveys and questionnaires with students and teachers as well as gathering data during the instructional time the boards were being used (to monitor what types of instruction was being completed, how much interaction the students had with the whiteboard, ect.).
Beeland found that the use of the whiteboard overwhelming affects student engagement. All students (except for one) who took the questionnaire reported being able to learn better by using the whiteboard. Most students thought the visual aspect of the boards helped them focus better on the lesson and that the whiteboard made the lessons more interesting (more graphics, less teacher talk, more interaction). Related to this is the question of whether or not the whiteboards helped students pay better attention. Once again, all but one student said yes to this question. The students really like having the graphic/visual representation and interaction with the whiteboards.
Teachers also answered questions about the use of whiteboards. Teachers liked using the whiteboards because they believed it helped “grab” their students’ attention. The increased attention to the lesson led teachers to believe that the use of the whiteboards led to learning more. When sound and interaction was involved they thought it helped reach all three modalities of learning (visual, auditory, and tactile). I agree with these teachers. My students are more eager to participate if they think they are going to get to use the interactive whiteboard.
Teachers really liked being able to use the internet and other software in large group settings. One teacher pointed out the effectiveness of using video in her classroom to make lessons come to life. This is one aspect of my whiteboard that I love. Students don’t actually have to interact with the board to become more engaged. Today during class we watched a video about the Berlin Wall. The video discussed the building of the wall and how East Germany kept its people from leaving. I guarantee you that my students got a better feel for the desperation of the East German people by watching as an elderly woman jumped from a second story window to West Germany. We were able to stop the footage and discuss why the East German soldiers were trying to pull her back inside the building. Students were eager to ask me “Is that real, Did she live?” There interests were sparked and I took full advantage of it.
Beeland did find that the classes who ranked the use of the whiteboard highest were ones who had the least interaction with it. This surprised me because I would think that the more interaction kids had with the board, the better they would like it. All ratings, however, were well above a score of 3 (with 1 being the lowest and 4 the highest.) Beeland did point out, though, that the classes where students had no interaction with the board did have the best use of multimedia in their presentations.
I really enjoyed reading this article because it is the first time I’ve seen true data on the effectiveness of whiteboards. This research report could be used by school personnel to make the argument for the necessity of interactive whiteboards in schools. I know a lot of people in my community don’t think we need all this high-tech equipment in our school to do well on the state tests. Showing them this actual data would help make our case!
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Different ways my whiteboard can be used...
Brazenburg, Jeffrey. (2006). How To: Use an Interactive Whiteboard. techLEARNING.
Retrieved March 13, 2008 from http://www.techlearning.com/showArticle.php?articleID=175803144
This article discusses the different uses for interactive whiteboards in the classroom. Suggested activities include
· Have students make their presentations to the class, without having to use a keyboard.
· Stream video and music from the web. The teacher can easily pause the music or video from the screen without access to the keyboard.
· Notes, charts, and diagrams made on the interactive whiteboard by hand can be saved and printed or e-mailed.
· Used in conjunction with other programs, such as Inspiration, the whiteboard can help encourage critical thinking by having students create their own concept maps.
· It is possible to write on the boards in many different colors as well as highlight text. This can help special needs students with attention disorders and visual discrimination problems.
I think all of these are great ways to use my interactive whiteboard. I had never thought about how my board could help my students with disabilities, especially if I started highlighting the most important text or concepts I wanted them to use. I’ve made my own charts on the whiteboard but I’ve never had the students do it themselves. This would be a great “module” for differentiating instruction.
Retrieved March 13, 2008 from http://www.techlearning.com/showArticle.php?articleID=175803144
This article discusses the different uses for interactive whiteboards in the classroom. Suggested activities include
· Have students make their presentations to the class, without having to use a keyboard.
· Stream video and music from the web. The teacher can easily pause the music or video from the screen without access to the keyboard.
· Notes, charts, and diagrams made on the interactive whiteboard by hand can be saved and printed or e-mailed.
· Used in conjunction with other programs, such as Inspiration, the whiteboard can help encourage critical thinking by having students create their own concept maps.
· It is possible to write on the boards in many different colors as well as highlight text. This can help special needs students with attention disorders and visual discrimination problems.
I think all of these are great ways to use my interactive whiteboard. I had never thought about how my board could help my students with disabilities, especially if I started highlighting the most important text or concepts I wanted them to use. I’ve made my own charts on the whiteboard but I’ve never had the students do it themselves. This would be a great “module” for differentiating instruction.
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
I've changed my mind again!
Mike Gatlin, "Interactive Whiteboard System Creates 'Active Classrooms' for Rural Georgia School System," T.H.E. Journal, 1/1/2004, http://www.thejournal.com/articles/16614
Starting this blog has been very difficult for me. It’s not the blog itself, but the content in which it contains. When we were instructed to pick an area of technology that we wanted to learn more about, I froze. I didn’t know what aspect of technology I really wanted to learn more about. I picked a topic, only to realize I didn’t know where I really wanted to go with it. Then I start reading one of my classmate’s blogs and realized that I too was really interested in what she was – interactive whiteboards. So Sue, thank you for your inspiration. I promise not to copy your entries, at least not intentionally. I hope I can inspire you as well with information I find.
I got my whiteboard at the beginning of this school year. I absolutely love it. As the year has progressed, however, I realize that I am truly not utilizing my whiteboard to its fullest potential. I also do not know what research has to say about the effectiveness of interactive whiteboards. Yeah, they’re cool, but do they really improve student achievement? Is it worth the hundreds of thousands of dollars school systems are spending on whiteboards? I think I will find the answers to my questions to be yes, but I’ll keep you updated on that one J
I found this article on interactive whiteboards on the on-line journal, T.H.E. Journal. The title caught my eye because it mentioned rural Georgia (the state in which I live). As I began reading the article, I realized the school system to which it was referring, Thomaston-Upson, was only an hour down the road from me.
Our school systems share a lot in common. We too serve about 5000 students. We have two elementary schools, two middle, and one high school (as compared to their three elementary, one middle, and one high). Our students come from similar socio-economic and cultural backgrounds. We also use the same brand of interactive whiteboards, ACTIVboard. What a perfect comparison!
Gatlin states in the article that the integration of the interactive whiteboard is easy with existing lesson plans. With this I would have to agree. In its simpliest form, it is easy to just write on the board instead of the chalkboard. It is also great for making lessons, or flipcharts, ahead of time so you do not waste time writing during the class. It is also possible to share lessons by saving your flipcharts in common folders that others on the network can access. Promethean Planet (www.prometheanplanet.com) has a plethora of flipcharts already created. Why invent the wheel?
As Gatlin points out, students love using the ACTIVboards, and are eager to volunteer in order to get to write on it. I worry though about how students will feel after they have grown up with them in every classroom. Many of our kindergarten classes now have ACTIVboards and I wonder if this fascination will last once it becomes routine.
There are two things that I have not worked with that Gatlin discusses. The first is the ACTIVotes. We only have two sets for our whole school and I’ve never learned how to use them. I really liked the examples of how they could be used in class (questions to gauge comprehension instantly, for review exercises, or for students to help each other out through peer assessment). I really need to talk to the technology coordinator about learning how to use this tool. The second product is the ACTIVslate. We currently do not have any of these at our school. I think I would find them to be very beneficial since they can be used from anywhere in the classroom. You could take the slate to the student and have them answer from their desk instead of taking the time to have students come and go from their desks.
Gatlin ends his article with a list of tips for whiteboard implementation. I agree with Gatlin that whiteboards need to be mounted in to instill a sense of ownership. He also points out that it is important to stress to teachers that they do not have to change all of their teaching methods. It is easy to implement instruction. One last tip was to make sure all components will work together (i.e. whiteboards, projectors, DVD players, ect). Geez, I wish we had gotten DVD players!
Starting this blog has been very difficult for me. It’s not the blog itself, but the content in which it contains. When we were instructed to pick an area of technology that we wanted to learn more about, I froze. I didn’t know what aspect of technology I really wanted to learn more about. I picked a topic, only to realize I didn’t know where I really wanted to go with it. Then I start reading one of my classmate’s blogs and realized that I too was really interested in what she was – interactive whiteboards. So Sue, thank you for your inspiration. I promise not to copy your entries, at least not intentionally. I hope I can inspire you as well with information I find.
I got my whiteboard at the beginning of this school year. I absolutely love it. As the year has progressed, however, I realize that I am truly not utilizing my whiteboard to its fullest potential. I also do not know what research has to say about the effectiveness of interactive whiteboards. Yeah, they’re cool, but do they really improve student achievement? Is it worth the hundreds of thousands of dollars school systems are spending on whiteboards? I think I will find the answers to my questions to be yes, but I’ll keep you updated on that one J
I found this article on interactive whiteboards on the on-line journal, T.H.E. Journal. The title caught my eye because it mentioned rural Georgia (the state in which I live). As I began reading the article, I realized the school system to which it was referring, Thomaston-Upson, was only an hour down the road from me.
Our school systems share a lot in common. We too serve about 5000 students. We have two elementary schools, two middle, and one high school (as compared to their three elementary, one middle, and one high). Our students come from similar socio-economic and cultural backgrounds. We also use the same brand of interactive whiteboards, ACTIVboard. What a perfect comparison!
Gatlin states in the article that the integration of the interactive whiteboard is easy with existing lesson plans. With this I would have to agree. In its simpliest form, it is easy to just write on the board instead of the chalkboard. It is also great for making lessons, or flipcharts, ahead of time so you do not waste time writing during the class. It is also possible to share lessons by saving your flipcharts in common folders that others on the network can access. Promethean Planet (www.prometheanplanet.com) has a plethora of flipcharts already created. Why invent the wheel?
As Gatlin points out, students love using the ACTIVboards, and are eager to volunteer in order to get to write on it. I worry though about how students will feel after they have grown up with them in every classroom. Many of our kindergarten classes now have ACTIVboards and I wonder if this fascination will last once it becomes routine.
There are two things that I have not worked with that Gatlin discusses. The first is the ACTIVotes. We only have two sets for our whole school and I’ve never learned how to use them. I really liked the examples of how they could be used in class (questions to gauge comprehension instantly, for review exercises, or for students to help each other out through peer assessment). I really need to talk to the technology coordinator about learning how to use this tool. The second product is the ACTIVslate. We currently do not have any of these at our school. I think I would find them to be very beneficial since they can be used from anywhere in the classroom. You could take the slate to the student and have them answer from their desk instead of taking the time to have students come and go from their desks.
Gatlin ends his article with a list of tips for whiteboard implementation. I agree with Gatlin that whiteboards need to be mounted in to instill a sense of ownership. He also points out that it is important to stress to teachers that they do not have to change all of their teaching methods. It is easy to implement instruction. One last tip was to make sure all components will work together (i.e. whiteboards, projectors, DVD players, ect). Geez, I wish we had gotten DVD players!
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Inquiry Model
The Inquiry Page. (2007) Retrieved March 10, 2008, from http://inquiry.uiuc.edu/.
(Inquiry Page, 2007)
This is a model of the inquiry process that the Inquiry Page website promotes. This model goes along with a true constructivist approach in which students must be in control of their own learning. Teachers cannot just stand in front of the classroom and lecture if they want their students to learn. Students must be actively engaged in the learning process.
This website offers information on the inquiry approach to learning. It also offers teachers the opportunity to search from a wide variety of inquiry units that have been submitted by teachers and other professionals. From these units, students learn to question their learning environment and are thus stimulated into discussion and reflection upon a given topic.
The main idea of inquiry learning is that students must ask questions to truly learn. It is only through questioning and creating that a student comes to understand the content and can take something away with them besides a list of facts.
While this site does not single handidly focus on technology in the inquiry model, I believe there are many opportunities for technology to play a key role in the inquiry process.
(Inquiry Page, 2007)
This is a model of the inquiry process that the Inquiry Page website promotes. This model goes along with a true constructivist approach in which students must be in control of their own learning. Teachers cannot just stand in front of the classroom and lecture if they want their students to learn. Students must be actively engaged in the learning process.
This website offers information on the inquiry approach to learning. It also offers teachers the opportunity to search from a wide variety of inquiry units that have been submitted by teachers and other professionals. From these units, students learn to question their learning environment and are thus stimulated into discussion and reflection upon a given topic.
The main idea of inquiry learning is that students must ask questions to truly learn. It is only through questioning and creating that a student comes to understand the content and can take something away with them besides a list of facts.
While this site does not single handidly focus on technology in the inquiry model, I believe there are many opportunities for technology to play a key role in the inquiry process.
Sunday, March 9, 2008
Differentiating Instruction
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