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.
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3 comments:
That was a pretty extensive list. At first, I was proud I could answer yes to the first five questions. I can't say the same for the rest of them. Definitely will have me thinking about my board placement tomorrow. The best idea I saw on the list, that you mentioned as well, is to create a common folder on our school server where teachers can share their flip charts, files, etc. I'm going to try and put up tomorrow. I also bookmarked the site. It has some great ideas.
Wow, from the perspective of someone who doesn't even use IWBs I can tell that's a very comprehensive list of considerations. That would be really helpful for schools considering whether or not to make the purchase and how to go about making the best choices. Does every classroom have one in your school?
I can relate to the list of considerations. I too have my board in front of my traditional white board. What I have done to help when I need to use the board is laminate some blank chart paper, two half sizes and two full sizes, then attached them to a cardboard backing for weight with notebook rings. I then hang this over the SMART board and can write on it with markers when I need to. I know some teachers that use the board as a glorified overhead. I really want to help others learn to get the full interactivity of the board. Thanks for the info about a common folder. We have discussed this but it hasn't materials except within specific grade groups.
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