Welcome to the world of the interactive whiteboard

         Blog 5.  Welcome to Interactive White Board

Hello and thank you for taking the time to look at this week's reflective blog. Today we were introduced to the interactive whiteboard  (IWB) and looked at how it can benefit both teacher and student when used effectively. Long gone are the days of teachers using chalks and blackboards as the focal point of the classroom, the arrival of the IWB has transformed the way children are presented with information in school.

In our lesson we were shown a variety of methods to enhance the learning experience of the children using IWBs. These included:

1. Rub and Reveal

2. Using the magic pen

3. Transparency layering

4. Inserting animation

After being put into groups of three we were asked to use one of the above methods to facilitate a teaching method. Our group inserted a piece of animation to assist a phonics session; The word cat appeared slowly, letter by letter, to enable a child to use their phonic knowledge to blend the word.

During my day link visits I have witnessed the IWB used in every phonics lesson. The teacher has used games such as buried treasure and dragons egg, available at the phonics play website. Alongside this she has used the reveal function to add phonemes to an existing grapheme.

Pupil using IWB

There are many advantages to using interactive whiteboards. They provide electronically all the familiar features of a traditional classroom blackboard or ordinary whiteboard.In addition, they replace the scenario of a large group crowding around a single computer.The interactive whiteboard allows a large group to sit and participate comfortably in a presentation.Futhermore, you can enhance any presentation or lesson by easily integrating video, animation, graphics, text and audio with the spoken presentation. Consequently, they enable the children to participate in the lesson in a more hands on way. In a report to the Department of Education, Manchester Metropolitan University concuded " the use of an IWB increases the level of children's engagement with learning activities." (2007) However, there are some negative aspects to using IWBs in class. In my placement school i am in a reception class, therefore, the children are very small. In order for them to reach the IWB a set of steps have needed to be installed. Furthermore, when the children climb the steps they cast a shadow onto the IWB rendering the screen unreadable.


Click here to see a video clip of an IWB in use.

Reference
Manchester Metropolitan University (2007)
Evaluation of the Primary Schools Whiteboard Expansion Project