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Hailed by many as the greatest aid to teaching and learning in recent years, the interactive whiteboard (IWB) encourages a greater level of participation from children brought up on a diet of computer games and video screens, where touching a surface and making things happen is second nature. But the transition towards using such technology is not always so smooth for teachers.
There really is only one way to get used to the IWB, and that is to gradually try out new things, allowing your progression to develop at a pace you are happy with. Ideally this would be combined with regular, focused whole-school CPD sessions that allow staff to share their experiences, successes and queries. In the meantime, here are some ideas and tips to get you started or to add to an already established repertoire.
If you're just starting out with the IWB, it takes time and practice to get used to writing on it both for you and for the children. Simply write words: your name, the date, the aim of the lesson, anything. If you have written legibly, you will be able to 'magically' turn the writing into text a sure-fire way to start getting the children interested.
If the children want to turn their writing into text accurately then their handwriting must be of a good standard. To start, look at the IWB's background images to find a handwriting page, then use the board's record facility to record your pen movements as you form the letters the children are practising. (Most boards will have this facility.) You can save and replay this over and over again, allowing the children to revise your earlier teaching.
As visual literacy becomes more and more popular, the IWB is the perfect tool to complement this approach. You can play movie clips, display images, even take photographs and display them in an instant all to support your students' learning. For example, try stimulating a literacy lesson with a film clip.
However, it isn't just literacy lessons that can benefit from using images. A carefully chosen image can be used to ground mathematical concepts and rules in the real world, for example:
Images are freely available from many websites but remember to check the copyright conditions before using them.
Using sound effects or tracks from CDs with your IWB can also be very effective. They can set the mood in the class or add atmosphere to an image on-screen. Using a microphone and a sound recorder enables you to record your own or your children's voices and link them to images on screen, increasing children's participation and motivation. Once again, it is possible to find many sound effects and music clips on the internet but copyright will often apply.
Whatever your opinion or level of expertise with whiteboards at the moment, you will find the more you and your pupils use the board, the more the level of interactivity and range of uses increases in your lessons. The interactive whiteboard is as versatile as your imagination will allow it to be.
Taken from ATL's Report magazine June/July 2006. Written by Greg Braham whose book, How to survive and succeed with an interactive whiteboard, is available, priced £9.99 from LDA, tel: 0845 120 4776 or via www.ldalearning.com.
Photo copyright: Education Photos/Alamy.
Your first teaching job marks an incredibly exciting time ahead but as well as excitement you may also feel apprehension.You certainly won't be alone in this. Knowing where to turn for help and advice before you start work will assist you to thrive, not just survive, in this all-important year. That’s why we’ve created this booklet for you. Not only does it include tips on things like parents’ evenings, writing reports or disciplining pupils, it also guides you through the various ways ATL can provide advice and support.
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