Over a decade ago, a forward-thinking World Geography teacher of mine integrated "clicker quizzes" into our classroom. Each day, we copied outlines of notes from the chalkboard into our notebooks. We were assigned lists of dates to memorize from Charlemagne to the Cold War. Our class was the perfect non-example of student-centered instruction. But then, on quiz day, we had remote controls in our hands pointed at the large analog TV on a cart at the front of the room. We received immediate feedback and were provided with class data by the end of the assessment. As students, we knew we were on the cutting edge of a shift in education.
Check out Jeffrey Branzburg's article for Tech & Learning. He outlines a few different ideas for using interactive whiteboards in the classroom (2007):
- Recording
- Graphic Organizers
- Presentations
- Interactive Software
- Google Earth
- Interactive Mathematics
- Quizzes and Games
Today, I teach ESL Reading/Language Arts in a small middle school with very little funding in the heart of the fourth largest city in America. I consider myself abundantly blessed to have access to a document camera, projector, and a Mimio Interactive Whiteboard. As teachers, we guard this technology with our lives. If a screw comes loose on the stand, I'm tempted to put up caution tape to protect the board from any further damage. Technology is not easy to come by when the budget is tight.
At the very least, the Mimio board is a very expensive projector screen. Add in the interactive pen and notebook software, and you start getting somewhere. At the board, you can do anything you would otherwise do on a computer. Mimio has a wonderful community for collaboration where teachers can search for educator-created, student-centered lessons by subject, age, or keyword. At the end of his article, Branzburg (2007) offers links to lessons created for other interactive whiteboard brands, such as:
- Dukane
- Interwrite Learning
- Luidia
- Numonics
- PolyVision
- Promethean
- Smart Technologies
Another one of my favorites is Prezi - taking your PowerPoint presentations to the next level. Combining the power of Prezi and Mimio, my first day of school presentation this year was a great success. The same presentation could be modified for Open House, as well.
When the budget allows, classroom technology can open up a world of possibilities for educators and their pupils.
What we cannot do is allow the interactive whiteboard to take over. The Mathematics Education Research Journal reported, "There is little doubt that IWBs [Interactive WhiteBoards] have the potential to enhance learners’ opportunities...However, by themselves tools will not transform pedagogy, no matter what their potential" (Zevenbergen & Lerman, 2008). Teachers may be enticed by the prepackaged lessons and abandon any attempt to adjust instruction based on student need.
The bottom line is: Educate yourself. Take the extra time to discover the possibilities of the interactive whiteboard, but don't let it run the classroom. Instead, let it guide your students into a greater level of engagement and, ultimately, a deeper understanding of the knowledge they are trying to gain.
Branzburg, J. (2007, September 15). Whiteboards at your service. Tech and Learning, 28(2), 38. Retrieved from http://www.techlearning.com/article/Whiteboards-at-Your-Service/44575
Zevenbergen, R., & Lerman, S. (2008). Learning environments using interactive whiteboards: new learning spaces or reproduction of old technologies? . Mathematics Education Research Journal, 20(1), 108-126. Retrieved from http://eric.ed.gov/ERICWebPortal/contentdelivery/servlet/ERICServlet?accno=EJ798610
