Ben B.
Computing Showcase Website
Interactive Whiteboards
A popular mainstay of modern primary classrooms is the interactive whiteboard: a tool that promotes interaction and engagement in lessons by proving a universally visible area for viewing media, games and shared lesson inputs. They require a small amount of adjustment to using from the more traditional drywipe boards but have limitations and advantages to their usage.
The market for interactive software is dominated by SMART technologies and Promethean who have their own bespoke software packages for taking full advantage of the whiteboard, providing computers with drivers to recognise handwriting whilst offering a full suite of resources: shapes, timers, lined pages and a large range of stock images. In instances where this software is unavailable due to the high cost involved in setting it up, teachers can use other programs such as Microsoft PowerPoint or Google's Slides to produce interactive and engaging presentations or supporting materials for lessons. An online and free example is Prezi which I have previously used during work in Higher Education.
These programs are highly precise and require certain degrees of acclimatisation before wholesale use in a lesson, with many features being unnecessary for some year groups.
Identified as a weakness in my subject knowledge with regards to computing and IT technologies, I spent a significant amount of time getting used to the software during my GPP placement, adjusting my handwriting and teaching style to maximise the benefit of having the equipment available.
In my own practice, I made use of the whiteboard to support teaching by producing slides to illustrate or demonstrate points across the curriculum as well as being the preferred medium to share and alter writing collaboratively in English lessons. Furthermore, with my lower attaining children, I made use of the whiteboard to provide appropriate activities for them to support their learning in mathematics as well as to model solving problems using practised algorithms. This was continued by using the whiteboard to allow children to practise their SPaG knowledge through some choice online games.
As a result of my work in school, I feel much more comfortable using interactive whiteboards in my teaching and believe that my pedagogy has only improved as a result.
