Wikipedia at http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=navclient&ie=UTF-8&rlz=1T4ADBR_enUS297US297&q=wikipedia
Classroom 2.0 - followed 8 threads under "Interactive Boards" at http://www.classroom20.com/
What is An Interactive Whiteboard? How Does it Work?
An interactive whiteboard is a large interactive screen attached to the wall or on a stand at the front of a classroom. It is basically the combination of a whiteboard and a computer. The main use of this technology is to display a computer desktop on the screen so students and teachers can interact with computer programs and the Internet. The computer can be controlled on the interactive whiteboard by using a special device, a digital pen or even a finger.
The most popular interactive whiteboards are Smartboard and Promethean, which vary in price up to the thousands. Prices are not listed directly on the Internet—a school must contact a dealer for a quote.
What I Learned from Discussions on Classroom 2.0:
According to discussions on Classroom 2.0, here are some ways teachers are using interactive whiteboards:
- Loading interactive virtual field trips (VFT’s), which are live interactive broadcasts to museums, historical locations (i.e., Kennedy Space Center, The Smithsonian), or any other place of interest. VFT’s usually include primary sources, such as actual artifacts in a museum.
- Downloading and showing educational videos from either a district library or the Internet. This would help to expand on lessons and make them more engaging to students (and also fulfill state standards.)
- Playing online math games in small groups
- Downloading and using instructional flipcharts that other educators have shared online
- Navigating to interactive sites for almost any subject
- Allowing the students to engage by drawing/circling answers on the interactive whiteboard screen.
- Easy to engage students
- Students are eager to participate
- Students are excited and think it’s fun—this goes for all grade levels
- Teachers are away from the board and can walk around while students are learning; takes the focus off the teacher and creates a collaborative classroom environment
I found your list of reasons why teachers love interactive whiteboards very useful. Any technology that allows me more freedoms (in this case, freedom to walk around my class) is an improvement on how I can teach. The only issue that I see is if I teach in a school with no funding for an Interactive Whiteboard...is this technology that will follow the same financial fate of all technology and become cheaper over time??
ReplyDeleteI had never heard of Interactive Whiteboard before this. I really find this amazing how much technology is changing the way students are educated. Students are intrigued by technology and anything that is out of the ordinary, so I think this would be a great way to turn a normally ordinary lesson into something extraordinary. I also love the idea of using this to load virtual field trips for the students to see. This could be so interesting to see different things such as museums and different parts of the world from a classroom setting.
ReplyDeleteI think this was very useful information and something that you actually might want to consider in the class room. It is not only another technological gaget. However, in actuality I would like to know how many schools and teachers use these. As it is today, schools are lucky to have computers in the class room if they do. Having said that, I would really use the whiteboard if I had one.
ReplyDeleteHi Moira. Great summary of the interactive white board tool. I got to see them put to use in a physics and biology class at San Dieguito Academy. It really held the students attention and were so easy to read. My concern is like Michele's how could schools get funding to purchase these interactive white boards?
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