Week 2 - The Interactive Whiteboard

Now you see it, Now you don't!

The age of Interactive white boards (IWB's) dawned nearly a decade ago, bringing a bit of magic into the classroom!.  It's easy to see how children would love lessons using the IWB as as they certainly bring a "wow" factor to the average lesson. 

The IWB can access a wide range of resources that previously would physically have to be stored away. The benefits are many and include developing literacy, ICT, thinking and discussion skills. All pupils can use this type of technology and make the most of its interactive tools, in particular EAL and SEND pupils are able to relate more with the IWB due to its entertaining and stimulating (videos/images) format. Also research has shown that boys are hooked on this type of technology and respond better in lessons than with traditional whiteboard formats.

Click on the link below to find out more about the impact of the IWB in primary schools.

http://dro.dur.ac.uk/6751/1/6751.pdf?DDD29+ded4ss+d67a9y 

When using the IWB several issues need to be considered:-

Height: IWB need to be positioned at the appropriate height level - for dual touch IWB's this is 50cm (foundation stage), 70cm (KS1) and 90cm (KS2).
Text: Font size should be 20 or above for clear visibility
Colour: Dark background colours are great for images but pale background colours are best for text. Important to consider dyslexic pupils who may struggle with black on white text.
Positioning: the teacher should physically be able to stand on either side of the IWB, and children should never be told to stand directly infront of the IWB due to the possibility of headaches.
Light: lighting should be switched off or blinds down for clarity.
Interactive: Children need to be involved in the lesson by touching the IWB, for example by solving puzzles.

The short video I've made below, displays an idea that could be used at foundation stage for identifying shapes - take a look!