Episode 3: It Takes Leadership
In this episode we talk about the best strategies and ideas for introducing interactive whiteboards into your school. We chat with John Pearce from Geelong, Mal Lee from Canberra and Margo Metcalf from Sydney. John is a grade 3/4 teacher who uses IWBs in his classroom, and Mal and Margo are from IWBnet and they help teachers get started with IWBs. Together, they explore some fabulous ideas and tips for implementing IWBs successfully.
Links from this weeks episode:
As always, you’re welcome to drop us a line in the comments!
October 24th, 2006 at 5:01 pm
Hi all, finally got a chance to listen to a few of the podcasts I have been storing (not just the education ones - have about 30 for other areas I have been going through)
Liked the IWB comments but as a high school teacher (who does use one when appropriate in class) I am still not convinced by primarily K-6 examples. I understand how it can be very useful when you are in one room all the time but would be much happier to look at implementing if there was more evidence showing how to effectively apply in the high school scenario where
- you move from room to room;
- they may be fixed in computer labs which are in high demand for the computers - not necessarily the whiteboard (IWB or not.)
With limited access to computers teaching the required ICT skills for new syllabus in practice often menas preparation outside the lab - away from the IWB.
October 25th, 2006 at 6:11 pm
I am just about to have a listen but before I do I thought I would add one thought….
Where is the solid research to prove that IWB’s actually improve student learning? And how do you avoid the presence of the IWB just becoming a tool to encourage more of the “Sage on the Stage” type pracitse in the classroom?
October 25th, 2006 at 7:26 pm
Hi Brett,
Both good questions, We did address the first question and the answers are included in the podcast although I’d be interested in your thoughts after you’ve heard it. The bottom line is that it IWBs are still a fairly new technology, so it seems the “evidence” is relatively anecdotal, although compelling.
As to the second question about promoting the sage on the stage syndrome, I’d be interested in hearing the thoughts of those who use the IWBs regularly to hear what they think about that.
Thanks for the questions.
Chris
October 25th, 2006 at 7:29 pm
Hi Ellen,
Preparation outside the lab is no problem. The software to drive the board can be freely accessed (certainly in the case of SMART Boards, and I think Promethean Boards, not sure about the others but I suspect yes) and loaded onto a non-IWB-connected computer. Lessons can be prepared in advance, then presented using the IWB in the classroom.
I take your point about K-6 though. I totally agree that the primary school model of education (mainly one teacher, mainly one classroom, project based learning, etc) is much more suited to the use of the IWBs than what we do in high schools (many teachers, many classrooms, content focused learning). In fact I helped write some learning resources for using IWBs a while back and the person I was working with was a primary teacher. It took us quite a while just to get to understand each others ideas as we talked about the sorts of things we’d do with an IWB in a classroom… at first, she didn’t get many of my ideas and I didn’t get many of hers, as the applications for using an IWB seems to come from totally different angles for each schooling type. (primary vs secondary).
I still think there are plenty of great uses for IWBs in secondary education, but you’re right, it does take on a different approach to that of primary.
Chris
October 26th, 2006 at 6:26 pm
Congtratulations Chris,
These podcasts just keep getting better and better. I am amazed at how you use Skype and have all of the participants sounding so good. I am on a 6M link at home and an 8M in the office and it does not sound that good on either.
With regard to Brett’s comments, I really have to say, and I mean no offence to Brett or anyone else here but when are we going to have the research carried out that evaluates the effectiveness of a career teacher who thinks that they have the course content mastered, giving his or her wise words and learning activities using no technology to digtal natives? It appears that every time there is suggestion that kids be given the sort of tools that are commonplace in every profession that does “intellectual work” people want to have the research carried out that it “improves learning”. I know of no studies into the effectiveness of use of spreadsheets by accountants or CAD programs by designers. They just use the tools and learn new techniques because the world is moving on and more powerful tools are being made available. Why do we continue to think that standing in front of kids and telling them out little pearls of wisdom or engaging them in making a board game about Ancient Egypt might be infintely better than connecting them with the world or letting them make a series of podcasts on the individual chapters of their Biology textbook?
The way that I see it, our legacy to these kids is that they are going to have to work out how to screen for terrorists whilst showing the greatest respect for cultural and religious differences, how to ensure that the laptop that the suit-wearing executive is taking on the plane is not really packed full of semtex, how stem cells might be harvested from living people and genetically altered to undergo rapid mitosis so that we do not have to harvest them from embryos with the related ethical issues and much, much more. I, for one, feel that we are morally bound to at least give them exposure to the very best tools we can afford for them to try to get them enthused about making the world outside the door of their classroom a better place. This has to come initially by being able to see that world every day. A simple thing like a photo from Flickr where kids write on the board next to it a word that summarises how they feel about it is a good start in achieving this. I’m sorry but I just can’t see how reading a section of a text written ten years ago and sharing their thoughts in a group is as powerful as setting up a wiki that can be bought up on the IWB and discussed in a richer way.
Keep up all of the good work guys!
Paul
October 31st, 2006 at 2:23 am
What a great site
November 1st, 2006 at 6:54 am
Hi All,
Finally got a chance to listen to the podcast. Have heard good things.
Have to say that I find this topic as one of my favourites. As an ex preschool teacher I find that the technology would enable me to do some great things in my classroom wth the kids. Sadly, I am out of the class at this moment in time.
However, I have one great concern regarding a commment made repeatedly in the podcast. It was that “IWBs can do amazing things in the classroom”. I have to say that this is complete RUBBISH!
Now before I start getting lots of heated comments allow me to explain. Better yet …let me show you - http://www.fno.org/jun05/juncartoon.html
This cartoon shows perfectly (almost) what I think about the IWB technology. They can’t do anything in and of themselves. It takes a human (teacher or student) to ‘do it’! Wish they left the last sentence off the cartoon as it is not the board that changes the classroom it is the teacher making choices as to where and when to use the technology appropriately.
Forgive me if I am being a bit too pedantic. I see so often that there is an assumption that simply providing the technology WILL change things in the classroom. This shotgun approach hoping that at least some of the teachers will get it isn’t worth the risk.
Dare I say it…ALL technology is DUMB! A skilled teacher, making sound choices based on good pedagogy, will make a difference in a classroom with whatever technology they have access to. They will recognise the inherant potential of a technology and use it to its best advantage because it IS the best way to deliver the learning.
I have seen some awful usage of IWBs in schools. Situations where it was no more than a glorified projector screen. Or it was used simply because it was there, even though there were more appropriate ways of ensuring the students learned the concepts being delivered.
I give 3 pieces of advice in presentations around this technology. They are:
1. Have a clear school vision on how all ICTs, not just interactive whiteboards, are to be made integral to learning.
2. Your vision will determine the types of technologies and in what levels (access wise) you will need to suppoprt student learning.
3. Instigate real professional development. Get beyond the skilling and drilling PD. It’s not enough. Real discussions on pedagogy, sharing successes and failures with collegues, etc.
I spoke on this exact topic back in March (and several times since then). The podcast (inc a vodcast .wmv of the slides) can be sourced here - http://www.ictlic.eq.edu.au/podcasts/?p=37
Alternatively, I spoke at the national conference (ACEC) on the topic as well. The paper for this presentation with some outcomes of our Centre trials can be sourced here -
http://www.acec2006.info/confpapers/paperdetails.asp?pid=7213&docid=709
Again, I personally love the technology. I see the potential of it in terms of what I can do with it to support learning.
Of interest is that like all new technologies IWBs will have it’s time in the sun, until the next big thing comes along….have a look at these-
http://www.merl.com/projects/DiamondTouch/
http://on10.net/Blogs/laura/3903/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gpyu24pyHDA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xTIlD6aIZ98
I often use these in future gazing sessions with teachers. We have to be ready for change and ever cautious on the new flashy toys. Exciting times ahead!
Cheers everyone! Will be back!!
Adrian
November 11th, 2006 at 1:42 am
It has been interesting to listen to the podcast then read the comments. I am at a school (secondary) that is dipping its toes into IWB waters. It seems that teachers come back from conferences all inspired about how IWBs will revolutionise their students’ learning. This has led to an ad hoc approach to the purchase of boards (I couldn’t say what brands) and their installation. Unfortunately, there has been no revolution. The problems we have seem to be: there is no critical mass of boards. There needs to be a board in most rooms, otherwise teachers just have problems such as Ellen described. The boards we have are all “portable”. That is a fiction, they are a pain to move around and re-configure. The boards don’t seem to be used very effectively, but a whole school approach as mentioned in the podcast would help that.
I feel many teachers will be comfortable with IWBs because they firmly return the teacher to the front of the class and the focus of all students, and so in control of the class and learning, but at the same time they can be seen to be using the latest technology. This sounds cynical, but it is good really because it may make staff who are reluctant users of ICT perhaps explore what an IWB has to offer.
A final question–I have only used the portable IWB a couple of times, but always seem to find myself writing in shadow. I would welcome some expert help on this.
November 11th, 2006 at 10:08 am
I totally agree with you about the need for the boards to be installed… a mobile approach to the boards is just hopeless IMO. I’m at a school where we ave just bought 11 boards, but the school is reluctant to pay the extra money now to install the projectors and boards permanently in classrooms.
The are saying they want them to be mobile for two reasons, one is the cost of making them permanent, and the other is security (??!!) They feel that the boards/projectors may be damaged if they are left in place in classrooms. I can’t see any logic in that at all, and see the projectors now getting knocked around way more than they used to be, and the boards (on trolleys) sit in classrooms anyway.
To me, expecting teachers to set up the board, set up the projector, run cables, calibrate everything and deal with any issues that arise easily steals 10-15 mins at the start of the lesson. It would be like having the regular (non-IWB) whiteboard not mounted to the wall and having teachers carry a drill to class in order to mount the board to the wall at the beginning of each lesson, and then unscrew it from the wall at the end. We’d laugh at that scenario, but we seem to think it’s ok to do the same thing when it comes to the IWB.
Unfortunately, our school has negotiated the use of the 11 boards by ourselves, and we are trying to implement them independently of the district school board. In the Canadian school board system, there are lots of politics involved for schools who take initiatives that are beyond school board policy, and one of them is the problems that arise if we were to install (ie, drill holes) in school walls without the permission of the school board.