a CooL TooL

So, unlike many of my fellow PGCE’s I really have no prior knowledge or exposure of this thing they call an interactive whiteboard. Oh oh no wait, I remember in our school’s library there was this cool white board thing, but it just stood there. I fiddled with it once, but none of our teachers used it. It was like this foreign new object in the school, which may not be touched if you’re not an expert because it was soooo expensive. But it’s probably because it was only introduced in schools in my schoolyears.

After doing some research on it…(on Wikipedia hehe), I understand that you connect it to your computer where the pens act as the mouse of the computer on the white board. It seems like a pretty nice tool to use in the classroom, especially for all this learner-centered type of teaching we are taught about. It is perfect for getting the learner’s involved by having them come and write answers on the board or draw up a mind-map or picture of the work they have done. Everyone in the class can contribute. And then printing those mind-maps out for the learners, which could give them a sense of ownership and achievement.

As opposed to the traditional blackboard which is wiped out, on this board you can actually save your work and as the learners saw the work being done in the class, can have the printed copy of that work. This can enhance their remembering of classwork.

As many digital tools, if your school has one available, you must familiarize yourself with it and embrace this tool as much as possible.

EMBRACE CHANGE J