Using Interactive Whiteboards

mrjorgen

Anything that a teacher does on a computer can be transferred over to the whiteboard. Instructions can be recorded so that teachers can go back to them when it comes time for reflection or just to go over it with a student who was absent the day of a particular lesson. Some other benefits of interactive whiteboards are: built-in maps, digital storytelling, brainstorming, notes taken directly into PowerPoint presentations, project calendars, helps in the writing process, use it with Kidspiration or Inspiration, illustrate and write books, diagramming activities, electronic word wall, and sharing projects during conferences.

In the field experiences I’ve had I saw one teacher use the interactive whiteboard with her first graders and they seemed to greatly enjoy it. They had an opportunity to participate and go to the front of the class to ‘teach’ their classmates. A kindergarten room that I was in had an interactive whiteboard that had never been used. The teacher didn’t know how to use it, so she just simply didn’t. Another classroom that I have visited had the whiteboard, but I only saw the teacher using it. The students sat and watched just as if the teacher had been using a projector.

The interactive whiteboards can be very helpful to the teacher and beneficial to the students if they are used correctly. Students have to be able to have hands-on experience with them and teachers have to know how to use them.