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The information contained on this page
is for those who are considering using an interactive board in their
classrooms, for those who want specific ideas for creating lessons
for their interactive whiteboards, or for those who simply want to
learn more about the technology. Many teachers and
administrators believe that interactive whiteboards are only for use
in High Schools, Middle Schools, and upper Elementary grades.
However, nothing could be further from the truth, the possibilities
for using interactive whiteboard technology in early childhood
classrooms are endless. Using interactive whiteboard
technology in the early childhood classroom allows you to add depth
and complexity to your teaching that you never thought imaginable.
In January, 2007 my district installed
an interactive whiteboard in my classroom. There are several
major brands of interactive whiteboards, the most popular two
in the U.S. at this time are the Promethean ACTIVBoard and the SMART
board. Each board offers similar features with the main
difference being that SMART offers the ability to use your finger as
the mouse or stylus.
Interactive whiteboard technology has
been in use in British schools for several years and therefore many
resources and references on the internet are geared toward British
users. As this technology gains ground in U.S. schools we may
begin to see more on-line resources geared for U.S. markets.
Don't know
what an interactive whiteboard is?
"An interactive
whiteboard is a touch-sensitive projection screen that allows you to
control a computer directly by touching the board rather than using
a keyboard or mouse (although these can still be used). This
technology requires a computer, a projector and the whiteboard
itself. The computer is connected to the projector and whiteboard,
and the projector displays the computer screen image on the board.
As you point at active elements on the board, using your finger
(SMART) or an appropriate electronic 'pen' as a mouse (ACTIV), the
action is transmitted to the computer."
If you are
totally unfamiliar with this type of technology you can view
examples of Promethean flipcharts at the Promethean Planet website
(see resources section below) and search their large database of
resources/flipcharts that teachers have created and submitted. When
I was first learning about interactive whiteboard technology the
Promethean Planet website was very helpful and gave me a much better
understanding of what an interactive whiteboard was capable of.
If your district
is considering purchasing interactive whiteboards or if you are
considering writing a grant for one, arranging a visit to a
classroom that is already using this technology is highly
recommended. I was able to visit the classroom of another
teacher in my district who was already using a Promethean ACTIVBoard
in her classroom and it was a very valuable learning experience for
me.
The following is
a list of things I currently use my ACTIVBoard for:
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Calendar |
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Numberline
(reveal tool) |
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Days of the
week (interactive w/music) |
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Months of
year (music ppt) |
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Sight word
chart (I created the Learning Workshop little word chart on the
board w/music) |
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Word Family
games (interactive w/music) |
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Flipcharts
for every topic (links, interactive games, sounds, music...) |
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Counting
games (interactive w/music for each number) |
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Number (ppts) |
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Graphing |
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Graphic
organizers |
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Voting
questions |
There's much more
we do with it daily but as you can see it is integrated into every
part of our day. |
