Interactive Whiteboards
In the field of education today teachers are surrounded by technology. It seems
that new technology presents itself constantly. Teachers often struggle to keep
up with the ever changing technology resources that are available. It is difficult
to determine what is most useful for education and learning in the classroom
with so many options out there. The piece of technology I would like to
highlight in this post is the interactive whiteboard. The interactive
whiteboard is what it’s name implies. It is a whiteboard that can be written
on, but it has many other interactive features. In addition to just writing on
the board, movies and videos can be played, objects can be manipulated and
moved, work can be saved, and other features. Most interactive whiteboard allow you to connect to your laptop so you can share your screen. You can access the internet through connecting your computer, or some interactive whiteboard will allow you to directly connect to the internet. There are too many features to name in one post.
In 1998 Dr. Hughes created the R.A.T. model which stands for replacement, amplification, and transformation (Hughes, 2019). When using this model to categorize the interactive whiteboard, it clearly fits all three categories. The interactive whiteboard could be used as a replacement if it is simply being used to write on like a standard whiteboard or chalkboard. An important feature that it offers if teachers are just using it for notes is that material can be saved so it can be brought back to the screen later that day or another day to allow the class to continue where they left off. The interactive whiteboard can amplify instruction if teachers are using it to play videos about the content they are teaching such as phonics videos or introductory videos to a book or unit. The interactive whiteboard becomes transformation when the teacher uses interactive lessons where the students can come to the board and manipulate, move, or change elements on the board. Another way they can be transformative would be to use them for virtual field trips. There are a multitude of organizations and websites that offer this type of content. It is evident that the interactive whiteboard is a valuable piece of technology with a variety of uses and levels of use.
I've included a few links where you can access some resources about using interactive whiteboards.
https://www.commonsense.org/education/lists/top-interactive-whiteboard-apps
References
Hughes, J.
(2019, June 12). Replacement, Amplification, and Transformation: The R.A.T.
Model. Tech Edges. https://web.archive.org/web/20190612101737/https://techedges.org/r-a-t-model/
Hi,
ReplyDeleteI do agree. The whiteboard can be very useful. I bet if an anonymous survey was conducted, 93% of teachers are just using it as a replacement tool, about 5% use it as amplification tool, and only about 2% use it as a transformative tool. Why write information on the normal whiteboard anymore, when I can have it projected on the SmartBoard or ClearTouch. I am new in exploring the features of the ClearTouch. I do know that it has 10 points of contact, so I can have several students completing things on the board at the same time, whereas the SmartBoard only allows for one pen user at a time.
I am still learning the ins and outs of my ClearTouch, because I did not have training on its use when I entered my current district.
SmartBoard Teacher Tools: https://www.smarttech.com/en/education/products/smart-notebook
ClearTouch Tools: https://www.getcleartouch.com/software-for-education/
Thank you for sharing.
- Wendy -
Hi Wendy!
DeleteThanks for the comment. I would agree, I bet the majority of teachers just use the interactive whiteboard as a replacement. I use mine everyday for a multitude of purposes, and I love that I can have multiple students completing tasks on it at the same time. We used to have SmartBoards and now have Cleartouches, and I love that feature. Thanks for the links.
Kim