Interactive Whiteboards

A conversation at last night's staff meeting highlighted the need for all educators to be information literate ourselves. Some comments floating through the air expressed the view that kids need to realise that there is more to learning than Google, that information and learning can be obtained from books, other human beings, play, magazines, trusted sources and peers. That is very true but in some ways, it is a bit of a cop-out. If kids turn to the internet first because that is their natural inclination, isn't it our job as educators to be familar with that path of learning? We can't afford to write it off because it doesn't fit our world view. If students turn to the Web and gravitate to the biggest search engine of all to access the world's information, we have a duty to ensure they know how to operate it and understand its results. My theory says that unless we come to grips with Google and all it entails, then our kids will continue to cite Google as their source instead of the specific URL, continue to click on the Sponsored Links thinking they are legitimate places for answers, fail to differentiate between domain endings and use appropriate search terms to lower the Google hits out of the millions. 
The whole debate about Google having such a giant grip on the world's digital information and resources is another whole issue, and some of the ways it has taken on accessing other people's and institutions' intellectual property. (Unless you specifically say no, you must be saying yes.) But it isn't going away anytime soon and the innovation the Google has developed and bankrolled (Google Earth, Google Maps, Blogger, Technorati) cannot be ignored. We owe to our students to be Google-savvy.
With that in mind, at that same staff meeting, right after the comment that sparked this post, I showed off my ACTIVstudio produced resource from our IWB Training Day which is something that could be used on an ACTIVboard as a discussion point with students on how to use a Google page. If you are an ACTIVboard user that would be interested in this flipchart resource, email me and I'll send it to you. Check the image below for a preview and the post over at Activboarding for more background on the resource. Read Christian Long's excellent post on Google as well - I'm not alone in this, y'know!
Rant over. 

Inspiration is another great tool that works really well on an IWB. Today, whilst defining a research topic with the class, I used the program to map out the choices our class had made late last week. The main themes are in green with sub-topics in the light blue bubbles.

Once the class had voted, the theme of future of humans was selected and then defined further. Here is one of the subtopics with the best questions (as defined by the students) about the future of education. Mr. Robot will be replacing me next term.

I flagged over at our team blog, Activboarding, that our group of IWB teachers would be meeting to review our progress at implementing our ActivBoards and it would be Time For The Hard Questions. So to put myself under the same microscope as my colleagues, I am posting my responses to these questions:

1. Why do you feel that IWB's are an important step towards our school's vision of "up-to-date-technology"?

Certainly, I believe that Junior Primary classes have really found the IWB to be easy to integrate - as part of activity time, using the interactive activities online keyed into their curriculum, explicit teaching of specific skills. Certainly, the opportunity exists to use IWB's to model information literacy skills that would support our Problem Based Learning program. In an ideal world unrestrained by budgets, there would be adequate access to computers/laptops after this explicit teaching. Currently, it is an ideal way to prepare a class before going off to the Computing Room to work on a specific project. IWB's are important because it brings the reluctant or less confident teacher along quicker towards realising the value and potential of ICTs, and translates into better learning opportunities for their students. An IWB also is a great just-in-time learning tool for whole class exploration - access to online content that everyone can view clearly is only a click or two away. Access to maps, interactive diagrams, photos where a teacher can add extra learning via annotation is something that cannot be done well without this tool and certainly difficult to implement in a Computing Room unless you have a software tool like LANschool.

2. What's the best lesson or activity that you've managed using your IWB?

Unfortunately, it hasn't been a full on, whizbang multimedia experience that has been my best, because my ideas for potential use of a IWB are yet to be realised. My best has been in a Maths lesson, an area of the curriculum I am less confident and consequently, deliver more traditionally than what I'd like. I recall a lesson on long multiplication where using students, we modelled the correct method, the preferred way of setting out and then checked the result modelling the correct use of the virtual calculator. Several boys who had been reluctant learners really switched on during this lesson and worked hard to show neat and correct working out in their books - just for the opportunity to scribe on the IWB and use the virtual tools. And the work was saved on file for a couple of absent students.

3. What have been the most significant hurdles towards getting the IWB integrated in your teaching & learning program?

Time has been a big factor in my progress. Being part time in the classroom and sharing a laptop gives me less time to "play around" with the software and consequently less opportunity to design more in-depth lessons. More and more, I find myself wanting to give the class opportunities to develop ideas along the lines of student initiated curriculum and use new tools that aren't necessarily best viewed in a whole class scenario. It is sometimes hard to know whether to start a flipchart from scratch, look in the library or go online to find the resources I need for the next lesson or unit of work.

4. Where do you see the IWB making the most significant, transformative differences in your future practice?

I think they would have the biggest impact if the class had significantly more access to computers than currently possible so that my teaching could be applied to tasks more readily. With so many Web 2.0 tools around and more to come, it would be a great place to review and plan ahead for my class in its web presence, either through their own website, tracking information sources of importance and participating in online communities.

5. How ready are you for a mentoring role with the next wave of IWB users?

I'm ready - I have to be as it's part of my job. I've tried to keep marginally ahead of our pioneers but because they were given their opportunity with the IWBs because of their ability to work most things out by themselves , I've only really been called upon for technical issues. I've tried to foster reflection and sharing via the Activboarding blog which although under utilised by this group, still has potential. So, in understanding how the whole thing works technically and in operating the tools, I’m a good source of support but I have a long way to go to be where I’d want to be as an innovative user of this technology.

So I've answered these probing questions. Do any other IWB bloggers want to help me out and let me know what their responses to these questions would be? Jo? Graham @ EFL? John? Jeff? Anyone?

A week or so back, iwb.net.au started the IWBNet List, which was an e-mail subscription list for all of its current newsletter subscribers. Well, to cut a long story short, the list started a bit of an e-mail frenzy and people started panicking about extra e-mail load because everytime someone responded to an e-mail, all subscribers got a copy and if got forwarded, everyone got another copy. Then people started unsubscribing in fear and that triggered multiple copies of that e-mail until, iwb.net pulled the plug on the list. It opened again today with optional subscription.
Anyway, a few interesting threads opened up with the usual request for where to find good resources etc. and the often stated question was posted about the value of IWB's vs. data projectors on their own. I haven't got permission to quote the original author or reveal their identity but the general paraphrase was that one educator was still wondering what the real impact an IWB would have in a classroom considering that the large screen image can be obtained without the actual board. Now I've posted before about this issue and never felt that I could successfully encapsulate the answer to this comparison. But then Peter Kent replied on the List and with his permission, I'd like to post his response here. Peter is the deputy principal at Richardson Primary School in Canberra where Australia's interactive whiteboard movement gained its first bit of momentum and Peter himself has conducted the most probing research into the impact IWB technology has had on the learning of the kids at his school. He has also spent time as a Education Officer for ActivBoards and presented to many schools and guided them on their way. So, you could say he knows what he is talking about.
Here was his e-mail:

Hello All,
Back in 2004 I wrote a short answer to this question which I have attached;
it is a long standing question.
When considering this question however it is best to look from the
prospective of a teacher who has up until now had little to no use for or
interest in the use of technology in the classroom.  These teachers are the
ones that seem to be able to pick up and run with IWBs where they cannot
with a computer and a projector.  (the attachment is my best guess why)
Highly competent teachers with ICTs have and will make effective use of
computers and projectors,  they will also make effective use of  IWBs as
well.  The main advantage of IWBs is that it is technology for the masses.
IWBs seem to be able to be more effectively integrated into 'normal'
classrooms where 'traditional technology' integration rarely progresses
beyond the token or confined to 'hotspots' within the school.
The reasons why teachers will make great use of IWBs rather than computers
and projectors are not always rational; this however is just a reflection of
human nature.  If the world was rational we would all be using open source
software, probably on Macs, while watching our BETA video tapes.  Those who
search for completely rational answers to this question may never find one.
Cheers
Peter Kent

And here is his article attachment:

How IWBs are different to using the projector with a computer?

Peter Kent: Deputy Principal - Richardson Primary School

Seven responses to this question in no particular order:
1. IWBs allow access to ICTs for those students that up until now have alienated by ICTs, ie the early childhood children and the special education children. These children have not the fine motor skills, or they have found the 'complexity' of using ICTs overwhelming.
2. IWBs are a very effective and comfortable way for teachers to integrate ICTs into classroom practice. Teachers often use and can think of an IWB as a whiteboard with the power of a computer. They know how to incorporate whiteboards into classroom use and so they feel comfortable with IWBs, as time progresses they evolve their teaching to take into consideration the potential of the 'computer aspect'. A computer and projector can be thought of as a computer with a very large screen, but it is still fundamentally a computer, not fundamentally a whiteboard. While this might seem a difference in semantics it makes a big difference in practice.
3. IWBs are more interactive. Computers and projectors are more didactic. Computers and projectors are good with presentation (ie PowerPoint). Information can be presented in sequential formats. Admittedly, computers and projectors can take advantage of digital convergence (CD ROMs, DVDs, the Internet) to add a rich environment to the presentation. However once the presentation is prepared only the person at the computer can operate it, change it, or annotate it. Often doing any of these tasks is quite difficult if you are not technical. Pre-set PowerPoint presentations are not good at catering for divergent thinking from the class. In these cases either the divergent thoughts are glossed over, or the presentation is stopped so the new direction can be explored, usually in a traditional discussion, maybe enhanced by access to information on the Internet, or another piece of software. In this context however it is complicated and clumsy to annotate the new information, take notes of the discussion, etc..... It is not impossible to complete these tasks, yet the skills required would not be found in 100% (or even a majority) of teachers. With an IWB teachers can still prepare pre-set lessons, yet they can also comfortably allow digressive thoughts and idea to be catered for seamlessly in the lesson. This allows for a much richer 'interactive' teaching and learning environment.
4. Students and Teachers can manipulate and annotate information, objects, programs.... that are displayed on the board. A group can cluster around the board taking turns in a quick fire manner to interact with the content of the board. With a computer and a projector all the aspects of control are located at the computer (often away from the display of information) this creates serious barriers to collaborative interactions, assuming that the children have the skills to interact via a computer in the first place (see point 1).
5. Via the use of an interactive whiteboard a school should expect to see an increase in the educational value of pre-existing technologies that have been purchased. This in someway is related to point 2, in that the 'whiteboard' aspect provides the bridge and link between 'technology' and 'teachers' comfort zones'. As a computer and projector does not provide this link the school's pre-existing technology often remains under utilised.
6. IWBs can still be thought of as emergent technologies. Some manufacturers are creating new / original ICT peripherals to work in conjunction with IWBs (voting devices, interactive tablets, lectern devices, etc) all of which increase the functionality of the IWB. IWB Software advances are occurring at a rapid rate, with the majority of them aimed at the educational uses. A computer and projector approach not only takes away from classroom the advantages that IWBs have to offer currently, they also cut off access to many future advantages and potential that will inevitably become available.
7. There is hard evidence that IWBs can be used to create an environment that enables an entire school community to embrace the integrated use of technology within the teaching and learning process. There is hard evidence that the use of IWB can significantly improve learning outcomes for students. I am not aware of similar evidence or claims for a computer and projector approach.

Thanks Peter for allowing me to reproduce your article here - now there is a version in cyberspace for others to read and re-mix.

Ran a successful training day today on our IWB program that looked to provide time and training for three distinct groups on our staff - (1) teachers who currently have an ActivBoard in their classroom [mentors] (2) teachers who have been advised an ActivBoard will be installed in the early stages of 2006 [proteges] and (3) other staff who aren't ready to make the plunge yet but want to be kept in the loop. So it was a challenge trying to design a program that gave a bit to everyone. I went with a quick mini-keynote style presentation at the start outlining our IWB journey so far. Link to ppt presentation here. I then wanted staff to start getting their mindset around where education is going and what impact technology is having on themselves and their students as learners. Another simple ppt file shown to support this.

The mentors and proteges spent time working together and then I introduced del.icio.us to the whole group as a collaborative way of building a communal digital library. Interesting that even after I explained the concept of social bookmarking, someone asked if they could make their account private. Got to love what del.icio.us calls it - antisocial! Maybe someone who wants that privacy factor would be better off sticking to backflip.

After lunch, I spent some time with the proteges giving them a taste of constructing a mock lesson in ActivStudio which they then presented back to their mentors. Great day - got positive feedback from a number of staff. I was glad it hit the mark and maybe my presentation skills are getting better. Or maybe it's because I got away from the "sage on the stage" routine and truly was a "guide on the side" for the best part of the day after using my initial presentations to set the scene. Cool. Back to the real start of the school year tomorrow.

Via my IWB team's blog ActivBoarding, two of my recent posts citing local research into the successful use of interactive whiteboards in South Australian schools.

The second post links to research conducted in the Far North of our state in the Anangu Aboriginal Homelands. For anyone reading outside of Oz, do yourself a favour and at least check the link to the amazing digital story.

Now even though I'm officially on holidays and enjoying the time with my wife and kids, I still find a chunk of time in the day to check on the edublogosphere and participate in the conversations. Yesterday, I checked out some parts of the World Bridges New Year's webcast marathon. It was a bit like running into someone you know at the supermarket when Jo McLeay surfaced in the chatroom as we have followed each other's blogs for a while now. Typical Australians - our first greetings involved the weather (scorchers two days leading into New Year) and she asked me if I was doing any IWB training at conferences interstate for 2006. I read this and thought, "Is she serious? I haven't even be out of the state to attend a conference. What would make her think I had any credentials in the IWB field?" Then I thought about all of the posts over the past six months re: our IWB implementation here at my school and maybe the way I've presented things via this blog and the team blog Activboarding makes me sound more expert than what reality says. I can't even recall my typed response to Jo. I don't know, maybe that little voice at the back of my head saying, "You don't know that much. Leave it to people further up the Pyramid Of Influence," that is the problem.

So, it was really interesting to read John Pederson's post today with his newly announced plunge away from conventional educational employment. It's got me thinking about the coming year and where it might be going. And you know what? What I do at my school is pretty good and I shouldn't undersell its importance in the least. I still have heaps to learn and could always improve but who is totally on top of things. I certainly don't want a Seachange in the same vein as John. So with a few weeks of leisure still ahead of me and when I still have time to pontificate, here are a few things I'm looking forward to as part of my job. (Caution: Half baked ideas may look good on the outside but may need to chucked in the bin if they are inedible.)

  • Another six or seven ActivBoards going into classrooms and the Resource Centre early in the year.
  • Restructure of my role gives me only half time in the class and half time in my coordinator role. This means an overhaul of the Problem Based Learning program, and me working with each class in the school for a 8 week block of 2 hours every week. One of those 2 hours to be spent on a class ICT Project - I'm thinking digital stories, blogs, information literacy skills etc.
  • My middle school team has a submission in to present at the 3rd International Middle Years of Schooling Conference. I wrote it and titled it "Engaging The Digital Native – Use Of New Technologies In The Middle School Classroom." (See abstract submission here.) We'll see how it goes.
  • A proposal to get more of my staff blogging for professional development. If I can convince my new boss (she's very tech savvy) then my goal would be to give teachers a chance to set up and maintain their own blog (at edublogs, where else) as well as a Bloglines account and give them accredited T&D time to read, comment and post their way to a better understanding of what faces them in the rapidly advancing world of Education 2.0.

Who knows what else will crop up? John knows for sure that in today's world, nothing is certain.

Twenty minutes is not a lot of time to get a concept across to an unfamiliar audience. Well, that was my job this morning as a presenter at the EChO (Early Childhood Organisation) Expo down at the Education Development Centre here in Adelaide. It was a half day event with the theme, "What's out there?" There were displays from the Multicultural Centre, speech pathology services, book sellers, Monarto Zoo and the Investigator Science Centre and I was invited to do 2 x 20 minute presentations on interactive whiteboards by one of the committee organisers, Suzanne, a JP teacher at my school and one of our ActivBoard teachers.

Had to set up yesterday afternoon with Brad Lewis, sales rep from Commander (Aussie distributors for ActivBoard) who brought along one of the 78 " boards to use for the demo. After we had finished, Brad had to go and I rearranged the furniture in the conference room to suit my presentation. I was lugging the last table out of the way when I was "chatted" by a security guard. He informed me that for Occ. Health and Safety reasons I wasn't meant to touch the furniture configuration. There were people employed to "set" furniture themes and if you wanted it changed, there would be a $25 fee! It was a bit late for any changing back and the conversation left me both a bit embarrassed and annoyed. Here I am, a DECS employee getting organised for a professional learning event in a DECS site on my own time and moving around a few chairs is a big deal! I was amazed that it was even an issue.

As far as my presentations went, well as usual I over prepared with too much emphasis on describing context when most educators just wanted to know how the whole thing worked. Some still had never seen an IWB in action and were totally amazed by the board's capabilities. I tried to focus on showing activities relevant to early childhood - alphabet jigsaws, simple fraction blocks, grouping like objects, CD-ROM games - and hopefully it hit the mark in raising awareness and further interest. I hope I get some feedback on my presentation skills - this is certainly an area I would like to get better at.

This is me in action - I promise you there was an audience just out of shot.

Well, the school's Governing Council has given the go-ahead for the purchase of and installation of six more ActivBoards in our classrooms to go with the six that were installed in August. I presented the plans to my colleagues a few weks back and stated that we (the ICT committee and leadership) were after expressions of interest for the next rollout and that attendance at a Professional Development session would be the way to go. So, that ball is in my court but I have extremely busy and found it hard to put together the sort of information session I might have liked to - sort of a mini-keynote that explained the basics and let people know what they were in for. I started a Powerpointesque flipchart presentation to cover what I thought all the essentials might be - hooking things up, using the tools, planning the first lessons but then I thought, "How will I know that all of this is hitting the mark?"
Then it was obvious, turn the direction over to the stakeholders! I thought back to my presentation to the School Council where I just showed the council members "stuff they wanted to know" and the overwhelmingly positive feedback I got back as a result. Now I'd hope that teachers would be a bit more critical than parents and not be as swayed by the wow factor but why not let drive my session. That's not me copping out as I still have to demonstrate, answer the questions, make notes for future reference but this way, the group are guaranteed to walk away satisfied that they got something personally worthwhile out of the hour. So I've designed a quick and simple Word document (could have easily been done in Open Office as well) that can be downloaded here to view.

It gives them space to identify 5 things they want to know (How do you save a flipchart? How do you add backgrounds? How do you create counters for a game?) and then I use the IWB to log their answers in a mind map, drag them into broadish categories and go from there. I then demonstrate the board's possibilities all while sorting the participants' needs. I think I'm on the right track - I'll post tomorrow night on the outcome.