Interactive+White+Boards+&+Tablets

[|galaxy tablet 7]
 Some classroom ideas involving Interactive White Boards, Tablets and Data Projectors Send your stories to n.crawford@auckland.ac.nz

The Interactive Whiteboard Debate Tablet PC in maths Data Projector in Photography Smartboard technology with new entrants A SMARTboard in secondary english classes

The Interactive Whiteboard Debate Nigel Crawford shares some thoughts on the use of interactive whiteboards, challenges some current practice and links to research from around the world.

**Tablet PC in maths** Tanya Nicol teaches maths at to sketch with the whole class helping. "I have noticed that my students are more positive about graph sketching than they ever were in the past. I also like the fact that all my lesson 'annotations', which are often in the students own words, can be saved along with the original notes and used by the students for revision or by those who were absent" View Tanya's shortcuts and tips for maths teachers using Word. top

**Data Projector in Photography** Megan White Whangarei Girls' High School. I like to use a digital projector in my photography classes. So much of the material that we need to explore cannot be photocopied. We need high quality, colour images. With the projector connected to my laptop we can view thousands of photographs together. With the images projected onto my whiteboard I frequently annotate images to clarify the use of visual elements within composition eg framing and viewpoints, use of light and colour. Examples of photography candidates’ work for Visual Art NCEA Level 2 and 3 are available as a PowerPoint presentation (from NCEA website [|www.ncea.govt.nz/assessment/resources/visualart/index.html]). Once again this resource is used most effectively when viewed and discussed by the whole class together. At the moment I tend to use the projector only when introducing a new topic simply because of the hassles of booking in advance and setting up. I think that the ultimate classroom setup for me would be to have a projector permanently fixed in my room so that at any time I could flick a switch and project images of photographs or websites to the whole class. top

**Smartboard technology with new entrants** Helen Smith teachers new entrants at Pukepoto School. We have two smart boards in school, one is permanently fixed in our spare classroom and I am fortunate to have a movable board semi- permanently in my room. The permanent board has a ceiling mounted projector which makes a huge difference. I wish I had one in my room. With my projector at desk level my children often find themselves standing in their own shadows. We have used a number of the literacy and numeracy resources supplied with the board. In addition the smart tech website provides thousands more resources ([|http://smarttech.com/).] You can also choose Australian or New Zealand specific resources. My new entrants have particularly enjoyed being able to interact with the board. So far we have done whole class activities. With only 13 students at the moment this is easy to do, with a bigger class I would do more group work. One favourite has been the [|Billy Goats Gruff]. We use an interactive story version from the [|Northumberland Grid for Learning] (found by ‘Googling’ Three Billy Goats Gruff). This UK teachers site provided me with top quality smarboard resources for literacy and numeracy. In maths we use the three billy goats for counting, sequencing, grouping, problem solving and estimating. For literacy we are able to do re-telling, role play, sequencing, instructional and creative writing as well as shared reading The childrens enthusiasm for writing has certainly increased since we started using the smartboard and online resources. As their enthusiasm increased so did the quality of their writing. top

 Matthew Steadman teaches English at Whangarei Boys' High School I have being using a SMARTboard this year with my English classes. Although I am still having some teething problems with both software and hardware, I have found it to be of enormous benefit. Students are more focused, unit plans can be developed and altered ‘on site’ and the body of work turned out on each unit is a coherent whole, rather than a smattering of random tasks. I put this down in part to the visual nature of the tool, as research shows that students of this generation are visual learners; teachers must respond accordingly. This is not to say that the written word is of less importance. Paradoxically as the effects of technology multiply exponentially, so too does illiteracy – a potentially ominous development. As an English teacher, the SMARTboard has resulted in one being able to achieve a higher amount of in class writing with a greater focus on accuracy, chiefly because the necessity of handouts (frequently discarded unread) is all but eliminated. In turn, student (and teacher) ICT skills are sharpened because of the interactive nature of the SMARTboard. For example; students rapidly become aware of the limitations of the grammar and spelling tools in Microsoft Word, while the teacher picks up tips in the use of software from students, who have a greater and more specialized knowledge in some areas. Thus, ideas are exchanged and learning is reciprocated. Nowhere has the SMARTboard been of more use than in the teaching of film; which lets face it, is the dominant media of this age. The SMARTboard software allows you to capture any scene in a dvd and then annotate with text and freehand writing and drawings. The following are examples from both Film and Shakespeare, which focus on providing evidence of how techniques peculiar to their respective genres show ideas. Justify with examples. || "Thanks to all those who have made this possible and I look forward to exploring a myriad of possibilities…" Matthew Steadman top
 * A SMARTboard in secondary english classes**
 * [[image:matthew1.jpg align="right"]] || What is he referring to here? What is the director’s attitude to war?
 * [[image:matthew2.jpg align="right"]] || The Romantic heroism of the Wild West is captured best by depicting the lonely individual in a sparse, rugged landscape. ||
 * [[image:matthew3.jpg align="right"]] || Name two film techniques featured in the 'Mexican Stand-off' and the effect of them. ||
 * [[image:matthew5.jpg align="right"]] || Students associate visual and verbal elements with key ideas. ||
 * [[image:matthew4.jpg align="right"]] || A student’s editing! The machiavellian tendencies of Cassius are accentuated. ||