Three Top Tips

[IWBNet]

What are the three top tips you could give other teachers to enhance their experience of using an IWB in the teaching and learning process?

[Peter Kent]

Tip One: Have your IWB on all the time.

While this may sound like a silly suggestion the greatest 'break throughs' , ideas and innovations in IWB usages have come at unexpected times (usually after a suggestion from students). If you do not have your IWB turned on then these moments for innovation are lost.


Tip Two: Always have a digital camera with you when you are teaching and using an IWB.

Much of the richness in teaching with an IWB comes from the fact that you can 'capture' the students world digitally and use what is 'captured' on you IWB as part of your teaching. A digital camera can take photos of the students, their work. They can record movies of processes that the students are undertaking (art, sport, drama) and can also record sounds (reading ability, LOTE pronunciation, diary room style reflections). All of these things can be displayed on an IWB to aid student reflection over time as well as the general engagement and relevance of the lesson.


Tip Three: Find some friends who are also teaching with IWBs and have a coffee and debrief with them on a weekly or fortnightly basis.

Everyone is still learning and developing their teaching with IWBs. It is most productive to learn and reflect with others. If you have a good idea for IWB usage once a fortnight and you are regularly having coffee with 2 or 3 other people, you double or triple the amount of ideas that you have access to.

Good Luck

Peter

[Rosie MacAlpine]

My top three tips are all about expectations, and letting go of perfectionism :) They are probably most relevant to new users.

1. Enjoy the skills you have. There are always people who are more advanced and can make pictures spin, jump etc... But the most important thing is that you are doing things that you couldn't do before, and your class are engaged and enthused about this new way of learning.

2. Share the learning experience with your class. Allow your class to try out the tools, suggest websites, and (respectfully :) ) offer suggestions if you can't get something to work. If you worry about being perfect before you show the class something, the board won't be used very often! Enjoy the experience of learning this new technology together.

3. Give yourself permission to make ugly things! I meet lots of teachers who worry that their flipcharts/ notebook files look rough, have unaligned text, don't have pretty backgrounds etc. As long as you and the class are enjoying it, and it's helping their learning, let go trying to make the perfect page and just enjoy using it.

[Peter Kent]

Great Tips Rosie, I particularly like first one. Lots of people are reluctant to start until the 'know it all', and of course they never start.

Peter

[Ellen]

tip 1: Explore - don't wait until things are perfect - use it anyway
tip 2: Get the students to work on the board - they will show you a lot of things along the way
tip 3: seize the moment to explore a comment/suggestion from students. With the Smartboard you don't have to wait to use the internet etc

Ellen

[IWBNet]

Thanks Ellen, great feedback. You are right, sometimes we wait to be experts at something before we dive in but the best way to learn is "on the job" and as you say the kids will play and explore and show you lots of great ideas.

All the best
IWBNet Team

[Mike Carter]

1. Be confident
2. De-clutter the area around the board
3. Remember 20%of interactivity is with the board 80% is through teacher student relationship in class
The board is just plastic, metal and a bright light it will not transform teaching, that is your job :)

[Gaynor Furnell]

I love your 3rd point Mike....IWB's are not magic wands that some people think they are! You still need to have sound teaching pedagogy and build relationships with your students .