Motivation is the key to learning and when getting to grips with new technologies this applies equally to teachers as to children. How do we motivate our colleagues to embrace whiteboard technology as a creative and inspiring teaching tool?

Lack of time and training provision has resulted in interactive whiteboards lying dormant or under utilised in classrooms across the country, whilst teachers ask why we need a whiteboard at all and if they do, then what do they do with it?

The key to unlocking the desire to learn is to use resources that creatively embed ICT across the curriculum, linking subjects in meaningful ways.

Effective interactive whiteboard resources should be simple to use, supporting and extending the teacher’s skills whilst creating a desire to learn more. This will lead to a greater understanding and awareness of interactive whiteboard software such as SMART Notebook and Promethean ACTIVprimary/studio. Teachers, in turn will encourage participation, promote confidence and celebrate the success of their pupils whilst they learn together.

Inspirational Tools

The facility to interact with the pages of the book prevents the children becoming a passive audience. Basic software tools can be used to interact with the books. Highlight, reveal, spotlight tools identify specific areas of text and illustration. Look out for licensed resources that offer schools the copyright to change and manipulate text and images, support children as growing authors in their own right.

Children can turn stories back to front, include pages of their own writing and illustrations. Pages can be printed out and then added to, creating texture and interest with fabrics and glitter.

The creation of soundtracks will support children in making their own whiteboard books, fulfilling QCA Music objectives by creating sounds to match characters and events.

Circular Learning

So, a programme of work may begin with the whiteboard as children read and share stories or rhymes. Repetitive elements may encourage the children to join in, predict or respond with actions (or all three!). Then an activity can be introduced that involvesworking away from the whiteboard, for example creating puppets. This will help children explore the theme of the story whilst developing speaking and listening skills. Children may then be asked to communicate their ‘conversations’ as a script writing exercise using the whiteboard.

Curriculum Links

Anne Curtis, education consultant and advisor