Interactive whiteboards (IWB) are becoming increasingly popular for educators who want to share ideas with their students and involve them in learning with technology. A powerful instructional tool, it can be adapted for use with a wide range of subjects and ages.
Here are 6 of the top reasons why educators are using an IWB in the primary classroom:
- It is a device that offers shared learning experiences for large or small groups
- It is an excellent tool for catering for different learning styles and thinking skills in lessons and activities. It integrates and caters for the visual, auditory and kinaesthetic learners.
- It is an excellent tool for the constructivist educator. Educators can demonstrate a concept that may be difficult to teach using traditional methods. Students can create objects using a number of digital assets, provided by the IWB or available from the internet, to show their understanding.
- It is great for lessons where students need printed copies of what they have constructed during the lesson for future reference or work.
- It is an interactive digital library. It can easily and conveniently access resources from internet sites to be used in lessons
- It can display large images and coloured text for analysing and discussing the importance of visuals and text.
Using an IWB in conjunction with good practice teaching methods can add a new and satisfying dimension to teaching. A readily available IWB can transform a classroom into a flexible and exciting place for teaching and learning.