[Secondary] Re: [Advisory] IWBs - An Australian perspective
Julie Cogill
juliecogill@hotmail.com
Thu, 26 Nov 2009 10:51:03 +0000
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Dear Graham
I thought the description of how you managed staff starting out with IWBs was inspiring. IWBs have quickly become widespread among many teachers, in contrast to other new technologies which tend to be endorsed by the early adopters. Such endorsement might be very different if these other technologies were being assessed across the whole range of teachers. It has already been noted several times, but good support for teachers from within the school is essential as they start out with any new technology.
Best wishes
Julie
Dr Julie Cogill Tel: 020 8663 1501; 0771 461 1530. The content of this email is confidential to the person or people to whom it has been sent.
Subject: RE: [Secondary] Re: [Advisory] IWBs - An Australian perspective
From: GHastings@sjcs.co.uk
To: paul.springford@naace.org; beyond@talk.naace.org; primary@talk.naace.org; secondary@talk.naace.org; advisory@talk.naace.org
Date: Thu, 12 Nov 2009 00:27:08 +0000
Dear All
I have been following this thread with interest. It is an extremely important one because it raises vital questions about a technology that has the power to transform teaching for better or for worse in almost every school in the developed world.
As head of ICT I am responsible for the developing the use of IWBs in my school. From what I read it is difficult to understand the strength of feeling expressed. The money has been spent. The boars have been installed. There is no going back. Some teachers are using them extremely effectively to enrich their teaching and to improve their children's motivation and learning. Others report that the IWBs have been a waste of money and should be removed. Primary teachers, somehow appear to have been more successful in their use of the technology than secondary school teachers. What is going on here?
I can only really comment on what I have observed in my school which spans the primary secondary divide. Andy is certainly right - if I tried to take the boards away I would have a real fight on my hands. That does not prove that they are being used effectively, only that the teachers have come to rely on them. We frequently ask the children for their views - their comments on the IWBs are generally very favourable. The children like to see clear diagrams, moving images, listen to sounds. They like to play games and interact with the software via the boards. The interactive element is used less by teachers of the older children and I have to admit that the boards are used more as a presentation tool. We could have installed projectors but presentations are much more watchable when the interface with the computer is an IWB.
Having been against the introduction of IWBs (I was yet to be convinced of their value) I managed to hold out until about three years ago when we finally bit the bullet and got the first few to evaluate. After a year we decided that they did have something to offer and equipped half the teaching rooms in the school. We had substantial technical problems when the boards were first installed - a number of teachers became very disenchanted with the technology and very nearly gave up using them altogether. Others, through insufficient training, failed to make very good use of their boards. We reached a tipping point and might just as easily have found ourselves on either side of this argument.
What we did was to listen to the teachers - if boards were in the wrong place or the wrong height we moved them. If they did not work properly we fixed them. We set up a prescribed structure for the storage and delivery of electronic teaching resources that made it much easier for the teachers to access and share their teaching content. If the teachers lacked confidence with the software we trained them. Lessons were observed and evaluations were written. If teachers were not using their boards effectively we trained them again. We met regularly to discuss our use of the boards and to share ideas. We fully supported the teachers through what was the biggest change to be forced on them and their style of teaching in their entire careers.
I think this is what is really going on - In many schools the boards were bolted to the walls and the teachers were told to get on and use them (more characteristic of a secondary school approach?). This is inviting failure. Schools who have adopted the same approach as us are now beginning to report improvements in the quality of teaching and learning as a result of their introduction. I admit it took us time. For the first year we may even have gone backwards. My very rough rule of thumb is that it takes teachers, particularly those who are not confident with computers (and there are still many of these), three years of sensitive hand holding (more characteristic of a primary school approach?) before they will claim that they can teach more effectively with the IWB than they used to without it.
We are stuck with the technology - it is up to us to make it work.
Graham Hastings
Hd ICT
St John's College School, Cambridge
From: secondary-admin@talk.naace.org on behalf of Paul Springford
Sent: Wed 11/11/2009 23:01
To: beyond@talk.naace.org; primary@talk.naace.org; secondary@talk.naace.org; Advisory talk
Subject: [Secondary] Re: [Advisory] IWBs - An Australian perspective
Thanks Emma
You've reminded me why I think infant schools are great! This is just the kind of example I had in mind when replying to Andy Bird.
I suspect a large proportion of our members would benefit from a day in an infant classroom like yours, and not just to learn about using IWBs effectively!
Paul Springford
Professional Officer
Naace
2009/11/9 Goto, Emma (EdICT) <Emma.Goto@hants.gov.uk>
Hi Paul,
As a lurker on this list I have finally been motivated to contribute for the first time because I am so saddened by what you have written. I am an Early Years / Key Stage 1 practitioner and an Advanced Skills teacher for ICT. I have seen the power the IWB has had in the classrooms in our three form entry Infant School and in other schools around the county. I think the important thing is that at our level we try to put the children in control as eluded to in the video with discussions of kindergarten practice in Australia. I have seen the Reception children collaborate in small groups to complete a task using the interactive whiteboard. The language observed whilst talking each other through the problem and social skills displayed whilst turn-taking on a task that engages them have been a real joy to watch. I have worked with groups of children throughout the school who have used the IWB to develop interactive stories and talking books using the IWB software and other age ap!
propriate software. The use of the IWB has helped develop children's fine motor control by allowing them to do large scale movements such as in drawing. When teaching a class of year two children I have observed them researching a topic through a variety of media, both electronic and otherwise, and when they have learned something new they have gone and added that information in some form (sound clip recorded via microphone, picture they have drawn, text) to a collaborative mindmap on the whiteboard which has then been used by children to plan writing. These are just a few examples of how the IWB can have a real effect upon children's learning. It has not been a chalk and talk culture, because I do not allow that in my classroom.
As an AST I have had the great privilege to work with a wide range of teachers within the primary phase. I have, of course, seen many examples of IWB use that could have been replicated by other cheaper means (sugar paper and a felt tip, a TV and video etc) however I have also seen many examples of great practice from wonderful teachers. I think where school's have invested in staff development alongside the investment in hardware good practice has been enhanced and extended by the technology.
Sadly I have been seconded from the classroom to an advisory role for the immediate future otherwise I would invite you to spend the day in my classroom to show you the potential.
Best Wishes,
Emma Goto
AST for primary ICT, Hiltingbury Infant School (Hampshire)
From: Paul Hynes [mailto:Paul.Hynes@ssatrust.org.uk]
Sent: 09 November 2009 17:37
To: Ray Tolley; advisory@talk.naace.org; secondary@talk.naace.org
Subject: RE: [Advisory] IWBs - An Australian perspective
Interesting but still nothing new. 10 years on in the UK classroom and still hardly any effective ELECTRONIC whiteboard practice to talk about - they are the biggest and most costly mistake UK education has made and we need to get away from the mentality that just because a lot of money has been spent on them that we need to continue down that path (rough précis of Chris's reasoning in the video) The best thing I have seen so far with a whiteboard is take it off the wall, put it on a table, twist the projector so it points downwards and let people share it (if it allows multi-point access of course) 20th century technology. 19th century teacher-centric pedagogy - one user and a class of mere watchers. Get a £50 cordless bluetooth keyboard and mouse, step away from the front of the classroom and share the power! You won't look back.(feel free to send me the money you have saved if you want!) CheersPaul ====================================================Paul HynesProgramme !
Leader - Leading Edge Partnership Programme (Partnerships and Performance Networks)Specialist Schools & Academies Truste: paul.hynes@ssatrust.org.ukm: 07793 469 628
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Dear Graham<BR>
<BR>
I thought the description of how you managed staff starting out with IWBs was inspiring. IWBs have quickly become widespread among many teachers, in contrast to other new technologies which tend to be endorsed by the early adopters. Such endorsement might be very different if these other technologies were being assessed across the whole range of teachers. It has already been noted several times, but good support for teachers from within the school is essential as they start out with any new technology.<BR>
<BR>
Best wishes<BR>
Julie <BR><BR><BR>Dr Julie Cogill Tel: 020 8663 1501; 0771 461 1530. The content of this email is confidential to the person or people to whom it has been sent.<BR><BR><BR> <BR>
<HR id=stopSpelling>
Subject: RE: [Secondary] Re: [Advisory] IWBs - An Australian perspective<BR>From: GHastings@sjcs.co.uk<BR>To: paul.springford@naace.org; beyond@talk.naace.org; primary@talk.naace.org; secondary@talk.naace.org; advisory@talk.naace.org<BR>Date: Thu, 12 Nov 2009 00:27:08 +0000<BR><BR>
<DIV dir=ltr id=ecxidOWAReplyText23196>
<DIV dir=ltr><FONT color=#000000 size=2 face=Arial>
<P class=ecxMsoNormal><FONT size=5><FONT size=3>Dear All</FONT> </FONT></P>
<P class=ecxMsoNormal><FONT size=5> </FONT></P>
<P class=ecxMsoNormal><FONT size=3>I have been following this thread with interest.<SPAN> It is an extremely important one because it raises vital questions about a technology that has the power to transform teaching for better or for worse in almost every school in the developed world. </SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=ecxMsoNormal><FONT size=3><SPAN></SPAN></FONT> </P>
<P class=ecxMsoNormal><FONT size=3><SPAN></SPAN>As head of ICT I am responsible for the developing the use of IWBs in my school. </FONT><FONT size=3>From what I read it is difficult to understand the strength of feeling expressed.<SPAN> </SPAN>The money has been spent. The boars have been installed.<SPAN> There is no going back. </SPAN>Some teachers are using them extremely effectively to enrich their teaching and to improve their children's motivation and learning.<SPAN> </SPAN>Others report that the IWBs have been a waste of money and should be removed.<SPAN> </SPAN>Primary teachers, somehow appear to have been more successful in their use of the technology than secondary school teachers.<SPAN> </SPAN>What is going on here?</FONT></P>
<P class=ecxMsoNormal><FONT size=3> </FONT></P>
<P class=ecxMsoNormal><FONT size=3>I can only really comment on what I have observed in my school which spans the primary secondary divide.<SPAN> </SPAN>Andy is certainly right - if I tried to take the boards away I would have a real fight on my hands.<SPAN> </SPAN>That does not prove that they are being used effectively, only that the teachers have come to rely on them.<SPAN> </SPAN>We frequently ask the children for their views - their comments on the IWBs are generally very favourable.<SPAN> </SPAN>The children like to see clear diagrams, moving images, listen to sounds.<SPAN> </SPAN>They like to play games and interact with the software via the boards.<SPAN> </SPAN>The interactive element is used less by teachers of the older children and I have to admit that the boards are used more as a presentation tool.<SPAN> </SPAN>We could have installed projectors but presentations are much more watchable when the interface with the computer is an IWB.</FONT></P>
<P class=ecxMsoNormal><FONT size=3> </FONT></P>
<P class=ecxMsoNormal><FONT size=3>Having been against the introduction of IWBs (I was yet to be convinced of their value) I managed to hold out until about three years ago when we finally bit the bullet and got the first few to evaluate. After a year we decided that they did have something to offer and equipped half the teaching rooms in the school.<SPAN> </SPAN>We had substantial technical problems when the boards were first installed - a number of teachers became very disenchanted with the technology and very nearly gave up using them altogether.<SPAN> </SPAN>Others, through insufficient training, failed to make very good use of their boards.<SPAN> </SPAN>We reached a tipping point and might just as easily have found ourselves on either side of this argument.<SPAN> </SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=ecxMsoNormal><FONT size=3> </FONT></P>
<P class=ecxMsoNormal><FONT size=3>What we did was to listen to the teachers - if boards were in the wrong place or the wrong height we moved them.<SPAN> </SPAN>If they did not work properly we fixed them.<SPAN> </SPAN>We set up a prescribed structure for the storage and delivery of electronic teaching resources that made it much easier for the teachers to access and share their teaching content.<SPAN> </SPAN>If the teachers lacked confidence with the software we trained them.<SPAN> </SPAN>Lessons were observed and evaluations were written.<SPAN> </SPAN>If teachers were not using their boards effectively we trained them again.<SPAN> </SPAN>We met regularly to discuss our use of the boards and to share ideas. We fully supported the teachers through what was the biggest change to be forced on them and their style of teaching in their entire careers.<SPAN> </SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=ecxMsoNormal><FONT size=3> </FONT></P>
<P class=ecxMsoNormal><FONT size=3>I think this is what is really going on - In many schools the boards were bolted to the walls and the teachers were told to get on and use them (more characteristic of a secondary school approach?).<SPAN> </SPAN>This is inviting failure.<SPAN> </SPAN>Schools who have adopted the same approach as us are now beginning to report improvements in the quality of teaching and learning as a result of their introduction.<SPAN> </SPAN>I admit it took us time.<SPAN> </SPAN>For the first year we may even have gone backwards.<SPAN> </SPAN>My very rough rule of thumb is that it takes teachers, particularly those who are not confident with computers (and there are still many of these), three years of sensitive hand holding (more characteristic of a primary school approach?) before they will claim that they can teach more effectively with the IWB than they used to without it.</FONT></P>
<P class=ecxMsoNormal><FONT size=3> </FONT></P>
<P class=ecxMsoNormal><FONT size=3>We are stuck with the technology - it is up to us to make it work.</FONT></P>
<P class=ecxMsoNormal><FONT size=3></FONT></P>
<P class=ecxMsoNormal><FONT size=3> </FONT></P>
<P class=ecxMsoNormal><FONT size=3> </FONT></P>
<P class=ecxMsoNormal></FONT><FONT color=#000000 face=Arial>Graham Hastings</FONT></P></DIV></DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr id=ecxidSignature36408>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial>Hd ICT</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial>St John's College School, Cambridge</FONT></DIV></DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr><BR>
<HR>
<FONT size=2 face=Tahoma><B>From:</B> secondary-admin@talk.naace.org on behalf of Paul Springford<BR><B>Sent:</B> Wed 11/11/2009 23:01<BR><B>To:</B> beyond@talk.naace.org; primary@talk.naace.org; secondary@talk.naace.org; Advisory talk<BR><B>Subject:</B> [Secondary] Re: [Advisory] IWBs - An Australian perspective<BR></FONT><BR></DIV>
<DIV>Thanks Emma<BR><BR>You've reminded me why I think infant schools are great! This is just the kind of example I had in mind when replying to Andy Bird.<BR><BR>I suspect a large proportion of our members would benefit from a day in an infant classroom like yours, and not just to learn about using IWBs effectively!<BR><BR>Paul Springford<BR>Professional Officer<BR>Naace<BR><BR>
<DIV class=ecxgmail_quote>2009/11/9 Goto, Emma (EdICT) <SPAN dir=ltr><<A href="mailto:Emma.Goto@hants.gov.uk">Emma.Goto@hants.gov.uk</A>></SPAN><BR>
<BLOCKQUOTE style="BORDER-LEFT: rgb(204,204,204) 1px solid; PADDING-LEFT: 1ex" class=ecxgmail_quote>Hi Paul,<BR>As a lurker on this list I have finally been motivated to contribute for the first time because I am so saddened by what you have written. I am an Early Years / Key Stage 1 practitioner and an Advanced Skills teacher for ICT. I have seen the power the IWB has had in the classrooms in our three form entry Infant School and in other schools around the county. I think the important thing is that at our level we try to put the children in control as eluded to in the video with discussions of kindergarten practice in Australia. I have seen the Reception children collaborate in small groups to complete a task using the interactive whiteboard. The language observed whilst talking each other through the problem and social skills displayed whilst turn-taking on a task that engages them have been a real joy to watch. I have worked with groups of children throughout the school who have used the IWB to develop interactive stories and talking books using the IWB software and other age ap!<BR> propriate software. The use of the IWB has helped develop children's fine motor control by allowing them to do large scale movements such as in drawing. When teaching a class of year two children I have observed them researching a topic through a variety of media, both electronic and otherwise, and when they have learned something new they have gone and added that information in some form (sound clip recorded via microphone, picture they have drawn, text) to a collaborative mindmap on the whiteboard which has then been used by children to plan writing. These are just a few examples of how the IWB can have a real effect upon children's learning. It has not been a chalk and talk culture, because I do not allow that in my classroom.<BR>As an AST I have had the great privilege to work with a wide range of teachers within the primary phase. I have, of course, seen many examples of IWB use that could have been replicated by oth
er cheaper means (sugar paper and a felt tip, a TV and video etc) however I have also seen many examples of great practice from wonderful teachers. I think where school's have invested in staff development alongside the investment in hardware good practice has been enhanced and extended by the technology.<BR>Sadly I have been seconded from the classroom to an advisory role for the immediate future otherwise I would invite you to spend the day in my classroom to show you the potential.<BR>Best Wishes,<BR>Emma Goto<BR>AST for primary ICT, Hiltingbury Infant School (Hampshire)<BR>
<DIV class=ecxim><BR><BR><BR><BR> From: Paul Hynes [mailto:<A href="mailto:Paul.Hynes@ssatrust.org.uk">Paul.Hynes@ssatrust.org.uk</A>]<BR> Sent: 09 November 2009 17:37<BR> To: Ray Tolley; <A href="mailto:advisory@talk.naace.org">advisory@talk.naace.org</A>; <A href="mailto:secondary@talk.naace.org">secondary@talk.naace.org</A><BR></DIV> Subject: RE: [Advisory] IWBs - An Australian perspective<BR> Interesting but still nothing new. 10 years on in the UK classroom and still hardly any effective ELECTRONIC whiteboard practice to talk about - they are the biggest and most costly mistake UK education has made and we need to get away from the mentality that just because a lot of money has been spent on them that we need to continue down that path (rough précis of Chris's reasoning in the video) The best thing I have seen so far with a whiteboard is take it off the wall, put it on a table, twist the projector so it points downwards and let people share it (if it allows multi-point access of course) 20th century technology. 19th century teacher-centric pedagogy - one user and a class of mere watchers. Get a £50 cordless bluetooth keyboard and mouse, step away from the front of the classroom and share the power! You won't look back.(feel free to send me the money you have saved if you want!) CheersPaul ====================================================Paul HynesProgramme !<BR> Leader - Leading Edge Partnership Programme (Partnerships and Performance Networks)Specialist Schools & Academies Truste: paul.hynes@ssatrust.org.ukm: 07793 469 628<BR></BLOCKQUOTE></DIV><BR>______________________________________________________________________<BR>This email has been scanned by the MessageLabs Email Security System.<BR>For more information please visit http://www.messagelabs.com/email <BR>______________________________________________________________________<BR></DIV> </body>
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