Interactive Whiteboards – The Implementation of a Multi-Dimensional Tool into the K-12 Classrooms of the Future
Theme: Innovation
Author
Mr Brenton Harty
Penleigh and Essendon Grammar School
PO Box 417 Niddrie Victoria 3042
Ph 613 9016 2000
Fax 613 9016 2200
Presentation Type
Non-Refereed Paper
Abstract
Penleigh and Essendon Grammar School is a large academic K-12 multi-campus school in Melbourne Victoria.
Two years ago the school had no Interactive Whiteboards (IWBs) , last year we installed 4 boards as a trial and this year we have 19 installed with 8 more due before then end of 2006. IWBs have spread quickly throughout the Junior, Middle and Senior schools.
This presentation will cover over experiences during the trial phase, our choice of Interactive Whiteboard and the issues involved with Installation / Implementation and Security.
We will discuss how teachers need to be supported and how IWBs can bring about change both expected and unexpected. We will discuss how we are using IWBs to satisfy many areas of the Victorian Essential Learning Standards (VELS).
We believe IWBs are a part of the classroom of the future and will show how we are using this multi-dimensional tool in the Junior and Middle school classrooms by demonstrating some of our best practices.
Finally we will cover the mistakes that we have made and our view of the future for this technology.
Keywords
Multi-dimensional, Innovation, K-12, Classroom, Future, Interactive, Whiteboard, IWB, Implementation, Curriculum, Junior, Middle, Senior, School
Audiovisual Requirements
We will bring an Interactive whiteboard and USB Microscope. We will need a Lectern with PA system and Data projector. Cable to connect the presenter’s laptop’s audio output to the PA system. The presenters will supply their own laptop and Interactive Whiteboard.
Presenters Biography
Brenton Harty is the IT Manager at Penleigh and Essendon Grammar and is responsible for all ICT use within the school. He leads an IT Support team of 6 teachers and is a member of the school’s ICT/VELS committee. An experienced teacher, his interests are in the appropriate use of ICT.
Graeme Sharman is the Deputy Head of the Boys Junior School and a member of the school’s ICT/VELS committee. His interests are in the area of improving numeracy and literacy through the use of appropriate ICT.
Introduction
Penleigh and Essendon Grammar School (PEGS) is a large K-12 multi-campus private school in Melbourne Victoria. The school has 3 city campuses and 2500 staff and students. The kindergartens and senior school are co-educational while girls and boys are separated onto single sex campuses through the middle and junior school years.
In 2004, the school’s IT Manager, Mr Brenton Harty attended the ACEC conference in Adelaide where he saw Interactive Whiteboards (IWBs) in action for the first time.
As a teacher I recognised the enormous potential of these boards and upon my returned to PEGS I lobbied strongly for the school to introduce 4 boards into our Junior Schools as a trial in 2005.
Working in conjunction with the Deputy Head of the Boys Junior School, Mr Graeme Sharman, we introduced these four boards into each of our Year 1 classrooms.
Trial Phase
PEGS considers itself to be a conservative academic school that is traditionally cautious with new technology. It was generally thought that the trial phase would continue for an extended period of time and once complete the roll out phase would also be slow.
However the trial was such as success that in 2006 we have expanded the use of IWBs into Years 2, 3 and 6 as well as Middle School Art classrooms. In addition, Middle and Senior School science classrooms have been “prepared” for IWBs and will be using this technology by late 2006 or early 2007.
During the trial we found that:
· Students were picking up valuable ICT skills
· Students were engaged more with the teacher centric activities
· Students worked more cooperatively
· Student learnt some concepts better with a dynamic presentation
To date the school has installed 19 IWBs with an additional 8 IWBs pending for science rooms. In 2007 all junior school classrooms will be equipped with IWB and the expansion of IWBs into specialist areas of the middle and senior schools will continue.
Choice of Interactive Whiteboard
In late 2004 Brenton and Graeme visited Richardson Primary School in the ACT where SMART Interactive Whiteboards were used in every classroom. After this visit and after testing a number of boards PEGS decided to also purchase only SMART Interactive whiteboards. The reasons for this choice are listed below:
· PEGS has a large number of Macintosh and PC computers and so the choice of IWB was narrowed to those products that support both platforms.
· The whiteboard lessons that you prepare on one brand of board and not necessarily able to be used on another brand of board.
· SMART boards are the so-called “soft” boards that can use a finger or a pointer to control them. Other brand can be of the so-called “hard” boards type that only use a special stylus to control them. PEGS teachers decided that we liked the greater freedom and flexibility of the “soft” SMART board approach. It was also thought that students using the board would be better able to cope with using a large pointer (such as a plastic toy fairy wand) or their finger rather than a small pen sized stylus.
· The IWB software that comes with each SMART board was seen to be powerful and yet easy to use.
In fact, at our decision time, the SMART Macintosh software was a generation behind the SMART PC software. Nonetheless we decided not to base our decision upon who had the best Macintosh software at that particular point in time as software versions and features would always be in a state of change and improvement between brands of IWBs.
· It was thought that IWBs would change the way that teachers would present lessons and so the “whiteboard” chalk and talk software would not ultimately be used as much as other application software thus making a IWB decision based upon software somewhat irrelevant.
Installation / Implementation
For our initial 4 IWBs we hired the supplier to set up each room with the IWB and all of the options so that our teachers had the best of everything. We later found that a great deal of this money was wasted on options that we problematic such as JED controllers. We now have the installation down to a fine art and are able to install subsequent boards for almost half the price and with much more useful options.
We also experimented with how much, if any, of the original traditional whiteboard we allowed to remain after installing the new IWB. We have discovered that it is advantageous to retain a small area of traditional whiteboard so long as the IWB is positioned to be the main teaching board in the centre of the room.
Our current approach is to cut the existing whiteboard in half and move the two pieces sideways to accommodate the IWB in the middle of the room. If not enough wall space is available we trim away the existing whiteboard. Thus the front of each of our rooms have the IWB mounted front and centre and at a height that enables most teachers to reach the top of the board easily. The traditional whiteboard is to the left and right of the IWB, see Picture 1.
A description of all of the items that we install and provide into each classroom is listed below:
Front wall
· IWB
· Halved traditional whiteboard to the left and right of the IWB
· Two wall mounted speakers high to the left and right of the IWB
· Cabinet containing the following equipment, see Picture 2
· Power points to supply power to the laptop and amplifier
· Ethernet point to supply faster network access for the laptop
· VGA point to connect the laptop to the data projector
· The top of the cabinet is used to hold the laptop and to allow it to connect to each of the following, Power, Ethernet, VGA, Speakers and the USB cable from the IWB, see Picture 3.
· Simple stereo amplifier to power the speakers
· Wireless keyboard for students to hand around and use.
· Wireless mouse for students to hand around and use as an alternative to walking up to the IWB
· Digital camera which doubles up as a scanner
· Universal battery recharger. Batteries are used in the remote control, wireless keyboard and mouse and camera
· Projector Remote control
· Web cam – can be IWB mounted
Roof
· Data projector
· VGA point
· Power point
· If you are building from scratch you may consider also installing a roof mounter Ethernet point at the projector
Other Considerations
· Blinds to darken the room but not black it out
· You may need to set some room lights onto a separate switch so that you can darken the area around the IWB. An alternative is to temporarily disable any light causing too much brightness near the IWB.
· You may choose to get/make a small wooden stage/step so that students can reach higher up the IWB. An alternative is to use a wooden drumstick or some small plastic toy such as a fairy wand. Just check to make sure the toy doesn’t have a sharp or metallic end.
Security
The parts of the data projectors roof-mounting bracket should be screwed together with security screws to prevent theft with an Allen key. The data projector should also be secured to the mounting bracket with a security cable using a padlock.
In addition, by using the teacher’s computer to drive the IWB we removed the need for a desktop to be located in our cabinet thus removing another security issue. Teachers are asked to backup the laptop on a regular basis, they are encouraged to use a shared network space to store and swap resources with other IWB teachers. They are encourage to take their laptop home each evening or lock it in a filing cabinet in their room if they need to leave it at school.
The Classroom of the Future
All of our IWB classrooms have become a multimedia space connected to each other and the world at all times and the teacher’s laptop becomes his/her whiteboard each day. Our teachers have the following available in each IWB room.
· Multimedia Space / Communications Hub
· Play DVDs, Music CDs or Curriculum CDs
· Access on-line video and audio through the school network or the Internet
· Access curriculum objects created in Flash / Java etc whether they be on-line or locally installed
· Communicate to other classes or the world through Email, Chat, IP telephony or Video conferencing.
· Watch free to air digital terrestrial TV using something like EyeTV
· IWB Whiteboard Software
· Use the IWB to save brainstorming or impromptu lessons.
· Use existing IWB lessons interactively to allow student to approach the board and lead the class or to sequence and sort objects that you have placed there for their manipulation.
· Retrieve and share whiteboard lessons with other teachers wirelessly via the school network.
· Applications Software
· Use lessons created in application software such as
· Microsoft Office
· iLife
· Photoshop
· Inspiration
· Connect the IWB to a USB microscope or data logging probes to conduct a class enquiry or experiment.
· Curriculum CDs
· Curriculum Objects – The Learning Federation
Teachers are able to teach their lesson in a potentially innovative way while also surreptitiously teaching ICT skills. They can manipulate a vast range of ICT resources while being untethered from the technology. The lesson can be tactile and teacher centric and are naturally motivational for students. The quick recall of existing lessons or shared ICT resources can result in greater spontaneity and support cooperative group work. The ability to save and share whiteboards with other teachers can result in time being saved and quality and innovation being disseminated and encouraged.
Staff Support and Training
We recognise that the provision of an IWB and ancillary equipment does not on its own create changes in pedagogy. A poor teacher will be no better because he/she has access to an IWB. However it is our experience that most teachers will gladly adopt the technology and quickly begin to push the boundaries of what’s possible.
Some of the innovation results from teachers thinking about “what if” when they get together during meetings or at lunch times while other innovations are brought about through student enquiries and suggestions. The schools IT Support team and the ICT/VELS committee also drive innovative use of ICT and disseminate good ideas between year levels and campuses.
Our implementation involves installing the new IWBs before the start of the school year and providing training on their basic use. At the start of the year, teachers are able to slowly come up to speed with the new technology while still having access to a traditional whiteboard. Teacher release days have been organised to allow small groups of teachers to spend the day together in an IWB room to share ideas, find resources and develop skills with software that they may be unfamiliar with.
Our IT Support team are all teachers with varying time releases. Once the term begins they visit each IWB classroom on a regular basis and also when requested attend to problems or respond to questions of the style “Can I do this and if so how”.
On-going training is organised once a request is made or after IT Support or the ICT/VELS committee identify areas that require development.