Drumcondra Education Centre - Interactive Whiteboards

(In case you arrive at this page via an Internet Search, click here to get to the CBI Project Homepage)

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• What does the research tells us about CBIs?
• How many whiteboards are being used in Irish schools
• What is the Irish policy regarding whiteboards?
• Interactive in what ways?

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Why use an Interactive Whiteboard? What does the Research tell us?

Follow this link to read a Qualitative Report on our CBI Project (this is a 57 KB PDF file)...our Research Partner has noted

• Improved Lessson Planning
• More Varied, Creative and Engaging Classrooms
• A change in the traditional approach to teaching
• Better and more meaningful ICT integration

Follow this link to read what our Irish Project Teachers have said about using the CBIs

Follw this link to read what has the Ennis Study told us?

Follw this link to read research observations by one of the teachers in the Project AWthesis2006.doc (24 KB, .doc file)

The Irish Times 'Virtual Ireland' section carries an article "The school with no blackboard" at http://www.ireland.com/timeseye/virtualireland/schools/whiteboarding.html (subscription not required to read this)

Read the PC Live! Techcentral artical called "White space" at http://www.techcentral.ie/consumer_tech/White_Space/view. There is an interesting Government response!

Catherine Byrne has written a paper "The Use of the Interactive Whiteboard in the Teaching of Mathematics in the Primary School Curriculum" ...follow this link to read a useful abstract: https://www.cs.tcd.ie/~byrnes8/research_paper.html

In relation to a Post-Primary Maths class that I visited, I noted:

• Plotting Points - fun-based learning
• A 'game' is better than doing it in the copies
• They like to share out the 'goes'
• Using a Teachnet resource for plotting points
• Straight lines with Intellipen (this is a feature of the Cambridge-Hitachi board)
• Changing the Colour is very important
• So much faster and neater (e.g. Bar Charts)

Follow this link to read Becta's review of the Research Literature

My notes from workshops attended at BETT 2006 (the notes are in .doc format):

• CBIs in Language Class
• Some findings from MirandaNet
• Information from Promethean
• Series of useful information from a SMART workshop

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Despite the changing economic situation, schools continue to invest in CBIs. Perhaps much of this investment is through the fund-raising efforts of parents? As with all initiatives, the role of the Leader/Principal is hugely significant. The region of schools served by Drumcondra Education Centre is not untypical (indeed, it may have a higher number of schools with Disadvantaged Status than others) and I have watched the penetration of CBIs in those schools:

• In 2005, NCTE estimated there were CBIs in 3% of schools (source: NCTE Census of infrastruture http://www.ncte.ie/documents/NCTE_2005_Census_on_ICT_Infrastructure_in_Schools.pdf)
• In 2007, nearly 15% of Druncondra schools had invested in CBIs
• At the beginning of 2008, 25% of Drumcondra schools were using CBIs
• By the end of 2008, at least 35% of Drumcondra schools are using CBIs

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Policy: What is the view on IWBs from 'the official side'? What has Minsiter Hanafin said ..What has Minister O'Keefe not said?? Read my review of the evidence gathered in this pdf document CBIpolicy2009.pdf

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Interactive??? In what ways can we (as Teachers) make our whiteboard activity 'interactive'? I have prepared advice regarding the interactions for SMART, ActivStudio and ActivPrimary ...follow these links for SMART, ActivStudio, and ActivPrimary. Please note that these documents refer to the technical interactions supported by the respective whiteboard software. However, the key underlying principle is that when used effectively and appropriately, whiteboards can support the interactive classroom ...use CBIs as you would any other tool ...use directed teaching where appropriate ...don't overuse any one approach ...manage the learning ...use collaborative learning approaches where appropriate. While the Data Projector can be a window into the 'real world' CBIs can be a doorway ...use whiteboards so that your students can see and manipulate virtual objects and concepts. The interactive whiteboard is the collaborative work surface where you and your class together create 'learning artefacts'.

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