I'm planning to move the school that I'm into Interactive White Boards in a big way! A couple of years ago the school purchased a Mimio IWB, and it had some use for a year, but when the teachers that used it left the school, it got little use. It is installed in the ICT room at the moment, because no one wanted it and it is gathering dust! At the time it was a product that had advantages for our school. These included cost, as you can use an existing whiteboard, so therefore cheaper and it also came with Macintosh software [which is a free download]. I'm not being critical of the Mimio here, just explaining what the situation is in my school! I hope that someone in my school wants it and will set it up in their room ...........its available!
I do feel though, [and this ain't rocket science!], that any IWB "training" has to combine the both the technical aspects of IWBs along with the classroom practice and pedagogy behind them,
In June last year, my school entered into an Memorandum of Understanding with the Australian National Schools Network [ANSN]. This network runs five days pedagogical based training for teams of three teachers from a school, [over three terms], using Promethean boards running ActivStudio 3. The school will become a training base itself later in the year. At the moment I am completing five day hub training myself, with the view of me
1. supporting staff at my school in the implementation of IWBs in the classroom
and
2. becoming a trainer myself when the school becomes an ANSN IWB Hub.
See my web page of IWB / Promethean resources, I'm using during my training.
So it comes down to this, the last ANSN IWB hub for 2009, starts early next term. We are sending a team of three teachers [from a larger number interested].
How do we pick? I think they need a number of characteristics to be able to lead the introduction of IWBs in the school.
Before I list my twelve things I would like to see those teachers demonstrate, I need to explain that obviously not everyone will be trained this year, three teachers will. We will get one new Promethean IWB from the hub.
But also.......................
• There is another Promethean IWB in the ANSN training room in our main building, which teachers can use when ANSN training is not happening [A fair slice of each week]
• All teachers have been invited to two ANSN IWB "Taster Sessions" this year
• A Prep teacher trained at another school last year is taking all the Prep grades for IWB activities
• More Promethean IWBs and training will follow in 2010 and beyond
• I still have a Mimio IWB [different software, up for grabs!]
So what would I like to see in a teacher joining the ANSN IWB Hub?
01. Membership of a vital professional learning team
02. The ability to critically reflect on their practice
03. Evidence of mentoring / sharing their skills with others
04. To be happy to have other teachers / coaches in their classroom during teaching time
05. Evidence of a range of ICT skills and an ability to learn new ones
06. Ability to scaffold students in skill and attitude development
07. The attitude to allow students to manage their own learning with parameters after that scaffolding
08. Interest in using the IWB in a variety of teaching situations, whole class, group, and individual
09. Acceptance that students can use the board as much or more than themselves
10. Being prepared to challenge their own teaching practice, or have it challenged by others
11. Being a learner as well as a teacher. Reading professionally on pedagogy and joining learning active communities / networks
12. Being prepared to share their classroom "best practice" with others.
The first team to be trained will need to be passionate about teaching and technology. As the vanguard for the introduction of IWBs at the school, they will need to develop teaching practice which will showcase the benefits of the board. It would be expected that the use of the board would lead to increased student engagement and improved educational outcomes for students in those classrooms.
