Interactive Whiteboards for Effective Primary Science

Interactive Whiteboards for Effective Primary Science

Continuing Professional Development UnitInteractive Whiteboards for Effective Primary

Science

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Introduction


Interactive whiteboard (IWB) Overview

Click for an introduction.


Whiteboard Basics

An IWB is a piece of apparatus that allows people to see and work a computer on a large scale (on a huge screen) by the touch of a pen or finger.

Objects can be moved around very easily and software can be controlled as though you were using a mouse. You can also write over (annotate) anything on your screen.This allows a teacher to create a science lesson that is presentational, participational and finally interactive.


Whiteboard Basics

There are many makes of IWB on the market and all will allow you to control software and ‘write’ over it. We are going to refer to two market leaders. They are SMART and Promethean boards.

On the next slides you will see the basics of how to use the boards.

Promethean Board. Smart Board.


Looking at the pen tools on a Promethean board

Description of the tools on a Promethean board.

colours

pen

rubber

undo

select

redo

clear all

highlighter

shapes to draw


Looking at the pen tools on a SMART board

Description of the tools on a SMART board.

select

pen

highlighter

rubber

shape tools

undo

redo

colours

thickness of pen


Video – Using the pen tools



Pen Tool Challenge

Can you think of some ways you can use pen tools in a science lesson?


More pen tool ideas

Make notes.Create a flow chart of ideas.Use a different colour for a key science word.Create simple diagrams.Draw a sequence out of order and use the select tool to reorder it.Create gap fill exercises to test knowledge.Write over a science CD to illustrate a point.Log on to the Internet and write over key ideas.


Video – Using the text tool



The Text tool

On a Promethean board you can simply click on this icon and write in the text box that appears. You’ll get lots of formatting icons in a window that operate similar to word.

You can also click on this icon and your free writing will convert to printed text.

On a SMART board you can either type straight from your computer keyboard or use the on screen one that is accessed by pressing a button on the right hand side of the board.

You can also write freehand on the board, select the writing using the select tool and then click on the capital ‘A’ that appears.


Text tool challenge

Can you think of some ideas that will enhance your science lesson when you use the text tool?


Text Tool ideas

Write out your learning goals in text.Create a gap fill exercise to test comprehension.Create single words to move around the screen so they can be matched up to meanings or appropriate images.Create word lists related to a science topic and show them on the board. Match up sentence halves related to science work.Create labels for a simple diagram and use the select tool to match them to the right place.Create a science based sentence word by word and use the select tool to construct the sentence.


Video – Using images



Inserting an image

A very simple way of inserting an image is to find the camera icon on either board. The promethean icon looks like this and the SMART icon looks like this . On the Promethean board click on the camera tool choose area snapshot, draw around your picture and select the icon that is labelled to current page. Click and your image is captured into your Whiteboard software.On the SMART board click on the camera icon and select area snapshot. Minimise your notebook file and draw round the object of your choice. The image is immediately captured onto your notebook.


Image Challenge

Can you collect a series of images on a science topic of your choice so that they can be the base of your next science lesson.Use the camera tool.A useful tip is to visit http://google.com then click on the image tab. Type in the name of the kind of image you’d like and you will find you have access to literally millions of images that you can use for creating lessons.

http://google.com/

http://google.com/


Video – Leo demonstrates how to plan and execute ideas for teaching in his Lab, using two boards

Promethean Board. SMART Board.


The final Challenge

Select a a science topic of your choice and try to create a lesson using IWB software.On your first page type out your learning goals and put in a ‘wow’ factor image.On your next page present the information you wish to give to the children and illustrate it.On the next page ask the children to come out to the board to either write or move an appropriate object around the screen.On a further page create a task that makes the children talk among themselves so they interact. (e.g. discuss an image)Finally either you or the children can carry out a written/oral plenary using the board to write down appropriate information.

For further ideas click here to view a non-interactive sample lesson


You have reached the end of this workshop. We hope that it has promoted some stimulating discussion about the

purposes and potential of interactive whiteboards

Thank you for your support.

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Interactive Whiteboards for Effective Primary Science

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