This blog highlights the cross curricula use of Interactive Whiteboards. As it was mentioned in a previous post, IWB can successfully be used across the curriculum not just in ICT. Before planning for teaching there are a few things that need to be considered. Therefore, teachers should make sure that: children can reach the board, children can see the board with ease, children can move to and around the board. Barber, Cooper and Meeson (2007). More that that, "in an inclusive classroom it is imperative that all children are given the same opportunity to access the IWB and benefit from its use." Barber, Cooper and Meeson (2007, p. 33).
Interactive Whiteboards offer the possibility to create interactive lessons. For example, with the use of Smart Notebook application teachers can create engaging and stimulating presentations for each of the six phonics phases, selecting different tools and resources.
Phase 1
At phase one children develop phonologic awareness and improve their ability to distinguish between sounds. The Smart Notebook application allows inserting sounds for different pictures of animals and objects. For example, making a cat meow. Children can click the object on the IWB in order to hear the sound that it makes. The following website is a really good resource for sounds: FreeSFX.
Phase two
At phase two some phoneme/ grapheme correspondences are introduced. As soon as children have a small number of phoneme/grapheme correspondences blending and segmenting can start. Smart Notebook application has a variety of tools which can help teachers create an interactive lesson for this phase:
- The Magic Box enables children to assess their own learning by choosing the objects/ animals that start with a given letter and place them inside it.
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The yellow rectangle shape is the magic box. Children are required to
place inside it the objects/ animals which start with letter b. The objects that have a
different letter at the beginning cannot be placed inside the box, they will be
displayed outside the box.
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For the magic box a simple coloured shape, a text box which will contain the corresponding letter and a few images are added on the slide of the presentation. In order to make the objects starting with letter b (in this example) go behind the chosen shape the following options are applied to each picture: select the picture, right click, Order, Send to Back.
In order to make the rest of the objects go on top of the shape each picture is selected, click right, Order, Bring to Front.
Infinite cloner is a tool used to create words with the help of infinite letters. On a slide there are inserted a few letters and pictures that will help children guess the words they are asked to write using the given letters.
For each of the letters click right and select Infinite Cloner.
Rub and Reaveal tool, which was explained in a previous post, is a great resource to use with children for CVC words. For example:
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| Children are asked to think of CVC words that finish with at or an. |
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| They can check the answer by rubbing inside the shape to look for the picture which will match the word: cat or pan. |
For each on the six phases of Letters and Sounds a multitude on ideas and resources can be found on diverse websites, such as:
Reflections
After learning in ICT about all these amazing tools which can be used across the curriculum I believe that a teachers who uses IWB can be a better teacher. Therefore I intend to apply my learning in the classroom and make sure that all children benefit from it.
References:
Barber, D., Cooper, L. and Meeson, G. (2007) Learning and Teaching with Interactive Whiteboards Primary and Early Years. Exeter: Learning Matters.
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