IWB Article

3 Key Concepts
One of the main ideas in the article that I found interesting was that although a teacher may be formally trained to use an interactive whiteboard, they may not use it up to its full potential. The IWB sometimes turns out to be just another chalkboard that teachers write upon. As far as what I have seen in the school that I teach at, the majority of teachers only use IWBs as fancy projector screens to show videos and Power Point presentations. To me, there is not a whole lot of interactive learning going on, which is the whole point of the whiteboards. Another concept that I found interesting was the figure on page 38 of the article which explained the nature of interactions as they correspond to teacher vs. pupil control. Personally, I get a lot more out of a class when a teacher lets the students steer the discussion. Often times teachers like to believe that they are letting their students run a discussion, when in actuality the teacher is "funnelling" the questions to the students. While this is easier for the teacher, what real benefits do the students get out of it? I find that working with kids who have both learning disabilities and behavioral issues it is extremely difficult to have the students deeply interact with each other during a discussion because of their mental capabilities, but perhaps technology would help improve their focus on learning. A third idea that struck a chord with me is that many teachers still continue to evaluate learning by traditional questioning. Teacher asks a question, student answers question in a few words, and teacher tells whether student is correct or incorrect. I can still remember that method from my elementary school days. I actually had a teacher who had a buzzer that he rang to tell the class if we were right or wrong. Eventually I became so afraid that the dreaded buzzer would go off if I answered incorrectly, so I simply did not answer. By using IWBs to their fullest potential, teachers are able to not only evaluate their students answers, but they are able to use strategies to open up discussions more widely to enhance the learning process.

Do interactive communication tools lead to interactive learning?
Interactive communication tools are meant to improve the process of learning and the learning environment, but unfortunately they do not always do so. If teachers are not given enough instruction on how to appropriately utilize their IWBs they are not as likely to use them to their full potential. If teachers are given an ample amount of training on how to use ICTs in an interactive manner, I believe that they should improve interactive learning of their students. Personally, it takes me a while to get fully comfortable using new technology, especially in the classroom. It takes a lot of trial and error when using ICTs to enhance interactive learning, and unfortunately a lot of teachers do not have the time or patience to do so. Fortunately, ICTs such as IWBs are relatively new in the education field and hopefully with more information and experience using these tools, educators will be able to engage students in interactive learning.

How can educators be sure to use interactive communication tools to their best potential?
1. Educators can gain more experience using interactive communication tools by discussing new ways to use them during team or department meetings. Teachers can share the ways that they incorporate ICTs into their classrooms with other teachers in an attempt to improve the use of technology to enhance learning.
2. It is a good idea for educators to stay abreast the latest technological trends in the classroom if it is going to motivate their students. By attending trainings and seminars that help further explain and given them new ideas on how to use ICTs, educators will be able to improve their student's learning potential.
3. As always, it is essential that educators take a close look at their students and how they learn best. It is beneficial for teachers to gauge the learning styles of their students and teach accordingly. For students who are visual learners, using ICTs would be a huge benefit for their learning process due to the large amount of images that can be shown on IWBs. Even for students who are predominantly bodily/kinesthetic learners, ICTs can be used in ways that get kids up and moving while learning at the same time. Teachers can give students the chance to use the IWBs for explaining their own viewpoints, which will motivate interactive learning even further.