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Original poster

Interactive white boards, are they bad news ???

68 replies

mummyloveslucy · 23/06/2009 20:58

My daughter is due to start primary school in January. Her school has these interactive white boards. I've heard that they might not be good for our childrens developing brains. I'm a bit worried about the long tern effects of these.
Does anyone have more info on these? I'm probubly worrying about nothing, what do you thik?

OP posts:
EachPeachPearMum · 26/06/2009 21:30

The independent schools we looked at had them in all classrooms... just as the state schools here do too. I have never heard of them being a problem unless people are not using them to enhance T&L.

seeker · 26/06/2009 21:30

"Mine have watched lots of films and cartoons at school that I wouldnt necessarily choose to let them watch at the age they are "

Yurtgirl - you should have been asked to give permission for anything that isn't a U certificate.

hercules1 · 26/06/2009 21:33

Well, to be honest, I am only basing that view point on one private school I saw who said they didnt get the same ict funding state schools got when I questioned their poor ict faciities!

RustyBear · 26/06/2009 21:37

A good teacher uses pictures - and other resources on the IWB - to stimulate the pupils' imagination, not stunt it.

We've had them for a while now & the teachers no longer plan round them as in 'let's use the IWB' - they are simply accepted as a way of delivering the content of the lesson, not necessarily the only way - for example the teacher might use the foam letters mummyloveslucy describes as well as having them on the IWB

One very useful thing to use with the board is a visualiser - like an overhead projector, but the image is shown on the board, either directly or through a computer. It's incredibly useful for demonstrating how to do something, eg in craft or art work & you can record everything you do & play it back as often as you want. Or you can show a child's work in their book, and annotate it on the screen to show the class.

Even the most technophobic of our teachers wouldn't like to be without their whiteboards now - though they are all perfectly capable of holding a class's attention without it.

Feenie · 26/06/2009 21:39

What RustyBear says.

piscesmoon · 26/06/2009 21:56

I agree that a visualiser is great-much more effective than holding up a book.
The IWB is just an extra resource in the classroom-it isn't instead of other things. The great advantage to me is that you can save things and have different pages. The old blackboard, or ordinary whiteboard, was very restrictive because you had to rub things off if you ran out of room.

helsbels4 · 26/06/2009 22:07

When I was first a parent helper in ds' class, they didn't have the whiteboards but when they were introduced, the teachers, children and parents thought it was fantastic! The children loved the novelty of coming to the board and writing things or clicking and dragging things and ime, the children were totally engrossed in what was being taught to them. I thought they were amazing and still do

hocuspontas · 26/06/2009 22:20

I was ready to hate them 5 years ago but think they have so many uses now. Our YR children use them for copying the actions for Aerobics and it's useful for introducing topic work. If they are practising a song for assembly, the words can be displayed. It's probably on for an hour a day. Agree - the visualiser is great for using as a magnifying glass or for sharing children's work. Our boards are quite high but all the classrooms have wide steps that the children can use to get to the board.

1dilemma · 27/06/2009 00:34

Ones that go up and down sound good.

Does noone have the same problems with little fingers not being able to use them and wandering minds etc?

Helsbels4 your comment about colour pens did make me smile - just like real life in fact

hocuspontas · 27/06/2009 09:41

To drag across the board the children need to make a fist and use the flat side to move things. Works for us!

BoffinMum · 27/06/2009 09:49

I did a fab lecture once on mind mapping, where I planned the lecture in interactive whiteboard form using a dynamic mind map, and then saved it as a little film so the mind map unfolded behind me as I lecutured. But I agree, all too often they seem to be used as TV screens, or as a polychromatic but pedestrian alternative to blackboards.

mumblecrumble · 27/06/2009 21:38

Surely like any tool - can be used to help or hinder.

Same when power point got trendy and we had to survive loads of boring power points with crappy clipart....

We had a geogrphy teacher who used a flipchart and his lessons rocked.

personally [in my music teacher mode] I look forward to having music clips, video clips, pictures and tinternet on hand...but it won;t stop me working hard to make sure all kids are involved etc. ..

That is if a can turn the bugger on...

morocco · 27/06/2009 21:43

is it wireless you were worried about? that i have heard about

IkeaSnake · 27/06/2009 21:44

LOl
bad news

IkeaSnake · 27/06/2009 21:45

In secondary its mainly used as a blackboard with it access

MaggieBeau · 27/06/2009 21:48

fundraising for them never ends. The school won't rest until it has one in every classroom I think.

My dd has one in her classroom. She calls it Mr G's magical white board. They watch Mr Ben, the klangers!, google earth, marine life, you NAME it. She LOVES school, loves her teacher,loves the white board.

But, I still think, good teachers don't need one, and I need a break from fundraising for a while.

CherryChoc · 27/06/2009 21:50

I remember when these were first coming in in schools. It sounds as though they are being used much better now - all our teachers just used them as projectors for powerpoint slideshows, or typed because their writing was terrible. I thought it was a bit pointless. I think they are good when used properly, but if the teachers are technophobic but want to use it for the novelty value it's a bit naff tbh.

Clary · 27/06/2009 21:51

They are a great resource and can be used for literacy and numeracy games and all sorts of other stuff.

The kids love them. They are fab imho.

I have never heard of any brain issues with them

Yes agree with others, they are just one resource of many.

mumblecrumble · 27/06/2009 21:57

"good teachers don't need one"

Hmmmm. i think teachers as much help as they can get!

If kids are going to be exposed to good quality, mixed media and sources then it should be in the classroom not just on tinternet or TV.

Research says that a variety of teaching methods/using visual, audio, kinesthetic learning methods and making learning accesable is all good.

ALso may I put forward that as a diabled teacher they give teachers more access to teaching.... I can;t use chalk

MaggieBeau · 27/06/2009 21:59

WEll, you know what I mean mumble. we are always fundraising for them, and now I think they can share 4 IWBs between 8 classrooms can't they!!?!?

mumblecrumble · 27/06/2009 22:05

Maggie - i have found it seems to be a competative thing. Parents often comment in our, soon to be old, building we don;t have as many IWB as other places...... In our new building every classroom wil have them.

Hmmm..... tRaining nightmare. WHilst packing.

Still think they are amzing though. I can add stuff to resrouces and save each classes own ammotations! And play music without faffing about with CD machines, and play dodgy mixy matchy games!!!!

Still think I'll use it as a projector and do less faffy stuff for the first term!

Also thy can store lots of assessmenty stuff.

mumblecrumble · 27/06/2009 22:06

But, yes. They are a funding nightmare.

Would you like to borrow mine while I work out how to use it?!?!?!!

IkeaSnake · 27/06/2009 22:08

lol at " good teachers dont need one"

on that basis lets all teach in shacks

are you a teahcer?

mumblecrumble · 27/06/2009 22:11

hee heeeee.

MaggieBeau · 27/06/2009 22:13

hang on guys, you're taking a swipe at the wrong person. I've bloody broken my back fundraising for two of them over the last year, and I'm very glad that my daughter is so happy that one of them is in her classroom. But all I'm saying is that I'm not going to participate in anymore fundraising because I think that they're not essential. That's not unreasonable imo.

I'm not a teacher no. The teachers don't get involved in the fundraising efforts in my dc's school. They would like to get 6 more eventually.