Electronic+Whiteboard+Debate

= = = What do EWBs do? = = What do EWBs NOT do? = = = = How does the EWB fit into my classroom and curriculum? = = Don't forget your old friend, the pencil! =  =[|We Live in a Mobile World] = [|5]. ** UPDATED ** JANUARY 4, 2012, 4:37 PM Let’s face it: For my children and for millions like them, life will be an open phone test. They are among the first generation who will carry access to the sum of human knowledge and literally billions of potential teachers in their pockets. They will use that access on a daily basis to connect, create and, most important, to learn in ways that most of us can scarcely imagine. Given that reality, shouldn’t we be teaching our students how to use mobile devices well?

> The analog, 20th century curriculum that most classrooms deliver doesn’t fit well with the realities of the exploding mobile, digital world.  Right now, schools are resistant, fearing the disruption that mobile access might cause and the dangers that might lurk online. However, the analog, 20th century curriculum that most classrooms deliver doesn’t fit well with the realities of the exploding mobile, digital world. Our kids are stuck in a paper-based, local-learning system that doesn’t acknowledge the global, networked, always-on opportunities that mobile access affords.

There's no doubt that the current slate of mobile devices have their limitations. There are still better technology options for constructivist, meaningful learning (i.e., laptops) that provide power and flexibility that phones and tablets cannot. That, of course, may change. But regardless, for many kids right now, especially at the lower end of the income scale, these devices are their only connections to the content and people who can help them learn great things. We need to leverage that.

Access in our kids’ pockets will force us to rethink much of what we do in schools. For one thing, we have to stop asking questions in classrooms that students can now answer with their phones (state capitals anyone?) and instead ask questions that require more than just a connection to answer -- questions that call upon them to employ synthesis and critical thinking and creativity, not just memorization. Anything less is not preparing them for the information rich world that we live in.

=[|Interactive Whiteboards] Allow More Sharing = ** [|Ann Leaness] ** is an English teacher at the Franklin Learning Center in Center City, Philadelphia, and an adjunct professor at Neumann University. She is also a board member of the [|Edcamp Foundation]. JANUARY 3, 2012 Be prepared to stand back when you mention interactive whiteboards, because they will provoke strong reactions from those in the education community. There are real concerns about the high cost of whiteboards. Many educators would prefer to see investment go into other technologies, like laptops or tablet devices. Educators are also concerned that whiteboards emphasize teacher-centered lessons over student-centered lessons.

> There are real concerns about the high cost and the loss of emphasis on teacher-centered lessons, but there are also benefits. I have been using an interactive whiteboard for several years, and honestly, I like having the board available. The software that comes with the board offers me a nice way to organize and save the work we do each day. If we mark up a document during a lesson, I can save it and refer back to it the next day. Often, I use the board to share information for mini-lectures, to demonstrate activities, or to show video clips or images to enhance my lessons.

Does that mean that none of my teaching is student-centered? No way. I am often at the board for a total of five or ten minutes and then my students are working together in small groups, or we are engaged in class discussions about the literature we are reading. I sometimes return to the board to troubleshoot when a majority of my students are stuck, and that makes life easier for all of us.

Over the course of the past few years, my students have used the interactive whiteboard to showcase their learning through presentations. And when we are editing and writing as a class, we can share documents in real time. In other words, the students get to direct the learning.

The interactive whiteboard is a tool that lends itself to direct instruction, but it does not dictate that all the instruction needs to be teacher-directed. >

 I use a IWB in my math class and find it very helpful, as do the majority of students in my classes. The board allows us to write out the work needed to solve an algebraic problem, save the work and then post it to our online homework site. Instead of students being worried about writing down the correct information or missing a step, they can pay attention and be engaged in the problem solving and know that they can then look at the notes from class that are posted to the homework site. It has eased a lot of anxiety and stress of students and put to rest the "must write it all down" syndrome that often leads students to missing out on important information and discussions.
 * 1) [[image:http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/apps/timespeople/none.png]]
 * debg75
 * Montclair, NJ

[|Digital Classrooms or Digital Storage rooms?]


Technology has the ability to ferment itself upon society and learning cultures, how we use this technology provides the gateway to the future prospects for the students we teach. Are we equipping them with these skills or are we using the technology as a piece of artwork for the classroom left to gather dust in the fabric of time?

Teachers should remain aware that technology is not just about having computers in the classroom but in fact having a myriad of other technologies at hand. Old technologies have there place too, including the analogue clock, tape deck stereo system, VHS video player, and typewriter. In order for students to understand the world they are currently living in, it is vital they understand the world that once was and these aged technologies have a place in educating students about the changes in technology.

Although some classes have these dated technologies, they aren’t fully being utilised and realised for their true potential. Stereo decks are fantastic learning tools for use during independent reading. Students can use pre-recorded School Journal articles and use them in order to enhance their listening comprehension.

VHS video players offer a plethora of videos relating to current topics and provide back catalogue videos not yet converted to DVD or [|Blu-ray]. The typewriter can be used as a publishing tool and provide insight into its use before the advent of the modern computer- guiding students toward an understanding of the purpose of the [|QWERTY keyboard] layout.

Technology is continuously being updated and refined; it is up to the educationalists to provide hands-on pieces of equipment that offer insights into the period of time when that certain piece of equipment was in main stream use. Instead of letting these gather dust, we should be upskilling our students on how we once used these technologies.

[|Hadleigh Benson]