Interactive whiteboards (IWB) are an excellent tool for early years, when a few basic principles of learning are followed. Here are some tips.
* Use in purposeful play by finding ways to link its use with children's experiences in other areas. Model artwork using the board for creating a design, or use a pictogram to count which fruits different children would like. Make your actions explicit to the children so they understand your purposes.
* Children should be in control and access the board as much as possible themselves. Encourage them to choose what they do by putting shortcuts to a chosen range of software programs on the screen. Introduce new experiences gradually, such as using the board in conjunction with peripherals like a digital microscope.
* Connect with experiences away from the IWB. Children could take photographs of cooking to put in sequence and make into a recipe book.
* Relate the on-screen activities with real objects. An IWB can only ever work effectively alongside supporting and extending children's hands-on experiences.
* Give children time to explore, solve problems and develop confidence.
Support each child's activities at the board, helping them to become confident users.
* Personalise the resources where possible. Encourage children's sense of ownership and belonging by using names, photographs or videos of themselves and familiar objects and places. Perhaps you could show a video from a familiar environment as a backdrop to role play.
* Use appropriate software that lends itself to being manipulated by the children. Art and storytelling programs work particularly well on IWBs, as does the software that comes with peripherals, such as a webcam. Make yourself familiar with the software that comes with the board so that you can develop its uses with children.
* Give children choice by showing them a number of things they can use IWBs for. Boards can be extremely motivating and are some children's preferred way into developing skills - for example, mark-making at the board as a development towards writing.
* Involve parents. Slide shows of photographs are increasingly easy to put together. Consider showing a slideshow at the end of a session so that parents can see what their children have been doing.
Appropriate IWB software includes
* Sherston's Tizzy's First Tools www.sherston.com
* 2Simples: 2Create a Story, 2Paint a Picture and 2Simple IVT www.2simple.com
* Granada's 'At the...' and Leaps and Bounds series www.granada-learning.com
* Logotron's Revelation Natural Art www.logo.com
* Digital microscope and movie maker www.tts-group.co.uk
