It is possible to fix the board and projector in a room permanently. This does entail extra expense but all the wires will be concealed and the board and projector will not be prone to going out of calibration. An alternative is for both to remain mobile providing flexibility in where it can be used.
A disadvantage is that the projector can be easily knocked making the board out of calibration. There is also the problem of trailing wires.
Whiteboards provide a truly interactive learning environment enabling the whole class to participate. Software such as My World, talking books, and early literacy and numeracy CDs all encourage children to approach the board and interact by touching parts that would normally respond to a mouse click on a computer screen.
Whiteboards also enable the user to draw on-screen using special pens or their 'magic fingers' as computer mice. Use art software to encourage children to create pictures, again using their fingers to draw on-screen.
One idea is to draw half a butterfly and ask children to draw the missing half as a lesson in symmetry. Children can also rub out sections; just wait as they look at their fingers to see if the ink has rubbed off on to them!
Another feature that comes with the interactive whiteboard is software that turns handwriting into text. Children love it when they write their names on the whiteboard and it converts them to text.
Interactive whiteboards enable children to become active participants in their learning, increasing motivation and providing an opportunity to integrate ICT into all areas of the curriculum.
Educational suppliers of data projectors and whiteboards, 01794 502273, www.ambra-solutions.co.uk
