Interactive White Boards

The information that follows is a summarized adaptation from Chapter 1 of Dr. O'Bannon's book, Engaging Learners with Interactive Whiteboards.

Introduction: Getting to Know Your Board
Interactive White Boards (IWBs) are also known as ActivBoards.  These are tools that attempt to engage the students via interactivity.  The companies that produce these boards also provide a great deal of resources for use with the boards.  Along with the resources are instructions and tips for incorporating them into your classroom and creating personalized components, if desired.  The packs must be downloaded for later use.  Many teachers have joined in using these boards as a classroom resource, yet little information is available related to the effect this has on the students in the classroom.  There are three main companies that provide these boards.  First is Promethean which provides a system that includes interactive abilities, a learner response system, and lesson designs.  The  SMART boards are interactive boards commonly used in the business sect.  Finally, Mimio, which turns a normal dry erase board into an interactive one by attaching the Mimio Teach Unit.  Mimio is a good choice for schools with a low budget for technology. The video above shows several examples of how to use the IWBs and includes commentary from the teachers about their experiences with them.

Effective Use: Teaching with your Board

There are many ways and environments in which one can use IWBs.  Using them in the classroom appears to be beneficial to both the teacher and the students.  The IWB cannot be used alone; the teacher must be equipped with the ability to couple it's use with other resources and teaching strategies.  When using the IWB, teachers can do things such as highlight, zoom, drag and drop information, match items, add pictures, use multimedia content, provide feedback, and even incorporate a student response system.  The teacher must put effort into planning the ways in which to use the IWB to ensure success in the classroom.

Instructional Benefits
Some research suggests the IWBs promote active learning, classroom management, lesson organization, and flexibility in handling lesson materials.  Some media outlets suggest the IWBs are "the future of educational strategies."  It is important to understand that with this futuristic teaching tool, teachers must not ignore other strategies and resources available to them for use in their classrooms.

Students using a Student Response System

Student Achievement: Depends on how the board is used
The research connecting IWBs with student achievement has reported inconsistent results.  The differences in results come from the length of time of exposure to the IWB and the ability of the students in general.  Student response systems, graphics and videos, and reinforcer properties seem to affect the results of such studies.  The student response systems  are an interactive way for students to answer questions or respond to polls collectively while having the ability to see the results simultaneously.  These systems show evidence of gains in student achievement as well. These achievements are dependent upon appropriate and accurate use of the board on the teacher's behalf.  While there are some positive effects shown from use of IWBs, some studies report low, or even no effect at all.  These results appear to be dependent upon context of use.  There are three main Student Response System available.  These are ActivEngage2, ActivExpression, and ActiVote.  These systems allow teachers the ability to monitor student progress during class and deviate from lesson plans if necessary.

Instructional Challenges: Board use impacts educational outcomes

A picture displaying aspects of Success

Educators are consistently searching for ways to engage their students and spur them on toward successful education.  There are pros and cons for every tool available for use in the classroom, including IWBs.  One con in using IWBs in the classroom is that many teachers do not receive appropriate training to effectively use them.  The lack of training tends to result in teachers using the IWB in a way similar to common white or chalk boards, which often times results in restriction in student access to the benefits available from use of the IWB.  The technical difficulties have the potential to lead to a decreased confidence in the teachers, which also leads to disruptions in student learning.

Teacher Training: Professional Development Makes a Difference
Using the IWB comes with issues and challenges that require professional development and teacher training to ensure proper and effective use of the board in the classroom. The challenges range from basic use to detailed technological issues.  Training sessions may be held by the IWB's manufacturer or held during staff meeting at the local school.  This training should be ongoing and should cover how to incorporate new technology into the classroom.  The higher the frequency of using the IWB, the more likely the teacher is going to be competent in it's use.  The training empowers the teachers to use the board in an way that effectively teaches and provides the students with an interactive learning environment.

A Discussion about Copyright

The following discussion about Copyright is a summarized adaptation from the University of Maryland University College's (UMUC) article titled Copyright and Fair Use in the UMUC Online or Face-to-Face Classroom.

The Mission Statement of the U.S. Copyright Office

An Introduction to Copyright

Copyright is a legal tool that allows the creator of a work of art to control how that work is used.  Copyright provides the motivation needed for the artists and creators of these works to continue to make new works.  There are, however, some restrictions to copyright.  Only tangible works can be copyrighted.  These types of works must meet three main requirements to qualify for copyright protection.  The requirements are as follows.  First, the work must be documented or fixed.  This means that the work must be written or recorded in some way to be protected.  Second, the work must be an original work.  This means that the one who seeks copyright protection for the work must be the one who actually created the work. Third, the work is only required to meet minimally creative guidelines.  This means that the author or artist only needs to deviate slightly from the original piece as long as it goes above and beyond what was contained in the original to gain copyright protection.  There are some things that are not covered by copyright laws.  Works found in the public domain do not qualify for copyright protection.  These types of works include, but are not limited to, ideas, facts, blank forms, and words or names. Copyright protects the right to copy, sell, or perform the protected work for public use.

An Introduction to Fair Use

Diagram of Fair Use Factors

Fair use is, perhaps the most important aspect of copyright laws.  Fair use places restrictions on an author's exclusive rights to a work.  Deciding what is fair use of a work is subject to the judgement of the individual seeking to use the work, however, there are several criteria that must be met. One must consider the purpose and character for using the work.  For example, is the use of a work going to be a direct copy? If the answer is "yes," the use of the work would not be fair.  On the other hand, if the work is going to be used for educational purposes in a classroom, use of the work is likely to be considered fair.  Next, one must consider how much of the original work will be used.  The lower the percentage of the work used, the better the chances of the use being considered fair.  For example, using 50% of a work is not likely to be considered fair use, while using only 10% would be considered fair.  Lastly, one must consider the effect the use will have on the original.  For example, if the use is geared toward the same audien
ce with minimal originality, it will likely be considered an infringement and unfair use.  To further protect oneself in using the works of others there are several things to remember.  The user of the work should make needed copies as close to the time of use as possible and should not use the work continually for a long period of time without obtaining permission from the owner of the work.  Examples of what can appropriately be copied and used include a chapter from a book, a single article from a magazine, charts or graphs, and about 10% of longer works.  It is best to avoid using works for corporate purposes, using the work repeatedly, and using a work in it's entirety.  The UMUC Library can assist in obtaining permission to use works if needed.  When using works found online it can be more difficult to obtain fair use permission.  In such cases it is important to credit the source of the original work.

UMUC Educational Multimedia Guidelines

A Photo of the Copyright Symbol

The guidelines for Educational Multimedia use of copyrighted material have been established by the U.S. Copyright Office.  In an attempt to define the guidelines, it is specified that they are in place for using the instructor's personal material such as lecture notes.  It is also noted that the guidelines are voluntary and are a safe minimum for ensuring fair use of material for educational purposes. There are time restrictions in place, as well as guidelines for students and faculty.  Students are suggested to use only a portion of the copyrighted material when creating a project for a specific course.  Faculty members are suggested to use only a portion of copyrighted material when creating multimedia presentations for instructional purposes within educational facilities.  The time restrictions allow the user of the copyrighted material to use the work for up to two years, at which point permission must be obtained.  Limits on the amount of copyrighted material that can be used vary based on what the media is.  For example, motion media, text, and music allow a maximum of 10% of the total work to be used without permission while photographs have more detailed restrictions.  Permission before use of a copyrighted work should be obtained if the material will be used for corporate purposes, if more than two copies of a project will be made, or if there is any doubt that the planned use will not meet the fair use guidelines.  The UMUC Library has more information about obtaining permission to use copyrighted materials.

Award Winning Deaf Education Blog Review

Introduction and Purpose

Heidi Givens, Author of the reviewed blog

Heidi's Take on Deaf Education is a blog written by Heidi Givens who has taught Deaf Education in three states over the past twenty years.  Her blog is sprinkled with a large variety of topics related to deafness and Deaf culture.  She also discusses the challenges faced by the professionals and students within Deaf Education.  Within her blog, one can find interviews and Q&A sessions related to her field. Through her blog, Heidi desires to "share [her] expertise and professional opinions on the education of deaf and hard of hearing students."

Benefits for the Readers
Heidi's blog offers honest and personal insight into the field of Deaf Education.  Often, parents who are new to the world of deafness to become easily overwhelmed with all of the information that is provided at the onset of their child's hearing loss. The perspective of medical and educational professionals can seem like a foreign language to someone who is not already familiar with the terminology.  Public school teachers who have never had a deaf student will also benefit from this blog. Teaching deaf students requires extra effort on behalf of the teacher and also requires modification to the classroom. The best thing about this blog is that it provides an insider's perspective in a way that can easily be understood by an "outsider" or by someone who is new to the world of deafness.

Details from Heidi's Posts

Dare to see the world through Deaf eyes.

Several of Heidi's posts contain information that stands out to me because that information directly relates to things I am currently learning in my Interpreter Training Program.  Her most recent post discusses Audism and how it relates to hearing professionals working with deaf and hard of hearing students.  Respect for American Sign Language and Deaf Culture is of high importance to those in the Deaf Community. Their language and culture are a cherished part of their lives and it is expected that the hearing professionals that they accept into their community will cherish it too. Heidi explains that after self-reflection she came to the realization that she was guilty of having audist tendencies.  Her explanation and insight on this topic is informational and inspiring.  A second post that I would like to comment on her post titled Spotlight on Deaf Education which presents Q&As about the learning and educational experiences of deaf children.  She begins this blog by pointing out that deaf students learn differently than hearing students and goes on to share her hopes for the future of Deaf Education.  Both of these, and many other posts on Heidi's blog prove to contain accurate and relevant information for parents and Deaf Education professionals who wish to gain unique and inspiring insight into the world of Deaf Education and Deaf Culture.

A summary of: Integrating Technology into the Classroom by Jong H. Chung

Introduction
Chung begins his article, Integrating Technology into the Classroom by discussing the fact that technology is advancing quickly in this age.  He points out the differences between the childhood experiences of past generations in comparison to the current generation because of the growing use of technology. He also points out that the increasing use of technology in the classroom is closely related to the constructivist theory of learning.  To

A quote describing thoughtful use of technology use in the classroom.

further explain, he notes that technology in the classroom is meant to enhance the interactive relationship between the student and the teacher while simultaneously encouraging active learning among the students.

Historical Background
Next, Chung dives into some of the historical background of technology.  Use of technology in the classroom can be traced back to the start of the twentieth century.  At that time, instructors began using “films, pictures, and lantern slides” in the classroom.  Later, “motion pictures, the radio, the television, Video Cassette Recorders (VCRs), computers and the Internet in chronological order.”  There are many sources that attempt to describe the effect of technology use in the classroom.  Some professionals in the past have predicted that books would have no place in the classroom as technology advances.  In the early 1900s, some predicted that the radio would be the dominate teaching instrument in the classroom.  During the late 1900s, it was suggested that the television would do the same.  Chung points out that it appears that with every new technological advancement there seems to be a fad and that many times that fad fades away.  Aside from the computer and internet, it seems that prior predictions of the use of various technology in the classroom have joined the ebb and flow of the technological times.

Motivation
Third, Chung discusses the motivation behind the adoption of technology use in the classroom.  He states that there are three sectors that are the motivators for the adoption of technology use in the mainstream classroom: “nonprofit organization[s], commerce, and education.”  Chung also points out that it is “nonprofit and governmental organizations” that have been “actively proposing guidelines for using technology in the classroom.”  It is not only the public schools that are using technology.  The private school system is also benefiting from the use of technology and are actively training their employees to use it effectively in the classroom. Chung suggests that most educators are in agreement that technology is a great resource and should be incorporated into the classroom, there are varying opinions about how that should be implemented. There are two approaches to this problem: “One is to adopt the technology to improve the traditional lecture based teaching and learning” and the other is “to reform the traditional approach into the constructivist approach and apply the technology to enhance the new learning paradigm.”  Chung goes on to briefly explain both approaches and also does a comparison between the “old paradigm” and the “new paradigm.”

Technology through the Ages

Classroom Technology Examples
Next, Chung gives some classroom technology examples.  Several of the available technological tools available for classroom use are: an interactive white board, student response system (or “clickers”), blogs, wikis, multimedia publishing, and even robots.  There are varying levels of these advancements that may prove to work better in one grade level as opposed to another.

Concerns about Integrating Technology in Classroom

Chung also lists some of the concerns about integrating technology into the classroom.  First, there are some teachers who are just not willing to embrace change.  Second, some parents and teachers show concern that the students will develop a dependency on the technology. Third, there is a higher risk of copyright and privacy violations with increasing computer used.  There is also a problem known as the “digital divide,” a term that is used to describe the “gap between technology haves and have-nots.”  All of these concerns are explained with more detail and explanation in Chung’s article.

Recommendations

Finally, Chung gives some of his “personal recommendations for good practice in using technology in the classroom.”  These recommendations are based on his research about the subject and are directed toward teachers and policy makers.  There are several recommendations that, in my opinion, stand out among the others. The first of Chung’s recommendations that struck me is to “be patient and plan ample time when integrating technology into classroom.”  This is a recommendation that carries with it much wisdom.  When integrating and implementing new technology with a large group of students, one can expect complications and questions.  It is vital for teachers to be prepared for this and be willing to help the students as needed.   The second recommendation that I find of great importance is to “use technology to help students to visualize, simulate, solve real-world problems, collaborate, research, and design whenever possible.”  It is important for students to understand that technology is not just for having fun, playing games, and connecting with friends.  Technology can be a useful tool when used appropriately.  Chung's article provides insight into technology use in the classroom and is a helpful read for policy makers, administrators, and teachers alike.