Active board as an ICT resource
What the Active board is, how it works and what you need to make it work:
Active boards are fantastic tools that stimulate and catch the children’s attention. You need a computer and a projector to make it work. The programme Active inspires comes with the board, which is a software product that claims many different things. There are speakers connected to the board. You can watch films, make flipcharts, download all programmes from internet and then work with them on the big screen. Active boards make things more clear with the big screen and a great strength is the ability for the students to write on it and save everything.
How can the Active board be used by teachers?
Teachers can plan their lessons, prepare, write and save. You can make interesting flipcharts (an interactive lesson) for all subjects and the pupils can work with them. You can save all your work and you can use the “Active board’s bank” to catch up with other teacher’s lessons (or flipcharts) like on the website; www.lektion.se. On our school we also have our own “bank” with flipcharts! When I download programmes from internet I know that all students can see them clear on the same time. It is also great for all computer work, when you teach how to work on the computer, to make PowerPoint for example, all pupils see clear while I show them all the tools! You can buy many different interactive versions of course books, English for example. If some pupil is sick, they can watch and work with all the saved lessons later! It is a good way to get the pupils motivated and interested, above all when you start something new!
How can the Active board be used by pupils?
The pupils can draw pictures, write, count, play games, watch films, work together with interactive things and programmes and everything they do can be shown on the big screen. They see everything they do in a bigger way. They can show everything they do on the computer on the Active board. Showing pupil’s photo story is fantastic! Everything they do can be saved.
Other considerations when using the Active board:
You do need a learning period, there are a lot of functions and tools and it takes time to learn everything! You shouldn’t use it too often in the same way, because the children might make it a habit and find it boring, don’t do the same thing all the time. This is a technical device and sometimes technique things go wrong and you might need a lesson backup. I have had an Active board for two years and once it didn’t work!
Maria Thunberg
What the Active board is, how it works and what you need to make it work:
Active boards are fantastic tools that stimulate and catch the children’s attention. You need a computer and a projector to make it work. The programme Active inspires comes with the board, which is a software product that claims many different things. There are speakers connected to the board. You can watch films, make flipcharts, download all programmes from internet and then work with them on the big screen. Active boards make things more clear with the big screen and a great strength is the ability for the students to write on it and save everything.
How can the Active board be used by teachers?
Teachers can plan their lessons, prepare, write and save. You can make interesting flipcharts (an interactive lesson) for all subjects and the pupils can work with them. You can save all your work and you can use the “Active board’s bank” to catch up with other teacher’s lessons (or flipcharts) like on the website; www.lektion.se. On our school we also have our own “bank” with flipcharts! When I download programmes from internet I know that all students can see them clear on the same time. It is also great for all computer work, when you teach how to work on the computer, to make PowerPoint for example, all pupils see clear while I show them all the tools! You can buy many different interactive versions of course books, English for example. If some pupil is sick, they can watch and work with all the saved lessons later! It is a good way to get the pupils motivated and interested, above all when you start something new!
How can the Active board be used by pupils?
The pupils can draw pictures, write, count, play games, watch films, work together with interactive things and programmes and everything they do can be shown on the big screen. They see everything they do in a bigger way. They can show everything they do on the computer on the Active board. Showing pupil’s photo story is fantastic! Everything they do can be saved.
Other considerations when using the Active board:
You do need a learning period, there are a lot of functions and tools and it takes time to learn everything! You shouldn’t use it too often in the same way, because the children might make it a habit and find it boring, don’t do the same thing all the time. This is a technical device and sometimes technique things go wrong and you might need a lesson backup. I have had an Active board for two years and once it didn’t work!
Maria Thunberg
Hi Maria!
ReplyDeleteWhen I read your blog about the Active board I first get a bad conscience. I have had this Clever board in my classroom for a couple of weeks. We bought it used from another school and it didn’t come any programs and instructions with it. I have spend a lot of time with my It department just to get the Clever board to work. When I thought that everything was ok I went to the website you have mentioned. Unfortunately I still don't get it to work, still missing programs in the computer. Instead of feeling happy for my “new” Clever board I ended the semester feeling tired on it.
I have used a Clever board before, but then everything was ready to use. I agree with you that using an interactive board with the pupils is a good idea. The pupils will be more motivated by using more senses. You need a varied work with the pupils so the interactive board won't be a boring habit for them, just as you mention. The possibility to save what you have written on the board to the computer is also a great saving of time for the teacher. Even for those pupils who for some reason not attending the lesson.
It seems like both you and your pupils are very familiar with using an interactive board, and you make it sounds very easy to use. If reading your blog without any knowledge of an interactive board before, I should think it is just to have an interactive board, a projector and a computer and then you start. I am a little rusty and my students have never tried this before, therefore I think we need more instructions to make it work. You have told us what we can use the interactive board to, but not how to use it. If you have, I would be glad to get some useful links. Links where I can read about how to use the board and maybe also how to introduce the board to the pupils.
You refer to the website www.lektion.se that is a good way to start when you are going to begin using an interactive board I think. You must not rely too much on what is written there, everything is not totally correct.
You write that using the interactive board is, “above all when you start something new!”. This sentence is very important I think; as you write the board is a fantastic tool. If I use different ways to work with it, it still will continue to be a tool to use to get motivated pupils. With your blog you have motivated me to take fresh holds again after the holidays, thanks Maria.
Pia Johansson
I have used a Smart board (a similar product but a different brand of interactive whiteboard) in my classroom for five years. I totally agree with Maria that interactive whiteboards are fantastic tools that stimulate and catch the children's attention. It is possible to work with all the senses and add sound, images and movie clips to the lesson.
ReplyDeleteSmart board has a touch screen where you can use your finger as a mouse. Does the Active board work the same way? Sometimes my students seem to prefer to write with their fingers on the screen instead of the pen.
I am also curious about the software that comes with Active board. With Smart board you have this software called Notebook. It contains a large gallery with images and sounds. There's also a “Lesson activity toolkit” with a lot of Flash-based templates that you can fill with your own content. I think it's really useful, and create most of my lessons in Notebook. Do you have the same use of your software to Active board or do you prefer to use other computer programs?
Maria, you write that a learning period is important and that is really true. First you need introduction and inspiration to get started. But it's also important with ongoing training and exchange of ideas with colleagues to continue developing the use of the interactive whiteboard. I have experienced that it is common for teachers to get stuck in to use the board to show films on instead of using the entire range of interactive tools.
Smart have their own forum for learning and exchange of ideas and lessons (www.smartklubben.se, www.exchange.smarttech.com). They also provide training-courses and workshops. When I read what Pia says about her problems with the Clever board I wonder if there are any similar forum she can take help from? Pia, I suspect that you have to have the right software to your Clever board to make it work properly. When you have solved the technical problems is my best advice to explore the interactive whiteboard together with your pupils. They are good at remembering and they often come up with creative solutions.
Good luck!
Therese Lennhager