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Transforming Teaching and Learning: Using Interactive Whiteboards in the Classroom

Visual Learning, Visual Thinking

At our recent Creative Teaching with Interactive Whiteboards workshop, I saw Darren Kuropatwa present a compelling case for Design Matters! (We know design matters for look and feel - but it matters to the brain, too!). The brain is impacted by how we present things visually. In my own presentation about our use of Interactive Whiteboards in the Concord classrooms, I ask participants to partake in an exercise on visual thinking.

Visual learning and visual thinking are distinct in my mind. Visual learning has to do with how the brain processes visual input. Visual thinking has to do with how the brain processes. I want to learn what I can about these topics. Send me your links and book suggestions. Here are some resources - add to my list!:

Visual Thinking - Sesame Street:
Visual Thinking 2

Book: Brain Rules by John Medina
Book: Thinking in Pictures by Temple Grandin
Link: Visual Thinking - Wikipedia

Empower Students at the Board: Give them an Interactive Board

Student-centered learning is fueled by student led discussion. This year I have given more time to students to lead and share. I realize that the fluid design of my interactive lessons designed for the interactive white board* has directly supported that outcome. Here are some ideas:

• Create unit based interactive flipcharts or smartbook files with interactive activities that students can lead. Incorporate options for the direction the lesson can take by including different lessons and elements in a unit based flipchart.
• Give students a chance to share websites and technology tools at the board.
  
• Let students lead discussions using formative assessment personal response device tools like activexpressions. In other words: let students ask each other questions, use likert scales, and lead discussions where peers provide text ideas and answers.

* To see some examples of interactive lessons use the Teacher Feature link below left.

In the News: Visual Learning (it's in the News!)

Digital lessons that are part of interactive learning design can easily incorporate visual images. We know the current generation of students are visual learners, and we know that enhancing lessons with visuals is an effective differentiated instruction strategy.

Watching the news today I realized that they know it, too and that our generation (any generation) may learn more or differently when information is delivered with supporting audio and visual.

The weather is visual - we don't hear the temperature. We see the geography, the cloud cover, graphics display pictures along with degrees for the 5-day forecast. Newscasters have a picture over their shoulder. More often than not we see audio and video intertwined with current story.

It is simple and obvious, television is visual and television is powerful. It makes sense that visual learning in the classroom can be powerful, too.

I want a new tag: ILD

Interactive Lesson Design.

I want to use the power of the global network to share ideas about Interactive Lesson Design. The broad notion of Interactive Lesson Design takes us beyond the hardware and software - it goes to the peopleware. Interactive lesson design is a concept dependent on teachers and students creating, collaborating, analyzing and synthesizing using formative assessment and student-centered activities that give students a leadership role in their own learning. Interactive Lesson Design brings concepts behind 21st Century teaching and learning into the daily classroom.

As you twitter, blog, skype about your interactive white board lessons or ideas, if you are getting at the heart of the matter - the student engagement in the learning process, use the ILD tag. How about it?

An Interactive Example

Here's what one page of a simple flipchart looks like. The page can be setup for use with activotes or activexpressions (or any personal response system device) that sends radio signals to the board and so each student can easily and/or anonymously. With these deviced every student participates - not just those who tend to raise their hand first. Students who do respond often and eagerly are joined by the rest of their classmates. That can be a good feeling. Discussions are richer and fuller. Another way lessons become student-centered is the way the iwb lesson lends itself to student participation and leadership at the board. Another bonus: the end result can be printed and handed out to students who may have missed the class.