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.

"The lesson directs the technology instead of the technology directing the lesson."

Do you have a plethora of PowerPoints you use in the classroom? If yes, you are probably already well on your way to integrating technology in the classroom. You show short video clips, share audio, and include other multimedia and Internet resources to bring visual components to student learning.

So, what difference will an interactive white board make? The difference is that the technology encourages ad hoc comments, recording input on the fly, saving from class to class, and makes it easy and engaging to allow the discussion to direct the use of technology. Because you can truly be interactive as you teach with multimedia, the lesson directs the technology instead of the technology directing the lesson.

Welcome to the ActivTeacher blog

Classrooms equipped with technology bring many resources into the classroom.

Teaching with an interactive whiteboard will take you beyond the traditional technology integration model. Teaching and learning in the interactive classroom invites the teacher to rethink the student participation model. Since the technology is new, a blog makes sense as a way to share ideas and impacts on the classroom.

ActivTeachers can share their thoughts and experiences here.