Interactive Whiteboards

            Many classrooms are now using interactive whiteboard systems. They create interactivity with students and enable them to become actively involved with lessons. It is important for teachers to become effective in using them since they are becoming more prominent in the education world. Today, many teachers plan their lessons and use interactive whiteboards while teaching. Today’s lessons have transitioned from textbooks to digital lessons. Teachers have been enthusiastic in adopting these boards; however, little research exists on their effect on student knowledge (Marzano, 2009).  

There are many companies that provide sales for interactive whiteboard systems. Three of these companies are found in schools. Promethean offers an integrated system that packages the interactive whiteboard, learner response, lesson design and delivery software and online support. SMART Board interactive whiteboards are common in business as well as education. Mimio is a system that turns a basic whiteboard into an interactive whiteboard by attaching the Mimio Teach Unit. For schools with a budget, Mimio is a great option.

There are many effective uses for an interactive board. The instructor is able to highlight, color, annotate, or zoom in on important content. This enhances visuals for students and enables them to closely look at material. It also imports pictures for instruction and brainstorming, or collaborative writing. It also provides visual or auditory feedback by touch. It provides classroom instruction and improvement of active learning, classroom management, lesson organization and flow, and flexibility in handling lesson materials. Research has also concluded that the use of interactive whiteboards include increased efficiency, versatility, multimodal presentation, and interactivity. It enhances interaction with the board or peers and establishes an ability to draw learners’ attention and facilitated learning and remembering using visual media.

There also many challenges to working with interactive whiteboards. Some teachers may not fully understand how to use interactive whiteboards. Additionally, they do not guarantee proficiency. Technical issues could occur, and teachers could not be instructed properly on how to fix them. This could cause glitches in time and in lessons. Students with visual impairments could also be impacted by these interactive whiteboards and may find challenges in seeing them. With proper training and planning, however, teachers could find interactive whiteboards useful.

How to Use a Wiki

A wiki is an editable web site that allows any visitor to participate. It has tools that enable its users to edit the site without any prior knowledge. Anyone whom has access can post anything to a wiki. Wikis are used online publicly. That is, anyone outside the school classroom can access them. Some users collaborate together and share information. This might include family information and photos, technical information from products, data from a research and development project, or projects. 

Wikis can also be used for free expression. One example can be from my class, Educational Technology 486. We have been using a wiki site to work together to find sources for our teaching content area. On my Resources Section page, there are many resources listed for subjects in the Language Arts- such as Literature, Creative Writing, and Grammar. Students in my class collaborated and found multiple sources to support different aspects of different content areas. The Wiki allowed us to all participate and contribute to the assignment. It also enabled us to easily submit our sources and link them to the designated website.

There are many differences between a wiki and another online publication, such as a blog. A blog contains “posts” or entries written by one author. People can view posts and leave “comments,” or responses to the post by the author. The difference between a wiki and blog is that only the author can edit the post of a blog. No one can go and change what has been written in a blog. In a Wiki, however, anyone can change what has been written. It is more communally written. It has more structure and allows for openness.

Some ideas for wiki usage can include: an annotated virtual library, a collaborative book review, an in-class “encyclopedia,” or a virtual tour of your school as a community. A benefit to the wiki is that it can appeal to almost any subject area. It is not limited in its usage; it can be used by everyone and is easily accessible. The tools are efficient and do not require much explanation.

Jong. H. Chung's "Integrating Technology into the Classroom"

Jong. H. Chung wrote a paper for the Master Teacher Program, titled, “Integrating Technology into the Classroom.” His paper focuses upon the technological change that is happening in the educational field.

Historical Background

Chung identifies the early appearances of technology and how they have changed over the years. First, he mentions visual aids, such as films, pictures, and lantern slides. Next, motion pictures, radio, television, VCRs, computers, and the Internet happened. He cites many important historical figures whom claimed that the field of education would soon change, due to technology. His argument shifts to the present, where he claims that the Internet and computers in the classroom have become more apparent.

Motivation

In the text, Chung states, “Nonprofit and governmental organizations have been actively proposing guidelines for using technology in the classroom.” He mentions several organizations that support these notions. Most of these apply to K-12 classrooms. Almost all educators propose for technology to be used in the classroom. Therefore, most opinions differ. One opinion is to adopt the technology to improve teaching and learning. Another opinion is to take on a constructivist approach. The constructivist educators want students to manipulate technology in order to promote learning. The constructivist approach is very student-centered and focuses more upon collaborative work, informational exchange, and collaborative work.

Classroom Technology Examples

Chung provides several examples of classroom technology. One includes an interactive whiteboard. It works with a computer and enables a teacher to use touch sensors on the screen and projects the writing onto the screen. Some other examples include:

Classroom Management Software projects the student’s screen onto the classroom using a wireless network. This allows the instructor to maintain control of students’ assignments and keep order in the classroom. It provides direction and makes sure the students stay on task.

Student Response System (or clickers) allow students to respond to questions in class, without letting others know their answer. This is usually a transmitter or a remote control type unit. The students ‘click’ or vote for their answer option, and the answer is usually broadcast on a screen for the class to see. This provides immediate feedback for the class, as well as review. For classes with larger groups of students, the Student Response System enables the instructor to check answers while being more efficient with time and organization.

Chung also mentions several other examples, including a Weblog, a Wiki, an RSS feed, Multimedia Publishing, and Robots.

Concerns In the Text

Chung also addresses some concerns that could arise from integrating technology in the classroom. Some of these include unwilling teachers, technology dependency, and lack of skills, copyright violations, the digital divide and others. Chung combats some of these concerns, stating, “Technology in the classroom is not just about deploying or buying and installing the technology for instruction, but encompassing the deployment and appropriately adapting to the new technology enabled educational environment.”

Favored Recommendations

Some of my favorite recommendations that he includes are being patient and planning ample time when integrating technology in the classroom. During my experience at the University of Tennessee, nothing has been a bigger pain than when a Powerpoint won’t load on the computer. Thankfully, most instructors take extra time to allow us to prepare and find the means necessary to make the technology work. In return, this has made me respect my instructors a lot more since they try to accommodate students.

Another recommendation I like is to educate new users on the copyright laws and fair use guidelines. I believe this is vital to using technology and is not as widely talked about as it needs to be. Most people are not well informed on these laws. Additionally, images and documents help to enhance a lesson. Therefore, it is important that teachers understand these laws when they try to use these materials.

Lastly, I like the recommendation that it needs to be a gradual change when using technology. It is a learning experience for everyone. Most people will take some time to adjust to using the new equipment. It is important for teachers to know this because others may move at a different pace than others. It is okay to not understand it at first- that is the point of teaching and learning!

Copy Right and Fair Use and its Importance in Education

In today's field of education, technology has become an integral part of the classroom. During instruction, teachers use presentation slides on a whiteboard, which can sometimes involve videos or pictures from the Internet. Additionally, many teachers use the Internet to post ideas or lessons from their classrooms. While this provides teachers with many opportunities to see what happens in other classrooms, some material may be protected under copyright. As teachers, it is important for us to be knowledgeable about what is protected under copyright because it limits what we may be able to use in the classroom.

What is copyright?

According to University of Maryland University College’s website, copyright “is a legal device that provides the creator of a work of art or literature, or a work that conveys information or ideas, the right to control how the work is used” (Fishman, 2008, p. 6). Some people’s work may be limited in its use. To recognize what might be copyright, it is vital to know what is not considered copyright. Any verbal expression that is not written down or recorded cannot be considered copyright. Additionally, ideas or works in the public domain cannot be copyrighted. These are made accessible to the public; therefore, they are not protected under copyright law. Words, short phrases, and slogans cannot be copyrighted, although they may be protected under trademark law. Lastly, government works cannot be copyrighted, as well.

In order to be copyrighted, there are three requirements:

• The work or expression must be fixed in some way. It can be posted on a presentation or written on a website.
• The work or expression must be original. It could be a teacher’s unique lesson or student’s letter to a teacher. 
• The work or expression must be creative.

Copyright protects author’s works. It provides the right to

• Sell or distribute copies of the work.
• Prepare new works based on the protected work.
• Make copies of the work.
• Perform the protected work. 

What is fair use?

Fair use limits the copyrighted work’s rights. It enables users to manipulate some of the work based upon reasoning. Teachers must decide upon certain factors when attempting to use a copyrighted work. Some of these factors include:

•  Is the work original or a copy?
• Does the work offer something unique?
• Is the use for educational purposes?
• Is the work published or unpublished?
• Is the work out of print?
• Is the work factual or artistic?

The less a teacher uses or the more factual or educational the work, the more likely it would be considered fair use. Teachers should avoid copying a whole book, copying the same book and using it year after year, or copying and using the same materials for different courses. If teachers want to obtain permission to use copyrighted material, they should contact the school’s library or a local library. More information about the T.E.A.C.H. Act can be found on the University of Maryland University College's website, and can be useful when determining how to approach using educational material.

Material has become very easy to manipulate in recent years, thanks to technology. It is essential for teachers to be aware of both copyright and fair use because at some point in instruction, teachers will want to use outside resources for their lessons. Plagiarism should always be avoided, especially with teachers. As the old saying goes, “We must always practice what we preach.” Therefore, copyright and fair use must be kept in mind when aiming to use outside resources. No teacher wants to be caught plagiarizing or be caught in a lawsuit due to the material used.