ImplementationPhysical placement of an IWB

Overview

The order of implementation

2 sides of the problem

1. The order of implementation throughout the school (Implementation strategy)

2. Where in each given room the IWB should be placed

The order of implementation

1. The order of implementation

Advantages and disadvantages of the various strategies

We touch 5 variations…

The order of implementation

The variations

• One given grade level• Exclusively for given subjects• For the school library• For the teachers common room• A limited number of mobile IWB’s

The order of implementation

One given grade level

• The school initially invests in IWB’s for one given grade level– In-service training of teachers is manageable

– Teachers in the individual classrooms and in grade level teams are able to cooperate around use of the IWB in teaching

– The pedagogical changes that take place occur simultaneously in all the subjects of a given grade level

– Pupils get used to the pedagogical use of the IWB

– The IWB becomes a natural element of teaching and learning

– This strategy has a very high success rate and thus facilitates the expansion of the implementation of IWB’s in the rest of the school

The order of implementation

Exclusively for given subjects

• The school initially invests in IWB’s for classes used exclusively for given subjects – i.e. science, biology etc.– In-service training of teachers is manageable– Subject specific teams can cooperate around the

pedagogical use of the IWB

The order of implementation

For the school library

• The school initially invests in IWB’s for the school library– School libraries have a key function to introduce

new teaching methods– All pupils and teachers make use of the library

The order of implementation

For the teachers common room

• The school initially invests in IWB’s for the teachers common room– All teachers have the possibility to try out the IWB

at their leisure. – The disadvantage is that whilst teachers might try

out doing a variety of things with the IWB they don’t get to use it pedagogically and thus miss out on this crucial use of the IWB

The order of implementation

A limited number of mobile IWB’s

• The school initially invests in a limited number of mobile IWB’s– More teachers than there are boards can use the IWB – IWB can be used in any classrooms and any subject/grade

where it is deemed opportune• Disadvantages:

– Any spontaneous use of the IWB in teaching is rendered void– All use of IWB’s need to be planned and booked in advance– Moving the IWB requires a lot of space, both in classrooms and

passages – A lot of time is used to move, start up and recalibrate of the

IWB

Physical placement

Physical placement of IWB’s in classrooms

• There is a real lack of published scientific material on this subject

• A significant part of the following is based on experience garnered from previous work

The following issues have presented themselves as crucial for consideration

Physical placement

Where - overview

• Light and space considerations• Height with regard to pupils• Varying positions of IWB’s in classrooms– Advantages and disadvantages of the various

placements• Should the IWB be the only type of board in a

classroom or should a traditional blackboard/whiteboard be retained next to it?

Physical placement

Light and space considerations

• Strong direct sunlight or electrical lighting causes the display on the IWB screen to be hazy

• It should be possible to darken the room partially or completely

• There needs to be easy access to the IWB not only for the teacher but also for pupils

• Avoid windows or light sources behind the IWB

Physical placement

Height with regard to pupils

• The IWB should be placed at a reachable height for the pupils that will be using the classroom

• Place the IWB at a height (including the bottom part) that makes it visible for all students

• A possibility is to attach the IWB in a flexible arrangement that allows for it to be moved to different heights without the need to recalibrate

• Place the IWB so that it is directly in front of the pupils in their normal seating arrangement, i.e. preventing the need for students to have turn in order to follow activity on the IWB

Physical placement - Varying positions

Varying positions in classrooms

• Centrally or in front of pupils is:– Good for teacher driven (front end) teaching or

revision– Good for student presentations– During group work sessions the group working with

the whiteboard will dominate the session due to the fact that everyone can follow what they are doing.

– An inherent danger of teachers using the IWB only as an electronic version of a blackboard ignoring the interactivity exists

Physical placement - Varying positions

Placed on a side or back wall

• Extremely advantageous as a student tool when working in groups

• Less useful for student presentations as well as teacher driven education or revision

Physical placement - Varying positions

Moveable/mobile - yet restricted to a given classroom

• Makes available all the advantages mentioned above but

• Requires a lot of space in the classroom• Requires an extraordinarily stable fitting to the

mobile stand

Physical placement

IWB the only type of board in a classroom?

• IWB as the only type of board:– Forces the teachers to use the IWB– May cause aversion to the IWB– A permanent notice board for the classroom is

sacrificed

Physical placement

A traditional blackboard/whiteboard next to the IWB

• The teacher has the option not to use the IWB at all

• The possibility of a permanent noticeboard is retained– Placing a traditional board for use as a notice

board in a non-central place in a classroom has been used with success at many schools