“An interactive whiteboard (IWB), is a large interactive display that connects to a computer and projector. A projector projects the computer’s desktop onto the board’s surface where users control the computer using a pen, finger, stylus, or other device. The board is typically mounted to a wall or floor stand.”

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interactive_whiteboard

 Starboard interactive whiteboards are finally in our classrooms boosting our teaching.  The boards that are being mounted are the Hitachi Starboard Whiteboards and teachers control their laptop using a pen onto the board’s surface.

IWBs may be used in various ways.  Here are a few tips:

• Whole class teaching
• Creating whole class stories
• Students present projects to their peers
• Digital story telling
• Surfing the internet
• Saving notes for future reference
• Whole class online educational games and quizzes
• Pupils contributing their ideas by writing directly on the board
• Google earth
• Use the highlighter tool to highlight rhyming words in poems, verbs, nouns, etc
• Use line tool for matching exercises
• Use the eraser tool to reveal answers
• Use the paint tool to fill in various shapes in different colours. Eg colour the hexagon yellow
• Insert direct links to the internet.
• Insert video files (flv format) in starboard file

http://www.hitachistarboard.com.au/

TeacherTube is a video sharing website similar to, and based on, YouTube. It is designed to allow those in the educational industry, particularly teachers, to share educational resources. The site contains a mixture of classroom teaching resources and others designed to aid teacher training.

http://teacher.scholastic.com/activities/bll/

Learn to read with Nina the Naming Newt, Reggie the Rhyming Rhino and Leo the Letter-Loving Lobster, three original characters created for Building Language for Literacy, who lead children on a language adventure to different places in the community, helping children not only develop language skills, but a sense of the world around them, as well.

“Building Language for Literacy is the definitive early literacy program that equips young children with the critical language and literacy skills and experiences they need to build the foundation for success in reading.”
(http://www2.scholastic.com/browse/article.jsp?id=7615)

How to integrate Building Language for Literacy in our teaching:

“Nina the Naming Newt” helps students identify places within their community and common items found in those places. This is a wonderful activity to integrate with Social Studies about ‘The World around Us’. Children drag the correct items into the box.  It is a great activity to learn everyday vocabulary.

“Leo the Letter-Loving Lobster” activity  helps a small group of students with letter recognition by having pupils choose the letters that match the object. Students can also keep a word dictionary in a notebook and add the new words that they spelled.

Pupils practice their rhyming skills with “Reggie the Rhyming Rhino“.  Pupils choose the words that rhyme in a fun way especially if activity is done on an Interactive Whiteboard.

All activities may be worked out on an Interactive Whiteboard.

Read about more ideas on how to integrate these activities in the following link: http://www2.scholastic.com/browse/article.jsp?id=7615

Clifford’s Interactive Storybooks presents four interactive Storybooks and four phonic fun games for early readers.

The four stories are:
‘Emily goes to School’
‘Here, Clifford!’
‘Clifford’s Big Dig’
‘Where is Emily?’
Each sentence has a volume icon next to it and when pressed, it is read out to the children and the third sentences includes a multiple choice for the children to choose their own ending.

The games include: concentration, make a word, letter match, and sound match.

How to integrate Clifford’s Interactive Storybooks into our teaching:

Clifford’s Interactive Storybooks may be used to practice phonic skills in early readers or as reinforcement and additional practice for children with reading difficulties.  Children are given the chance to actively listen to the sentences read aloud to them and choose which words to include in their books.

All activities may be worked out on any Interactive Whiteboard, making them for enjoyable for the children.

Check out this really great website containing games to improve reading at the primary age level.  It made be found on the Earobics Foundation website, a foundation aiming tackle difficulties in reading at Kinder, Early and Junior levels.

“With Earobics, educators have the tools and resources they need to provide flexible classroom instruction for students of all abilities, and help their at-risk learners close the achievement gap before it’s too late.” http://www.earobics.com/solutions/programs.php

The fun, educational games on GameGoo are split in 3 levels: Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced, with characters, such as Squanky and Fearless Frieda which will appeal to the children.

How to integrate GameGoo into our teaching:

GameGoo games may be used in the classroom to reinforce literacy and reading.  They compliment any language lesson throughout all the Primary Years.  Moreover, such a website works great on an Interactive Whiteboard.

Enjoy!

It can convert a single photo or multiple files in batch mode.  The reduced photos are saved in a different folder (which you would have to create beforehand), so the original images are not altered.

I would like to add that it is the easiest photo resizer tool I have used.  It is simple, straightforward and very quick too.

‘A great companion for webmasters and digital photographers’. (http://bluefive.pair.com/pixresizer.htm)

PIXresizer can be downloaded for free from the following link:
http://pixresizer.en.softonic.com/

A typical VLE combines communication tools such as email, forums, chat and video conferencing, as well as online learning materials and courses, and remote support, assessment and pupil tracking.

Virtual Learning Environments (VLEs) allow learners and staff to access a wide variety of learning materials through specially designed computer systems. Resources such as notes and handouts, practice tests, PowerPoint presentations, video clips and links to useful internet sites are commonly found on VLEs.

A VLE can also be integrated with a school’s management information system to create a Managed Learning Environment (MLE). Both types of system (VLE and MLE) are commonly referred to as learning platforms.

Below is a PhotoStory used to introduce a VLE to student teachers in the UK.

1. can be accessed by anyone but cannot be edited or modified.
2. will be compressed in size and therfore can be uploaded more easily.

To create PDF files using PDF creator:  

1. Open the documet.
2. Select Print from the File menu.
3. Choose PDFCreator
4. Click OK, taking note where you are saving your work.
5. Click Save.
   

1. Use of a blog as a tutor, with the instructor being the one who posts regularly.  I, myself, as an eLearning Support teacher have created such a blog  (http://theeteacher.wordpress.com)  using it to present content for teacher training and to support my teachers with integrating ICT in their teaching. 

I am using the blogs:

• To present and convey content to the teachers regarding any software or programmes they are encouraged to use in their teaching.  Content includes general information about the software, videos, graphics or useful links to websites/blogs related to the subject I would be investigating.
• To encourage the teachers to try out the ideas that I propose in my blog with their pupils.
• To provide a means where teachers can give me feedback; whether they succeeded in implementing the ideas presented in the blog by sending comments to the blog entries. 
• To encourage teachers to start class blog.  Email may be used for difficulties.

2.  A blog by the primary teacher about her/his class presenting general information about HW, activities, outings, news for parents, etc.  I have already helped teachers to create such blogs.  Children are encouraged to email their work to the teacher and s/he can upload it.  From my experience, children are enthusiastic to continue their work after school when they know that it will be published online for everyone one to see.  Seeing their work published online is very encouraging, it becomes more valuable for them and therefore more meaningful.

3.  A blog created for the students … so that they can liberally upload their own writings, poems, drawings, photos, etc., anything that would interest them. Such blogs allow children to work on the same project simultaneously making them conscious that their work is now seen not only by the teacher but also by their peers at school and by their parents from home, giving them also the opportunity where they can share their projects and learn from one another’s projects.  This will encourage collaboration between children whilst promoting peer-to-peer feedback by adding their own comments