In the beginning (1971) was the blackboard and the blackboard was the acme of the classroom. If you had a roller board and coloured chalks, this was ambrosia. Many “happy” hours were spent, standing at the board, practising my writing, which had to make the transfer from a horizontal to a vertical surface and become more readable. In time, I developed an appropriate, legible style. In the same way, I had to ensure that my writing in children’s books was sufficiently legible that they could read it, understand what was being said and respond appropriately.
Using the art stock of sugar paper enabled other “boards” to be developed; the forerunner of the working wall. Little is really new in education. It just gets recycled, as do the arguments about the relative merits of one approach or another.
Using the art stock of sugar paper enabled other “boards” to be developed; the forerunner of the working wall. Little is really new in education. It just gets recycled, as do the arguments about the relative merits of one approach or another.
Although the boards might have changed, transforming to write-on, wipe off whiteboards, with chalks becoming board pens, then to interactive whiteboards, the principles have remained the same. I still advise student teachers to work on their board writing skills, whatever the surface.
While on my final teaching practice, the school had a unit for hearing impaired children. In this unit, I encountered both an overhead projector and the teacher was using a microphone early loop system. In this way, she was able to sit and face the children, so that they could see her face at all times. This observation has stayed with me throughout my career. I became conscious of turning my back on the children and developed an approach that allowed me to speak to writing, rather than writing and speaking at the same time. I wanted to see the children as my “audience”. The same issue arises with other boards.
The Banda machine, with it's accompanying acetate smell, was the staple copying facility for the first five years of teaching. If you got hold of coloured copy paper, that was a vey good day. Otherwise, all resources, such as work cards, were made by hand, so you thought hard about how useful they were.
With the arrival of the photocopier and acetate sheets, pictures could be copied to share with the whole class, which supported discussion. The photocopier, to me, is also a cause for concern, as it is very easy to make thirty copies, so there may be less thought put into resource creation/selection. It is too easy to "copy".
Linking with the overhead projector advantages, I am a fan of visualisers, linked to the whiteboard, to be able to “show and talk”, directly with the children.
While on my final teaching practice, the school had a unit for hearing impaired children. In this unit, I encountered both an overhead projector and the teacher was using a microphone early loop system. In this way, she was able to sit and face the children, so that they could see her face at all times. This observation has stayed with me throughout my career. I became conscious of turning my back on the children and developed an approach that allowed me to speak to writing, rather than writing and speaking at the same time. I wanted to see the children as my “audience”. The same issue arises with other boards.
The Banda machine, with it's accompanying acetate smell, was the staple copying facility for the first five years of teaching. If you got hold of coloured copy paper, that was a vey good day. Otherwise, all resources, such as work cards, were made by hand, so you thought hard about how useful they were.
With the arrival of the photocopier and acetate sheets, pictures could be copied to share with the whole class, which supported discussion. The photocopier, to me, is also a cause for concern, as it is very easy to make thirty copies, so there may be less thought put into resource creation/selection. It is too easy to "copy".
Linking with the overhead projector advantages, I am a fan of visualisers, linked to the whiteboard, to be able to “show and talk”, directly with the children.
If your only other technology is a tape-recorder and school’s radio, or tv and linked video you have to be very organised in it’s use, if you are to get any real value from the experience. The school secretary doubled as the “technician”, with a timetable of programmes to record, passing the tape to the teacher for use. This system could fall down as absent minded colleagues forgot to give back the tape for the next programme, so that subsequent class use found the equivalent of the torn out page and had to skip a programme.
The tape recorder supported the reading curriculum, as each child had their own tape and would spend a short time recording themselves and listening to their efforts. Over time, this became a record of progress and they took this home at the end of term to share. This could now be done with tablets and laptops, or with digital microphones.
The tape recorder supported the reading curriculum, as each child had their own tape and would spend a short time recording themselves and listening to their efforts. Over time, this became a record of progress and they took this home at the end of term to share. This could now be done with tablets and laptops, or with digital microphones.
The introduction of the BBC B computer did not herald a significant shift in approach, as it could be a very limited piece of kit. However, it did allow for word processing, whole class discussions captured and printed. Turtle logo was very popular, especially for creating images, coding to make the turtle move around the board, leaving marks, lifting the pen and moving to another place, before drawing again. Exploring geometric shapes became more exciting, as basic squares could be transformed to flowers with a little shift and a repeat instruction. It needed time to “play” with what could be achieved. I can remember having to ensure that the computer screen had been safely seat belted in, to avoid it falling in the car; a condition of taking it home.
PCs, laptops and tablets have all superseded earlier technology and, as most people know, there is always something new in technology. When equipping my school with laptops for the first time, it was decide that the philosophy would be to see them as an alternative to the exercise book, so that, at a desk, children could use one or the other, depending on the need. It was seen as a significant benefit that drafting and redrafting would be easier with laptops, with each draft printed and reflected on between sessions. It did occasionally fall down with some teachers using the laptops to get children to type “neat” versions for display, having done paper drafts.
The interactive whiteboard, enabling images from around the world to be brought into the classroom at the touch of a button, to share interactive reading books as guided reading, to share pre-prepared lessons as a “storyboard”, or to link an electronic microscope to look at small objects amongst a wide range of experiences, enhanced learning.
PCs, laptops and tablets have all superseded earlier technology and, as most people know, there is always something new in technology. When equipping my school with laptops for the first time, it was decide that the philosophy would be to see them as an alternative to the exercise book, so that, at a desk, children could use one or the other, depending on the need. It was seen as a significant benefit that drafting and redrafting would be easier with laptops, with each draft printed and reflected on between sessions. It did occasionally fall down with some teachers using the laptops to get children to type “neat” versions for display, having done paper drafts.
The interactive whiteboard, enabling images from around the world to be brought into the classroom at the touch of a button, to share interactive reading books as guided reading, to share pre-prepared lessons as a “storyboard”, or to link an electronic microscope to look at small objects amongst a wide range of experiences, enhanced learning.
Technology in a classroom, like any piece of classroom kit, is only as good as the teacher who uses it.
As in all things, some will have spent more time familiarising themselves with the potential uses and applications, while others want “bright ideas”, which in the wrong hands become classroom gimmicks.
So, looking at some simple principles from all this;
As in all things, some will have spent more time familiarising themselves with the potential uses and applications, while others want “bright ideas”, which in the wrong hands become classroom gimmicks.
So, looking at some simple principles from all this;
- Technology can support all aspects of teaching and learning, if used effectively.
- You buy hardware and software to add value to what you already offer.
- Technology can be expensive. To have it sit idle is a waste.
- Technology demands an alteration in teaching approach. New technology requires some familiarisation (play) time, if it is to be used effectively.
- In all things, teachers should be keeping up to date with change, as their learners will be experiencing these things at home.
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