Information Technology Reference
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class with just one computer. The multimedia aspects allow for a range of materials to
be easily accessed in different curriculum subjects and enable teachers to create stimu-
lating 'ways into' subjects. For example, in history interactive whiteboards can link
to archive film footage. In maths, rotation, tessellations and transformations, as well
as maths games, can be demonstrated, and in modern foreign languages, highlight-
ing phrases and listening to native language speakers via the Internet is made possible
(Somekh et al. 2007). Interactive whiteboards also allow for demonstrating difficult con-
cepts through simulations, such as heart function in biology. Handling such resources
relatively easily aids the efficiency of a lesson and adds pace (Hennessy et al. 2005).
However, Somekh et al. (2007) found that teaching materials especially designed
for interactive whiteboard use, both commercial and open source, were very limited.
Most were written for primary schools, and for the secondary curriculum, science
had comparably more resources than other subjects (Koenraad 2008). It is consid-
ered a challenge finding materials that are completely appropriate: 'a third of teach-
ers (30%) reported that they find it difficult to find suitable interactive whiteboard
resources' (Moss 2007: 24). As Koenraad (2008) observes, most of the materials made
freely available by hardware suppliers relate to the Canadian and American curricu-
lum. In the UK teachers solve this shortage by producing and exchanging their own
resources (Younie 2007). This is corroborated by Jewitt et al. (2007) who found over
70 per cent of teachers made their own materials for the interactive whiteboard. In
Younie's (2007) research of 12 secondary schools, departments created materials col-
laboratively, which not only increased the amount, but also aided the development
of a pedagogical understanding of how to embed interactive whiteboard resources
into classroom practice, as teachers shared ideas for both resource development and
interactive pedagogical instantiation.
Although initially it takes time for teachers to produce learning resources to use in
lessons on the interactive whiteboard, the advantage is that these can be saved, stored
and shared between colleagues and improvements made year on year. Although this
may take time to start with, it is possible to build up a bank of online resources rela-
tively rapidly that can be adapted, updated and progressively developed by teachers
as collaborative practice (Glover and Miller 2001; Kennewell 2001, 2004).
There is evidence that interactive whiteboards also increase teacher motivation,
and Somekh et al. (2007) cite research from Australia, which showed teachers made
significant changes to their classroom practice, such as consolidating learning in a
non-repetitive way, and were more creative. Similarly, in the UK Somekh et al. (2005)
found teachers enjoyed the creativity of producing their own resources for online use,
and consequently increased their technology skills. This shows that the use of inter-
active whiteboards in class by teachers and pupils provides examples of modelling
technology use which can lead to embedding technology skills across the curriculum.
The motivating effects of interactive whiteboards on teachers, who find the easy
access to digital resources enriches their lessons, are further enhanced as teachers
report that learners are also more engaged, due to the 'cinema effect' (Smith et al.
2005), and because the board is large and the contents clearly visible (Koenraad 2008).
This aspect of visualization promotes cognitive understanding through the interac-
tive and multimedia presentation of material, which Smith et al. (2005) found helps
pupils to recognize relationships. As Koenraad (2008:10) goes on to argue, '. . . the
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