Why IWBs? Survey results

Smartboard Benefits: 1) Students stay on task (they can all see it!) 2) They love using it all day! 3) They never seem to tire of it! 4) They are willing to do more challenging projects/tasks 5) Students are learning more about technology by using it (as well as learning the skill or task) I purchased an aerobic work out tape for kids in the Scholastic book order. They love to work through this during break on those cold winter days. We have used many of the media videos (like Ben Franklin) to correlate with reading themes and topics. We have used the tools for math. They love the dice. We use the board for Morning Message, Whole group writing activities, Reading Centers, and Math Manipulatives. It's one of the most effective tools that I have been given the opportunity to use this year! Thanks so much for making this a priority in the District! It's the future! from the spring 2007 survey of SmartClassroom participants in the Manakto Area Public Schools

A couple folks wrote in response to yesterday's blog entry about our interactive white board project in the district questioning the effectiveness of IWBs. Rather than me defend the project, I thought folks like might to see the results of a survey we did of this year's teacher participants (only). There were 6 closed questions and a place for comments. The complete results can be found here in pdf.

My initial guesses as to why our teachers like the SmartBoards:

1. They resemble/combine already known technologies - the whiteboard, the computer screen and the overhead projector. This is not something completely new. Teacher started using them immediately.
   
2. Teachers like that their kids find them attractive because of their visual learning styles and love of manipulatives. Greater attention and engagement. (The best teaching with these I have seen involves kids DOING work at the SmartBoard.)
3. Great ready-made resources available for the technology made start up easy. Project participants have been creating and sharing many SmartBoard files.
   
4. Committment to training by the district. (Never enough, but when is it?)
5. Permanent installation of the products so reservations, set-up, etc. is minimized. It is always there and becomes a part of the teachers' routine teaching tools.

I am sure I will learn more as I analyze this and think about it more. I am technology skeptic, but I trust teachers when they tell me a product is effective.

What has been your experience?  

A father-son chat

My son Brady who draws the skunks for this blog is about to have one of his drawings published by a national journal. My fatherly advice to him...

Dear Son,

I am very proud that a national publication has asked to publish your work. I have always been proud of your wit, skill and creativity, and it is wonderful to see it recognized by the editors of a high quality magazine.

But it is time to have a little father-son talk about "reproductive" rights. I know how heady that feeling can be when you realize someone wants you, thinks you are wonderful. But son, please don't let this new relationship blind you to some realities of life. You may not want to hear this, but I say it only to protect you.

Look carefully at the language of the copyright agreement the Publisher wants you to sign:

Author hereby grants to Publisher all right, title, interest in and to the Work, including copyright in all means of expression by any method now known or hereafter developed, including electronic format...

Are you really willing to give up all rights to your baby - forever? You will never be able to use it again without asking permission of this first Publisher. The Publisher can use and reuse and sell your creative work again and again if it so chooses in any format, to any other Publisher, no matter how low and degraded. Is this really what you want?

I am old man and have been around the track a few times. Let me give you a suggestion. Send in your own publication agreement. Word it something like this:

The Author hereby grants the Publisher the exclusive right to the first publication of the Work in the ________ (date or volume) edition of  ____________ (title of publication) in print format only. This exclusive right extends only for 90 days after publication, after which the Author may republish the Work in any format or resell to any publisher. A separate permission must be granted for any use of the Work in any other issue of the publication, in any other publication, or in any other format. The Publisher may not resell the Work or grant permission to any other entity to use the Work without the Author’s written consent. The Author retains exclusive copyright ownership of the Work. 

What is the worst that can happen? The Publisher will say "no" and negotiations will continue.

Your creative work is what will sustain you financially and emotionally throughout your career. Learn, my dear boy, to treat it well, guard it carefully, and value it highly. Your father wants to make sure you earn enough money from your efforts to place him in a nursing home of high quality when he enters his dotage. Publishers are seductive, but they may have their best interests at heart, not yours.

Love,
Dad 

How to get an IWB in our district

This is the second year of a multi (6?) year plan to install projectors, sound systems and interactive white boards in all classrooms in our district. We have the budget to put in 62 more this year. We have about 100 teachers who have indicated an interest in them this year.

We ask teachers who want this equipment to submit a proposal for the installation. It's a one page form that simply asks the teacher what s/he is planning to do with equipment, if there is anything unique about the possible ways in which the equipment will be used, and if the teacher is willing to put in the (paid) hours for training.

An interesting proposal came in this morning. It included not only the completed one page application, but also:

About 30 pages of research, links and ideas of IWB use (including a good article from Mary Ann Bell) titled "Why Use an Interactive Whiteboard?" along with

A very clever digital movie demonstrating the Top Ten Reason's Ms Rogers' classroom needs an IWB, and

handwritten letters from students asking for the equipment.

How do they know I am such a sucker for this sort of thing? Were it solely up to me, Ms Rogers would get TWO IWBs.

This technology has been more popular than I had imagined it would be. With the teachers, of course, but also with the kids. My reports are that kids are requesting teachers based on who has a SmartBoard in their room.

I like any technology that gets kids excited about school. Not profound, but true.