While some people (including Bob Doe, editor of The TES) believe every teacher should have a laptop, others believe every classroom should have an interactive whiteboard. When schools started receiving serious funding for ICT, everyone’s sights were set on computers and peripherals. But the one piece of equipment that was overlooked is fast becoming teachers’ most coveted ICT accessory.
Although interactive whiteboards are at the top of their Christmas lists, there’s a lot of apprehension about using them. Getting to grips with a computer was one thing; you could sit in a corner and work it out. But if something goes wrong on the whiteboard, the whole class watches while you struggle to master the technology.
Promethean, one of the leading suppliers of whiteboards to schools, is organising three training days next month for teachers who want to find out how the boards can change the way they work in the classroom.
Four workshops run by teachers using the Promethean ACTIVboard will be held on each day. Seminars run by lecturers and LEA advisers will also look at the latest research on how whiteboards can be used most effectively.
The training sessions will take place on December 4 at Wolverhampton University, December 6 at Hull University and December 11 at Lord’s cricket ground in London. To book, tel: 01254 298 574, or send an email to rsidat@promethean.co.uk
