WARNING! This website is no longer actively maintained. It is an archive of 2 years work by Doug Belshaw who now blogs at dougbelshaw.com...
As far as I’ve seen, the introduction of Interactive Whiteboards (IWBs) in secondary schools tends to follow the ‘fireworks’ model. Light the blue touch paper (i.e. install the IWB) and stand well back (i.e. let the teacher get on with it). If you’re in this situation and feel at a bit of a loss as to what to do, look no further… 
Perhaps the biggest problem and stumbling block with sharing IWB resources is that the two major players (SMART Technologies and Promethean) in the UK market use incompatible file formats. The lack of a standard makes it difficult to share editable resources which is a bit of a shame. Of course you can use the built-in features of Powerpoint and other programs and share those files, but this doesn’t make the best use of the interactive nature of IWBs! 
Someone is bound to add a comment that it’s possible to install more than one company’s IWB software on one computer. And that’s true. But if you’re going to do that, I suggest that you use the self-contained USB Flash version of SMART Technologies’ SMART Notes software and are careful about the options you specify when installing the Promethean ACTIVflipchart viewer.
The best ideas are the simple ones. Here’s a few ideas from my own experience to save time, effort and in some cases, money!
- Use an image as a starter. This works especially well in History (my subject). Use the screen shade or spotlight to obscure part of the image and ask students to come up with ideas as to what might be in the unseen area.
- Roy Huggins, IWB supremo, uses a ‘go for five’ activity - as in ‘go for five ways in which this picture shows us that Henry VIII was a powerful ruler’. Students turn to the back of their exercise books or discuss in pairs ways in which the picture demonstrates what the teacher asks for. Students can then come up and circle the different elements.
- If you’ve got some digital video clips they can be played through IWB software. Annotations can then be made so differences between scenes or small details can be pointed out.
- Andrew Field’s excellent Contentgenerator.net games (some of which are free) are stimulating, motivating and enjoyable games for starter activities or plenaries. Questions can be tailored in the easy-to-use Flash interface.
- Google Earth is perhaps the ultimate IWB application. If you’ve got an IWB and you’re not using this you should be ashamed of yourself - go and have a quick look at my guides here and here!
- Using a prepared piece of text (a scanned-in exam paper, historical source, etc.) go through it as a class. Using Microsoft Word, OpenOffice.org or equivalent, highlight, underline and circle important words, phrases and sentences. This is especially useful in the run up to examinations…
In addition to these ideas, both Promethean and SMART Technologies have freely downloadable resources on their respective websites. SMART have a large gallery download section with various pictures and diagrams, along with a section dedicated to National Curriculum-based Notebook software activities. Promethean have a large database of user-submitted resources.
Although a couple of years old, BECTA’s guide to Getting the most from your interactive whiteboard is a useful document for anyone interested in gaining a basic overview of how they work, some issues (positioning, maintenance, etc.), a guide to resources, and some links to further reading. Those interested in such further reading - perhaps to persuade SLT that you need one! - could do worse than search for ‘interactive whiteboards’ on Technorati’s blog search, or indeed on Google. There’s a whole load of conflicting evidence which I’ve alluded to in various other posts about the effectiveness of IWB’s. It’s up to you to make up your mind - as far as I’m concerned they make learning enjoyable. And that, for me, justifies their use.
Finally, a plea. Invest some time in familiarising yourself with your IWB. Spend some time after school or on INSET days using funcitons you perhaps haven’t used before. If someone in your school is known to be a bit of an expert, ask for some training (’for their professional development’ of course…) Oh, and back up your resources! 
Related Links:
- My Easy Guide to SMART Notebook v9 (62KB PDF)
- BBC Jam! (broadband IWB resources)
- PrimaryResources.co.uk (some IWB resources)
- The Bend in the Road - Cold as Ice (links to IWB resources)
- iwb.org.uk (a selection of IWB resources for KS1 to KS3)
- Shambles.net - IWB resources
- BECTA’s guide to choosing an IWB
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You have omitted on crucial element Doug, the INTERACTIVE role of the whiteboard. Unfortunately most teachers fail to use this to engage their pupils in the lesson and consequently the IWB has basically become a projector board for death by powerpoint. I try to get my students using the board as much as possible whether it is highlighting key parts of text, annotating different images, moving text around and playing those games you mentioned. Maybe our ’supremo’ might be able to share some of his suggestions for making the whiteboard truly interactive.
Hi Dan,
Thanks for the comment. I’ve mentioned the highlighting technique but, depending on the placement of your IWB and the size of your class, the ‘interaction’ is likely to only be one student at a time. Have you any suggestions for using it with larger groups without the majority of the class becoming disengaged?
Good question. I confess that I have not been able to have more than one at a time. I think the key is to use the interactivity like your questioning - don’t let a few students hog the limelight, share it around liberally.
Hi Doug
I completely agree about the problem with incompatible whiteboard software (and I’m a committed Smart Board trainer). We need the software to be generic and usable on any interactive device. You should take a look at Microsoft OneNote. It’s not free, unfortunately, but it will work on any interactive device. I admit, it has more of a business focus, however, Microsoft are promoting it as a tool for students in conjunction with Tablet PC’s.
I’ve posted a link to an article on my site which includes some tips on how I use the whiteboard. I agree with Dan that there is a challenge in making the boards as interactive as possible. However, it has become a bit too fashionable to bash the Interactive Whiteboard for not being interactive enough.
There is clearly a danger with IWBs that they becomes a prop to excessive teacher talk and ‘death by powerpoint’. There is also a danger that it becomes solely a teacher tool with students the passive recipients of it. However, even if the numbers of students interacting with the board by touch is limited they can still have considerable benefits:
1) Any fixed projector system can hugely reduce the time it takes to go from planning to producing to teaching good lessons. They can also free up teacher time in the lesson.
2) The ability of the teacher (and a limited number of students) to interact with the board frees the lesson resources from the laptop and can open them up to the class. It is a lot more natural as a teacher to drag and drop something with your fingers as you address the class than having to scurry down to a laptop every time you want to do something with the resource.
Woops, dont think I actually posted the link:
http://www.ilovehistory.co.uk/iwb/newiwb.html
Thanks for the comments guys. Simon, you’re right about it becoming fashionable to criticize how IWBs are used, but I think it’s somewhat justified after the hyperbole and hype that surrounded them initially. Positioning is everything - too often the teacher isn’t included in the decision. Sometimes it’s the caretaker that decides!
Don’t get me wrong, i love my IWB in fact I can’t ever imagine teaching without it again. I may have to take it with me if I ever leave for a school without one. I like the tips Simon gives, but I get the feeling that I am reaching the limits of what I can do with my IWB.
You’re right Dan, it becomes one of the central parts of your ‘teaching toolkit’, doesn’t it? Teaching without one whilst on supply has been a bit of a rude awakening…
Its when you reach for the new page button on the battered old whiteboard that you know its become engrained!!
I’m not a teacher but work in Telecoms running a busy projects division. My question is, could anyone point me to any sites that might discuss using project management software with iwb’s? Your help would be much appreciated.