During one of my student teaching experiences in Des Moines, I was able to observe a special education classroom using interactive whiteboards. I got to see a group of five students with both behavioral and academic goals using the whiteboard. Previously, these students had trouble keeping their attention on the material and staying engaged. When the special education teacher pulled them into her room, she tried to incorporate as much hands-on activities as possible.
When I was in observing, she was using the interactive whiteboard. It was amazing to see these students interact and participate with their peers. They were so engaged. If I am able to have an interactive whiteboard in my special education classroom I will be able to do some neat things. I couldn't believe how many resources there are for teachers to use. This will definitely be something that I would be looking forward to having in my future special education classroom. I have seen benefits from it and all of the resources I could use and I think it would be a great asset to any classroom.
Glad you got to see this tool in action! Sorry ours has been so temperamental for this class. When a teacher uses it well, it does engage students in their learning. It also causes the teacher to plan lessons more carefully - a lot of benefits!
ReplyDeleteInteractive whiteboards are a very powerful tool for the classroom, and I definitely see how it would be very beneficial in the special education classroom. That sounds like a very cool experience you got to observe! Now, you have some great ideas for when you get in interactive whiteboard in your classroom someday. =)
ReplyDeleteAlso, now that we know about all the free lessons we can get online, it will be that much easier to use it in the classroom!
Melanie,
ReplyDeleteI agree! It is such a cool tool! I've never really had the chance to see one in use outside of our classroom but from the lessons I saw on the websites, it seems like quite the attention keeper. I like how it can be used just as effectively by the students as it is by the teacher. I like to get students actively involved in their learning as much as possible and interactive whiteboards are the perfect tool to use for interactive whole group lessons.