Promethian Whiteboard
Using the visualiser I was able to take a photograph of a letter (taken from a teachers resource book) I uploaded this onto the Promethian board and myself and the children were able to annotate the features of a letter.
This technique was also used with children's work. I was able to upload their work and we could annotate it together giving two stars and a wish.
This technique was also used with children's work. I was able to upload their work and we could annotate it together giving two stars and a wish.
Mind Mapping
The interactive whiteboard was particularly useful when I was gathering ideas from the children. It was quick and easy to quickly write down ideas that the children could then use as a reference point. As can be seen here the children were asked for questions that they would like to ask Santa.
When I was writing their answers on the board it was difficult to make my writing neat and therefore model good handwriting. After much practise I became much more skilled. It is certainly something you have to get used to and trained in.
One advantage of the Promethian board compared to the Smart board is that that you can lean your hand on the board to support you whilst you write and it does not make any markings. This is because the Promethian board only responds to the one electronic pen. In contrast the Smart board can be drawn upon by picking up any of the pens and touching it with anything (tennis ball, rubber and hand). It is therefore a skill I will have to refine when on FPP as the school's boards are Smart boards and I am so far used to being able to support my body whilst writing.
When I was writing their answers on the board it was difficult to make my writing neat and therefore model good handwriting. After much practise I became much more skilled. It is certainly something you have to get used to and trained in.
One advantage of the Promethian board compared to the Smart board is that that you can lean your hand on the board to support you whilst you write and it does not make any markings. This is because the Promethian board only responds to the one electronic pen. In contrast the Smart board can be drawn upon by picking up any of the pens and touching it with anything (tennis ball, rubber and hand). It is therefore a skill I will have to refine when on FPP as the school's boards are Smart boards and I am so far used to being able to support my body whilst writing.
Pros:
- Tools, such as 100 squares and grids, are easy to access
- One pen does it all
- Really easy to use- don't need an instruction manual to become skilled using it.
Cons:
- Most online resources are tailored towards Smart boards and therefore are not compatible with Promethian boards.
- On placement the board was placed too high and the children could only reach from the middle downwards. This meant that when I was creating resources I had to keep in mind not to place objects too high. This is not a criticism of the board but of where the school had placed them. A step would have helped the children in this case.
- No side bar which shows the collection of slides and so have to flick through all of the slides to get to the one you want to access. This can waste a little bit of time as the board would often get confused when flicking through slides and would freeze.
It can be seen that there are equal pros to cons but for somebody who is not tech-savy this board is really accessible and easy to use for children and adults alike!