Creating an Interactive Classroom

Last week saw the very first Interactive Classroom event run by RSC WM at the Science Park in Wolverhampton. This was a brand new taster event which introduced various pieces of technology and looked at ways these were being used in education.

Sessions in the morning covered two key brands of Interactive Whiteboards; Promethean and Smartboard and also offered a chance to try out the portable wireless mimeo whiteboard.

Later on, attendees were shown examples of some popular Learner Response Systems – these included Activote, Active expression, Turning point and Quizdom. Attendees also received a free DVD that helps to identify best practice in teaching and learning in terms of these systems. This lively session was followed by a demonstration of a text wall highlighting its uses for capturing learner voice and other possible uses.

The last session of the day highlighted the potential that Apple products such as the iPods, iPhones and the new iPad have for bringing additional interactivity to your classroom. Case studies based on these devices were shared and delegates were invited to try out the devices for themselves. Lots of ideas were generated for possible uses of these tools and particularly in the case of the iPad there were a lot of people saying they want one (this may be why!)


All in all the day was a lively one, with lots to see and try. It was the first we’ve done of these and it was certainly well received. Delegates commented:

“Gave me ideas on how I can incorporate some of the demonstrations into my everyday lesson to help learners progress and record their progress.”

“As a new teacher with very limited experience, I found the day invaluable.”

“Excellent look forward for more of these”

“Demonstrations on interactive board ... enabled me to identify how I could possibly use the tools and techniques available in my own lessons”

For those who couldn’t make this one, we hope to be running another of these days in the New Year so watch our events page for more. There is now a supporting wiki page available that now hosts many of the resources used and has lots of links and further information relating to the technologies covered.

If you would like any specific information on how you can incorporate interactive technologies in your own classroom please get in touch. As always, we are happy to discuss the needs of regional providers on an individual basis.

__________________

Related Wobble links:

The new iPad
Using Interactive Whiteboards: A Video Case Study
Interactive Whiteboard Links and Resources
Using Voting Systems with Interactive Whiteboards
Using iPods for Teaching
Things Learners can do with a Mobile Phone


To read more of Wobble click here.

Upcoming Webcasts - Accessible from where you are

This month and next RSC Scotland have some interesting subjects lined up for a series of webcasts that they’ll be hosting online using Instant Presenter. The webcasts will all be accessible from simple web links and will allow participants to interact with presenters discussing particular topics. Viewers can also interact with other online attendees via text chat.

The following sessions are lined up for the next month:

Using Blogs for teaching and learning (17th February)
Access this session to find out more about blogging and how it can be applied to teaching and training.

Using Voting Systems for teaching and learning (3rd March 2009)
This session will look at the various types of Electronic Voting Systems on the market and how they can be used to make lessons more fun.

Mobile Technologies for teaching and learning (31st March 2009)
This session will outline the possibilities for the application of mobile technologies for teaching and will also highlight some of the issues that need consideration by learning providers.

To access any of these online sessions you’ll first need to follow the urls above and register your interest, RSC Scotland will then take it from there. Then on the day, log in with your allocated url, sit back, listen and enjoy!