Overview of Chosen ICT Approaches

Introduce
I have chosen to incorporate the Interactive Whiteboard (IWB) and the IPad into the classroom
lesson plans because of their adaptability and the variety of applications that accompany them and
can be used to enhance learning. The IWB is a favourite of mine because of its large size and the
ability to include students in an interactive capacity while teaching the whole class.

The IPad is an essential tool for the every classroom and it is common for most classes to have their
own set of IPads or a set that is shared among classes. The IPad has the ability to run any application
that the teacher desires ranging from Reading Eggs for literacy lessons, Mathletics for maths lessons
and robotics programs to run the Sphero robot. The IPad is a versatile tool that students can walk
around with and take outside to continue their learning outdoors.

Describe
An Interactive Whiteboard or as it is also known as a SMART board, depending on the brand, is a
computer, projector and it uses whiteboard software(SMART, 2017). An IWB is a tool that has
integrated the classroom blackboard and whiteboard with a laptop and the internet to provide
teachers with a highly capable piece of technology to incorporate into their teaching plans. Many
teachers will use the IWB to introduce their teaching topic and display the images or examples.

The IPad or Tablet, depending on the brand, is a portable mobile operating system with over one
million applications to choose from that can be downloaded onto the IPad and used via the sensitive
touch screen (Apple, 2017). There are so many applications to choose from today, teachers are only
limited by their own imagination. A lot of the younger classes use the IPads as part of their focus
group time when students are split off into smaller groups to work collaboratively, the IPad is ideal
for this type of learning as the students learn to log on and add their individual passwords.

Justify
Personally I like the large screen of the IWB that amplifies the lesson and is inclusive for all class
members. This allows the lesson to evolve and include students interaction and incorporating hands
on learning as the teacher can easily ask students to come up and answer questions or add their
ideas to the board.

Schuck & Kearney (2007) conducted a study to explore the pedagogy with IWBs; they discovered
that students were genially interested in this technology and eager to interact with the learning
material. The large scale display of the IWB, sharp images and bright colours allows the teacher to
capture the students attention. Schuck & Kearney (2007) confirmed that the majority of teachers
found the technology easy to use and integrate into their teaching plans. The IWB is user friendly in
its design, as it is compatible with laptops and teachers can load their information straight up to use
or they can look up information directly on the internet.
The IPads are a common technology tool used at every school. Various Primary Schools are
advertising on their websites that they have adapted the 1-to-1 approach (Catapano, 2017) use of
technology, meaning that they use the one IPad for every student approach. For many parents this is
a great idea as students need to learn the technology skills that will help them in the 21st century. In
my local area, the schools have adapted the 1-to-1 approach for students in grade five and six and
the students use the IPad to create and submit their weekly homework making the students
responsible for the running and maintenance of their own IPad, submission of work and
communication with their teacher.

For the purposes of this assignment the IPad was incorporated into lesson plans for a composite
grade of 1/2 students. This grade will use the IPads at the beginning of their maths lesson to
complete 10 minutes of mental maths, this time is also used to calm the students down as will have
just re-entered the classroom after their morning recess and they are not to talk during this 10
minutes. The IPad is also used to run the Seesaw program, an online student portfolio of their work
that can be accessed by the teacher and parents. The students also use the IPad to create tables,
and record work, during this time the students are using the sensitive touch screen and building
their technology skills.

An Additional Resources page has been included with information on the Sphero Robot and Bee-Bot
Robots, I find them intriguing and see them as such a fun way for students to learn coding,
programing and robotics. There is a National lending library for teachers to borrow the Sphero and
Bee-Bot kits if their school cannot afford to purchase them. This makes computer science learning
available to all teachers and students.

Code.org has also been included in the additional resources page because it is such a high quality
resource for teachers and provides organised logical lesson ideas and plans to teach students how to
write code. This is a free resource and runs over a full term, the teacher is provided with detailed
notes and advice to be able to instruct the students as they progress. Digital Technologies is included
in the Australian Curriculum (ACARA, 2017) and focuses on students understanding and skills in
computational thinking.

The IWB and IPad are essential technology tools for the classroom, the teacher chooses the
applications and amount of interaction that they require for their lesson to achieve their teaching
outcomes. Technology tools such as the Sphero and Bee-Bot Robots accompany IPads and IWB to
program and introduce learning. Incorporating technology into the classroom by using various tools
is becoming a standard application of teaching as the students respond well to the use of technology
and often look forward to using it.
References

ACARA (2017)Digital Technologies Foundation to Year 10 Curriculum. Retrieved from

https://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/f-10-curriculum/technologies/digital-technologies

Apple Inc.(2017) IPad. Retrieved from https://www.apple.com/au/ipad/

Catapano, J.(2017)Advantages/Disadvantages of the IPad Classroom. Teach Hub.com.K-12 Teachers

Alliance. Retrieved from http://www.teachhub.com/advantagesdisadvantages-ipad-classroom

SMART Technologies (2017).Retrieved from https://home.smarttech.com/

Schuck, S & Kearney, M.(2007) Exploring Pedagogy with Interactive Whiteboards.University of

Technology Sydney. Retrieved from
http://www.dec.nsw.gov.au/detresources/pedagogy_sVIYVjvNJH.pdf