PC again - black is best

Shackley

Shackley

Shackley

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Interactive whiteboards have been heralded as devices that will enhance education and be a major plank in the government's drive for new technology in schools.

But the BBC has learnt that while millions of pounds have been spent on them, very little attention has been paid to a potential threat to the eyesight of teachers and children.

It is only through the persistence of a whistleblower from the whiteboard industry itself that the authorities have begun to address the fundamental gaps in safety that still exist. BBC Link
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Gotcha! :D
 
Shackley said:
Gotcha! :D
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Whoaaa, you had me there.

What are we talking about? Where are you aiming the discussion within this thread?

gibson177xk8.jpg

Hi. I'm Mel Gibson, you may remember me from films such as 'Passion of the Christ', Apcalypto and my upcoming movie 'The Dirty Jew' starring Borat
 
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I still fail to see what was wrong with a blackboard and chalk? :confused:

Yet another case of the government wasting millions of our money on useless projects.
 
I will admit I haven't ever seen an interactive whiteboard in action, are they that brilliant or am I just a luddite thinking that is is the content displayed that is more important than the method of delivery?
 
got one at work :) Interactive just means that you can use the whiteboard like a pc screen ie you can click on things by pressing the board. Can also select, move and capture stuff & record video of anything on the screen. Its quite good :)
 
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AJUK said:
I still fail to see what was wrong with a blackboard and chalk? :confused:

Yet another case of the government wasting millions of our money on useless projects.
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They are actually really useful, (I as a school child know this well).

One can have many interactive activities on the SMART Board which allow for the class to learn well, and also the notes can be easily saved and then sent to people who were away from the lesson (I have done this before). One can also quickly access the Internet and let the class view things (in Geography we looked at the synoptic charts for the day, and had to do a weather forecast). They are a really useful thing.

My Mathematics teacher has, for the last few years, set the background colour of the board to something that isn't so hard on the eyes, this might help both teachers and pupils, (I know it helped him).

Angus Higgins
 
AJUK said:
I will admit I haven't ever seen an interactive whiteboard in action, are they that brilliant or am I just a luddite thinking that is is the content displayed that is more important than the method of delivery?
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Bit of both. They are potentially excellent if the person knows how to use them to present information and WITH EFFORT can be used well to illustrate ideas and make education almost 'entertaining' BUT I am not sure that education SHOULD be entertaining.

The information is what's important
 
It reminds me of the anecdote (if it is true or not is irrelevant) of the space pen. NASA spent hundreds of thousands of dollars developing a pen that would pump ink in zero gravity; the Russians used a pencil. :)
 
cleanbluesky said:
BUT I am not sure that education SHOULD be entertaining.

The information is what's important
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I don't know about you but I tend to take information in easier if I am interested in it. Making subjects more interesting can only be a good thing.
 
cleanbluesky said:
Bit of both. They are potentially excellent if the person knows how to use them to present information and WITH EFFORT can be used well to illustrate ideas and make education almost 'entertaining' BUT I am not sure that education SHOULD be entertaining.

The information is what's important
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Just to flip this slightly, why should education not be entertaining? If you want people to gain something from the knowledge and retain it you make it memorable, how to do that differs but I know that I remember more from lessons I was entertained in (either through anecdotes or even clever use of technology/materials) than I ever did from simple rote learning.

The information is, of course, the important part but there is no real reason why it can't be imparted in an entertaining fashion. :)

//edit RDM beat me to it in a much more succinct form.
 
MissesG uses these at her school for giving the kids powerpoint presentations and the like, she reckons they're a Godsend. :)
 
AJUK said:
It reminds me of the anecdote (if it is true or not is irrelevant) of the space pen. NASA spent hundreds of thousands of dollars developing a pen that would pump ink in zero gravity; the Russians used a pencil. :)
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lol yeah.... dont they basically use a pencil underwater as well still now?
 
Probably because of the way education is supposed to happen. At the present we are battery farmed - whereas we learn much better in a more social fashion.

Hence why kids behave like their peers rather than in the manner that their teachers would prefer
 
cleanbluesky said:
Have you seen the interactive whiteboards? They are ****ing plush.
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Aye, but I used to work in a school that was spending a fortune on them, and putting zero effort into training staff to use them.

Et voila - glorified projection screen.
 
We have loads at our school. 99% of the time they are just used to display either non-interactive content or movies. Total waste of money.

Used properly they can provide some educational benefit, but only if the teacher can engage the class.

Money would be better spent paying support staff fair wages...
 
whiteboard is racist....

why they removed blackboards from schools due to some people thought it was racist
 
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