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What is Four in Balance? - PDST

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The <strong>in</strong>teractive whiteboard has proved to be an effective medium forenhanc<strong>in</strong>g traditional classroom <strong>in</strong>struction. Teachers who use v<strong>is</strong>uals,audio, and video on the whiteboard to enhance their traditional classroomlessons help pupils remember the material and are more likely to holdpupils’ attention. Another advantage <strong>is</strong> that the teacher can reuse digitallessons and post them <strong>in</strong> the electronic learn<strong>in</strong>g environment (ELE), sothat pupils can review the material later. The impact of an <strong>in</strong>teractivewhiteboard can be boosted by us<strong>in</strong>g vot<strong>in</strong>g panels, for example to checkwhether pupils have actually understood the material and to make lessonsmore <strong>in</strong>teractive (Lemke, 2009).The results of studies on the use of the <strong>in</strong>teractive whiteboard <strong>in</strong> digital<strong>in</strong>struction are therefore largely positive. Teachers and pupils aregenerally very enthusiastic about the <strong>in</strong>teractive whiteboard. Providedthey have a skilled teacher who has mastered the subject matter, thepedagogical methods, and the technology, pupils who receive <strong>in</strong>structionon the <strong>in</strong>teractive whiteboard do perform better (F<strong>is</strong>ser, 2007; Van Ast,2010; Heemskerk, 2010; Somekh, 2007; Marzano, 2009; Oberon, 2010).Texts read out loud by computerOne very different way of us<strong>in</strong>g ICT <strong>in</strong> <strong>in</strong>struction <strong>is</strong> to program acomputer to read out loud. Primary schools <strong>in</strong> the Prov<strong>in</strong>ce of Gelderlandoffered dyslexic pupils a software program that read texts out loud. Th<strong>is</strong>turned out to work very well; it motivated pupils to read and helped buildtheir self-confidence (Luyten, 2011b).E-learn<strong>in</strong>gE-learn<strong>in</strong>g means read<strong>in</strong>g with the help of ICT when the relevantparticipants are not <strong>in</strong> the same location and ICT <strong>is</strong> used to bridge thed<strong>is</strong>tance between them. The lessons can be synchronous (at the same time)or asynchronous (not at the same time).Examples of synchronous learn<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong>clude hav<strong>in</strong>g an expert address a classvia video-conferenc<strong>in</strong>g or d<strong>is</strong>tance teach<strong>in</strong>g for schools <strong>in</strong> regions withdecl<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g populations (Van der Neut, 2008; Jonkman, 2008).20

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