Southland News

One of the boards in use

Interactive whiteboards enhance learning

New interactive whiteboards introduced to the Adult Literacy and Hairdressing classes at Southland Community College have opened up a “treasure trove” of educational resources, says Adult Literacy and Numeracy tutor Alan Steele.

“We can now access a whole range of literacy and numeracy resources and interactive games on the internet that we haven’t had the opportunity to use before.”

He says that the students have become even more engaged in their learning since the whiteboard was introduced and that the technology is particularly appealing to the younger members of the class.

“All the students can be involved in the interactive resources, and students can even take a turn at the front of the class in charge of the magic pen.”

"The consensus among the students is that the interactive whiteboard is “cool” and “much easier to read than a normal whiteboard”

Student, Craig S says: “It’s good to have in the classroom. There are so many things you can do on it.” Alan says that the students’ printed
handouts can be projected onto the whiteboard which makes working through the exercises together so much easier.

“We can write the answers on the board as we go and wipe them off with the touch of a button. It is much better than using an overhead projector.”

He says that with the ability to display an endless array of words, shapes, pictures, resources, videos, sounds and presentations, the interactive
whiteboard could be applied to “just about any course.”

“It brings an added dimension to teaching and learning into the classroom that is versatile, fun and engaging.”