Interactive White Boards

I have been quite anti-interactive whiteboards in secondary schools for quite some time. I have spent a lot of time in primary schools, and I have seen first hand the advantages that IWB bring to their learning experience. Until a few weeks ago, I couldn’t see the point of an IWB in the secondary music classroom, asides from being a glorified projector screen.

However, after the lectures on IWB and the more time I spend in classrooms, the more I hear myself saying in the back of my mind, “If I had in IWB I could do it like this instead…” I never ever thought I would hear myself say, or even think those words…

I now have a whole list of things that I teach, and how I would change the teaching if I had access to an IWB in my classroom.

Teaching the music software we use – the possibilities with that are endless…

Creating a class assignment with a program like Sibelius… where it could be done digitally and instantly heard, instead of the tedious task of writing on the whiteboard and then having to play it back on the piano.

Sadly, spending money on in IWB is probably up there with the three least things likely to be purchased for a music classroom. In many schools the music department is barely holding on to funding to be able to purchase instruments to be able to run a sustainable music program. There is usually not enough funding to be able to purchase the things wanted, let alone have any left over to be able to splurge on things like an IWB…