Using websites with an IWB: Part 1

Using websites are a great way to get started for new interactive whiteboard users. Learning a new software package can be daunting for some teachers. Taking advantage of the great free content already available allows you to build confidence with some of the basic skills of using a board (plugging it in, turning it on, using the pen/ finger) while you get used to the software.

As teachers become more confident with the board, it’s common to use a mix of:

• Your own whiteboard activities
• Other people’s whiteboard activities
• Websites

So the next question is: How do you access these websites?

The most common thing for teachers to do is to add their favourite websites to their favourites in Internet Explorer. The drawback with this method is that it isn’t very easy to organise them or find them later.

Some of the interactive whiteboard software have different ways of storing weblinks in the software. In Activstudio (the Promethean software), you can add weblinks as neat little thumbnails. To do this, use the web browser in Activstudio and then click on the link button next to the address. Choosing ‘Add URL as Thumbnail’ adds the neat snapshot.

From your page, you can drag them into your resource library. I’ve set up folders in My Collections for this.

If your school hosts the Shared Collections folder on their server, then you might want to add them to that instead. Then everyone will be able to access these links.

In the next post, I’ll discuss Delicious, which is a fantastic way of saving your favourites and which can be used with any interactive whiteboard.