Journal Review 1 – The use of interactive whiteboards to support pupils with learning disabilities
Drigas, A. & Papanastasiou, G.P (2014) Interactive White Boards’ Added Value in Special Education. Available at: file://new-students/16/1601342/Downloads/4004-13767-1-PB%20(1).pdf
The study conducted by Drigas & Papanastasiou (2014) sets out a review which studies that research of the integration of interactive whiteboards in special education. Research shows that interactive whiteboards are capable to keep Special Education Need students involved in classroom facilities processing their learning through interactivity, technical and pedagogical. Interactive whiteboards show the positive effects it has on students with special educational needs and supports a multi-sensory style of learning. As, interactive whiteboards have established its value added to students who have severe moderate learning disabilities such as Autistic Spectrum Disorder or deaf, physically impaired and the visually impaired.
This review will look at four significant concerns:
• Interactive whiteboards impact on students with learning disabilities
• Interactive whiteboards impact on students with autism spectrum disorders
•
Interactive whiteboards impact on deaf, visually impaired and physically
impaired students
In order to include students with
disabilities into mainstream classrooms, it is important to provide students of
all abilities with an engaging and cooperative way to learn information such as
auditory, touch, visual and movement into the knowledge procedure. Therefore,
Kelley et al,. (2007) states that
teachers are able to observe the students understanding of their learning
aspects and allow multiple pedagogical approaches. By keeping a close eye on
their development in advance before students fall behind on their learning.
According to research by Kelley et al.,
(2007) argues that visualising the interactive whiteboards as a teaching tool
provides value, supporting teachers to feel they have actually made a
difference to the way they teach special educational needs students.
Furthermore, the implementation of interactive whiteboards in an inclusive
environment benefits students with special educational needs increasing their
contribution. This is due to the interactive nature of the technology or their
conceptual understanding by linking visual imagery to information, which is
challenging students to understand when it is presented only by text. As,
Anderson (2008) noted that students are more enthusiastic to attempt
communication with the teachers and peers in the classroom which is being
involved in an activity while using multiple senses.
Teachers have established that a
benefit for students with Special needs resulted in effective learning even for
students with short attention spans. This is presented by listening and reading
from interactive big books, which is being presented and manipulated using the
electronic features from interactive white, boards (Martin, 2007). Martin
(2007) highlights these reflections and interactions on the writing skills are
in with the UK’s Primary National Strategy, which provides a framework for
teaching objectives, based on the belief that the “most successful teaching” is
where there are, “interactive pupils’ contributions are encouraged, expected
and extended”.
Lopez (2006) states that Interactive whiteboards offer huge potential in generating a high degree of collaboration and interactivity between students, amongst students, curriculum and between teachers and students. The digital features of an interactive whiteboard can be retrieved and used in different approaches to meet the four research-based principles of teaching student with disabilities, which are:
•Instruction designed around authentic tasks through active classroom technology
•Engagement to cognitive strategies which foster either lower or higher ordered skills
• Socially mediated learning which disabled and non-disabled students can make their thinking visible to each other
•Constructive conversations through
audio, visual and kinaesthetic reactions
On the other hand, research study,
conducted by Verenikina et al., (2010), states her concern about the learning
of students who have Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) in a frame of digital
technologies. So, interactive whiteboards are seen as a teaching and learning
tool. Tanner (2010) highlights this study that is presented to the interactive
whiteboards is a tool to support the specific needs of students with ASD, which
are imagination, self-regulation and social interactions. However, Howard
(2008) said whilst observing the behaviour of children with ASD throughout
their electronic screen media Interactions. He found results regarding
knowledge concerning the imitation of sounds, actions and words, which
increased attention to the screen and a reduced response to the environmental
distractions.
Shy-Jong Jang and Meng-Fang Tsai
(2012) analysed a survey, which examined reasons to use interactive whiteboards
to support learning efficiency and teaching. This highlighted that interactive
whiteboards support students to concentrate on their learning and increase
interactions within teachers and students. Likewise, Czyzewski (2011) states
students with attention deficit disorders improve on their learning skills by:
stimulating their senses of sight, hearing, smell and touch through multimodal
interfaces of interactive whiteboards technology, which is consisted by
multiplicity and modality.
Visually impaired students can benefit
from the use of interactive whiteboards because; it is a communication tool for
students with vision disabilities. This is an approach based on their virtual
learning environment using screen readers and interacting with educational
resources Freire et al., (2010). On the other hand, Lopez (2006) states for the
visually impaired students, the large size of interactive whiteboards has a
zoom in feature. This magnifies what is featured on the screen to the students
with colourful backgrounds. Overall, this article talks about all the different
disabilities and how the interactive whiteboard is beneficial for the students.
In conclusion, this journal article highlights a lot of discussions about the
advantages and effectiveness of using interactive whiteboards in classrooms as
an assistive technology for students with learning disabilities. However, throughout
the journal article Drigas & Papanastasiou (2014) could have set out a
review based on the disadvantages of interactive whiteboards. This would be
useful because, teachers need to know the disadvantages of using interactive
whiteboards so, they can explain to the students with learning disabilities the
dos and don’ts of interactive whiteboards. This would make students with
disabilities aware of how to use interactive whiteboards. As interactive
whiteboards take a huge amount of space in a classroom so it this piece of
assistive technology that needs to be dealt and taken care of well. In addition
a risk assessment can be put in place for teachers to do before students come
into the classroom.
The Use Of Interactive White Boards To Support Pupils With Learning Disabilities 