Website Review 1 – The use of interactive whiteboards to support pupils with learning disabilities
Perras, C (2019) Interactive Whiteboards: An Assistive
Technology Tool for Students with LDs. Available at: https://www.ldatschool.ca/smartboards/
(Accessed 4th April 2019).
‘The Interactive
Whiteboards: An Assistive Technology Tool for Students with LDs (learning
disabilities)’ website looks at the use of interactive whiteboards and how they
can benefit students’ needs and areas of learning disabilities. This website
analyses the use of interactive whiteboards, assistive technology, and students
with learning disabilities such as dyslexia, students with fine motor
difficulties and students with ADHD.
This website begins from Perras
(2019) stating that the
key to effective assistive technology is discovering the precise match between
the assistive technology tool, the learning disabilities and the task in the
classroom. Of course, this would be the interactive whiteboards. As, students
with learning disabilities will most frequently need assistive technology to
assist them with their language, organisational skills, reading, and processing
information. Examples of the assistive technology include computers, iPad,
tablets, laptops and most importantly, which this website focuses on is
interactive whiteboards. As Perras
(2019) highlights a type
of assistive technology that has turned out to be progressively popular in
classrooms as an instructional tool is the use of interactive whiteboards. As it
is useful for teachers when they are teaching students with learning
disabilities and non-disabilities. An interactive whiteboard is a presentation
advice that interfaces with a computer, computer images are displayed on a
touch-sensitive screen by a digital projector where they can be seen.
Students who have learning disabilities will need a variety of accommodations
to access in classrooms; part of the access in the classroom is
technology. Interactive whiteboards are
useful for students to use because, it includes voice-to-text software’s,
text-to-speech software’s, and it has touch screen technology. Furthermore, on
this website it shows that students with a learning disability such as dyslexia
need the extra support from interactive whiteboards. The use of interactive
whiteboards is that is has colourful text, video clips, animation and images. Likewise,
educators are able to incorporate phonic activities on the interactive
whiteboards; this supports student’s learning disability in dyslexia because it
makes it informal for the students to build awareness of the letter sounds into
words. In addition, educators can use interactive white boards to give out
tests to students. Therefore, teachers
are able to keep a track of how students with learning disabilities are developing.
It helps them because if they are not doing well they are able to receive more
support and help from a number of educational institutions. Classroom audio
systems can support students with learning disabilities to hear well. For
example, if a student has a learning disability such as poor hearing the
interactive whiteboard can help students to hear the teacher’s voices better.
An important factor, which the website highlights, is the recommendation which teachers are able to make, for example by recording processes on the interactive whiteboards means they are always able to go back to if necessary.
Perras (2019) states the benefits shown on the website is using interactive whiteboards in classrooms for students with fine motor skills, pupils are able to write on the boards by using their fingers, or a pen from the whiteboard tray. This is useful for students because the interactive whiteboards are able to change the handwritten letters to text by using its handwriting recognition capabilities. On the other hand, this is not safe because students can end up tarnishing the interactive whiteboards if they press too hard on the whiteboards. Similarly, teachers can support students with constructing letter forms and numerical symbols by asking them to trace over the alphabet on the interactive white boards. Students are able to annotate over images and practice on their writing skills too.
In conclusion, this website states many advantages to using an interactive white board for students with learning disabilities. However, there has been no mention of how students who use interactive whiteboards can have disadvantages. This becomes a limitation to the website as Perras (2019) is only stating the benefits. This is certainly not any help for teachers if they need to know the pros and cons of interactive white boards in assistive technology.
The Use Of Interactive White Boards To Support Pupils With Learning Disabilities 