Supported Learning Communities A Presentation To The Iut C

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Collaborative Educational Development
Partnerships: The Importance of a
“Supported Learning Community”
Model to Project ACTIVate

Ged Mirfin
PrometheanTechnololgies Group

Improving University Teaching
Dunedin, New Zealand
Session VII-B
Thursday July 6th, 2006

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Presentation Overview
• Supported Learning Communities: A Sketch of a Model
– Collaborative Leadership and the impetus for change
– Inquire to learn whilst using ICT to teach

• Project ACTIVate: the background
– School Clusters and Collaboration

• The Supported Learning Community Partners
– The Schools
– The Economic Development Organization
– The New Zealand Government
– The Licensing Trust
– The Teachers
– The Universities – Massey & Auckland
– Technology Provider as Advocate – envision Presentations Limited

• Inquiry-based learning and Promethean ACTIVboards
– Results and Reflection
– Southland Girls’ High School
– St. Mary’s Catholic School
– Westlake Girls’ High School
– Waihopai School
– St. John’s Gir;s’ School
– Te Wharekura Arowhenua School
– Mycross Bush Primary School
– Aurora College
– Hato Petera College
– Viscount School
– Te Kura Kaupapa Maori O Te Rawhiti School
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Supported Learning
Communities: A Model
• Definition: a purposeful, coherent and integrated learning environment
which is characterized by active teaching and learning, collaboration,
shared decision making, and a strong sense of democratic participation
• Teachers, administrators and parents work together to create a climate
that focuses on reflective practice, collegiality and ongoing professional
development.
• Critical elements for developing learning community initiatives include:
– an impetus for change .
– a shared vision and decision-making. All members of the community share
goals and objectives for their students and the school.
– reflective practice
– observing each other teach and exploring new approaches
– a commitment to ongoing planning. Colleagues use and value common
planning time for developing curriculum, improving instruction and addressing
student learning issues.
– talk about curriculum and instructional improvement Colleagues enjoy talking
and reading about curriculum and instruction.
– a strategic plan
– information and resource networks
• Principals play an important role in facilitating job-embedded
professional development. Through strategic planning, reflective practice
and scheduling, principals help set the stage for successful practice.

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Learning Communities At the
Cutting Edge of Technology
• In the development and successful implementation of high
technology learning communities it is critically important that staff:
– Build strong relationship skills. Colleagues work well with each
other, the principal and parents.
– Extend networking beyond the school. Colleagues use
conferences, the web and other means to stay connected with
others outside of the school.
– Demonstrate a willingness to explore. Colleagues are eager to
try different approaches to teaching and are willing to learn new
skills and content.
– Maintain a student focus. All activities undertaken in the school
are planned and implemented in order to improve student
learning.
– Share information, networks and resources. The school has
access to the tools and material necessary to provide the
instruction required by the vision and plan.
• Principals play an important role in facilitating job-embedded
professional development. Through strategic planning, reflective
practice and scheduling, principals help set the stage for
successful practice.

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High Technology Learning 0
Communities – Students the main
beneficiaries but let’s not forget the
teachers themselves
• Learning communities have been shown to increase student retention and
academic achievement, increase student involvement and motivation and
enhance student intellectual development.
• Students involved in learning communities become more intellectually
mature and responsible for their own learning and develop the capacity to
care about the learning of their peers.
• Teachers involved in learning communities that facilitate cross-faculty
collaboration expand their repertoire of teaching approaches and
continually revise their course content and acquiring new scholarly
interests. Learning community faculty members are also building
mentoring relationships with each other and are more frequently engaging
with beginning students and general education offerings.
• Institutions use learning communities as sites for testing out new curricular
approaches and strategies for strengthening teaching and learning.
• These programs offer more coherent opportunities for the teaching of
literacy skills, such as reading, writing, and speaking, and more coherent
pathways for students to engage in the general education curriculum.
• Learning community programs also address a variety of societal issues
such as the increasing fragmentation of information and student alienation
toward participation and engagement. With an emphasis on interpersonal
dialogue, collaboration, and experiential learning within the context of
diversity, these programs address a decreasing sense of community and
connection and allow students to relate their learning to larger personal
and global questions.
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The role of cutting edge technology
in the classroom
• Information technologists are increasingly becoming critical partners
in learning community development and delivery.
• This increase is both a function of the exponential growth in the
amount of information available and the ubiquity of and
advancements in learning technologies.
• Information technologists can offer valuable expertise in teaching,
learning, and assessment practices.
• It is not just case however of “bang and hang” with the aim of “box
shifting” as much technology into the classroom as possible
• A lot of the negative press surrounding cutting edge technology
especially interactive whiteboards stems from the mistaken
impression that the technology will have a dramatic impact upon
performance in the months immediately following installation.
• Interactive whiteboards are not a “technological quick fix” which
automatically produce impressive leaps in performance simply by
hanging a board in the classroom.
• There is an underlying perception, which is engrained within the
educational establishment that teachers will somehow muddle along
and cope with the introduction of cutting edge technology in the
classroom as it arrives and as it is installed. There is little foresight
given to how to manage a successful implementation regime.

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The key requirements of a high
technology learning community
• The high technology learning community plugs into wider educational/socio-
economic initiatives and capacity building projects
• Support from Government to ensure that key policy initiatives are effectively
resourced and fully implemented
• Public Private Partnership Funding initiatives to support the introduction of
cutting edge technologies into the classroom. Even better if this done on a
Corporate Social Responsibility or Philanthropic Basis
• Lets not forget the teachers themselves! Its estimated that as much as two
thirds of all instruction in the use of cutting edge technology within the
classroom takes place within intimate learning communities which exist
within schools as knowledge is “cascaded” downwards from early and super
adopters amongst the staff. The ability to store, share and revisit resources
electronically using highly intuitive multimedia enabled interactive whiteboard
software platforms has effectively “revolutionised” the nature of teaching
within 21st century learning institutions.
• The result: digital take-off in the classroom as teachers have become
massively up-skilled in the use of ICT and been able to bring a much greater
array of electronic teaching and learning resources into play than ever before
• As befits a conference on University Teaching it is important to say
something about the role of universities in the 21st Century not just as Centres
of Academic Excellence & Knowledge but as Leadership Centres/Outreach
Workers who are able to take that knowledge into the community so that it is
made best use of not just held in an ivory tower
• Most critical requirement of all is “hands-on” support from a technology
supplier who is not just seen to believe but actively participates in the
adoption process and continues to provide on-going support for the
installation of the technology, its integration into the school and classroom
and its embedding in teaching & learning

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Project ACTIVate
• Project ACTIVate - a collaborative project involving 15
schools which links two school clusters based at either end of
the country, 9 Southland schools with 5 North Island schools
from the North Shore area and the College of Education at
Albany Campus piloting the use of IWBs to aid and enhance
cooperative, distance and inquiry-based learning.
• Project ACTIVate part of the Digital Opportunities Project
– DigiOps funded by the New Zealand Ministry of Education.
Digital Opportunities projects are joint partnerships between
schools, organizations involved in ICT and the Ministry of
Education.
• Aim: improve learning through the use of leading edge
technologies.

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Project ACTIVate in detail
• The idea behind Project ACTIVate is to use technology to aid and
enhance cooperative, distance and inquiry-based learning. Guided properly,
according to available theories, inquiry-based learning allows students to
be architects of their own learning and cooperative learning allows for
diversity and the provision of larger teaching resource.
• Project ACTIVate is being implemented in two stages. In the first
stage, which began in early 2005, schools piloted a study looking
at how IWB technology can be integrated as an effective teaching
aid. The aim of the pilot is to create a substantial pool of teaching
resources for use between the schools.
• A range of interactive whiteboard teaching and learning resources
tailored to the New Zealand curriculum have also been created
during the course of Project ACTIVate . Over 1,000 New Zealand
curriculum content and resources in flipchart format built using
Promethean’s ACTIVstudio and ACTIVprimary software can be
downloaded free from the Promethean web-site
www.prometheanworld.com.
• The ultimate aim of Project ACTIVate is to develop models of
“effective learning and teaching practice using interactive
whiteboard technology” which can be used in classrooms across
New Zealand to deliver improvements in teaching and learning
particularly in relation to the delivery of key elements of the
curriculum.

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Use technology to aid and enhance 0

cooperative, distance and inquiry-
•
based learning.to available
Guided properly, according
theories, inquiry-based learning allows
students to be architects of their own
learning and cooperative learning allows
for diversity and the provision of larger
teaching resource.
• Project ACTIVate is about using IWBs to
provide greater interaction with teaching
materials, and as an interactive portal for
web-based video conferencing linking
participating schools via Macromedia
Breeze software. Classes ‘dial up’ and
interact through a PC-based conference
client and the images are displayed on the
interactive whiteboard. Microphones and
speakers allow for audio communication.
• Resources such as electronic flip-charts,
which can be interactive are shown
onscreen and a teacher or teachers
conduct lessons via the flip chart.
• Classes with webcam can have their
images projected to other participants, and
the split screens allow for several images
at one time.
• Multiple classes from different schools can
participate in the lesson. Guest speakers
with access to IWBs and software have
also attend ‘classes’.

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The Partners 1: The Schools
• Participants Schools:

• Northern cluster:
• St Mary’s School, Northcote, North
Shore – Lead school
• Viscount Primary School, Mangere,
Manukau City
• Hato Petera College, Northcote, North
Shore
• Westlake Girls’ High School, Takapuna,
North Shore
• Te Kura Kaupapa Maori o Te Rawhiti
Roa, Whangarei

• Southern cluster:
• Te Wharekura O Arowhenua,
Invercargill
• Newfield School, Invercargill
• Waverley Park School, Invercargill
• Myross Bush Primary School, Southland
• St Patrick’s Primary School, Invercargill
• Waihopai School, Invercargill
• St John’s Girls’ School, Invercargill
• Southland Girls’ High School,
Invercargill
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The Partners 2: The Economic
Development Organization
• Project ACTIVate originated in Southland where interactive whiteboards were
demonstrated during a series of seminars held by Venture Southland as part of its
Innovator Project in July 2003.
• Venture Southland – an economic and community development organization - is a
joint initiative of the Invercargill City Council, Southland District Council and Gore
District Council. Venture delivers Enterprise, Tourism, Promotion, Events and
Community Development services to the region. Venture works with groups and
organizations to identify opportunities and facilitate project developments that will
enhance the prosperity and quality of life of within the Southland region.
• Prime Minister Helen Clark states, "This is a case of a region saying `if we all work
together we can get the best results for our community'," she said.
• The fact that Southland's community so often work together means the level of
infrastructure and services is very good.
• "Southland may be on the southern peripheral in New Zealand but it's extraordinary
what it leads New Zealand in," she said.
• Innovator project manager Wayne Duncan, “This project is all about supporting
innovative teaching practices in our schools. The students in our schools are
integral to the region’s prosperity and Venture Southland is proactive in supporting
the education sector.”
• Venture Southland is co-ordinating the South Island schools, and is supporting the
project by funding the technologies involved for the Southland schools.
• Venture Southland will continue to act in a facilitation role in Southland ensuring
the maximum benefits are gained for students using interactive whiteboards.
• Such a corporatist approach to educational development has proved essential in a
small country like New Zealand where there is a need to make the most of available
resources.

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The Partners 3: The New Zealand 0

•
Government
According to Prime Minister Helen Clark,
" Project ACTIVate is one of the Digital
Opportunites projects which are great
examples of the education sector,
business and government working
together to support student learning in
the dynamic and challenging area of
information communications
technologies (ICT)."
• Project ACTIVate is part of the Digital
Opportunities Project – DigiOps - for
short, which is funded by the New
Zealand Ministry of Education. The Digital
Opportunities projects are joint
partnerships between schools,
organizations involved in ICT and the
Ministry of Education.
• Since the year 2001, the New Zealand
Government and some of New Zealand’s
leading ICT businesses have allocated
more than $6.5 million to support a range
of digital opportunities projects.
• According to Clark, “Project ACTIVate
sees teachers working collaboratively to
identify how these new interactive
technologies best support teaching and
learning. Specifically teachers will share
planning and teaching resources.”
• Furthermore, “They…have the
opportunity for professional training and
development, as well as working together
electronically on learning units
specifically tailored to the New Zealand
13 curriculum.” 12/07/12

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The Partners 4: The Funder: The
•
Invercargill Licensing supplied by the Invercargill
The interactive whiteboards in Southlands were
Trust
Licensing Trust to schools in Invercargill.
• The Invercargill Licensing Trust is a public-owned company in the city of
Invercargill. It funds schools, and sports and cultural groups. the emphasis is on
Invercargill and its residents which ensures that the profits from the sale of alcohol
are used in projects to benefit the community
• A key objective of the Trust is to contribute to the community. The Trust actively
promotes Invercargill and the southern region of New Zealand.
• The Invercargill Licensing Trust along with its Charitable Trust and Sports
Foundation provide donations and sponsorships of approximately $3 million
annually to nearly 500 organisations during the year.
• In 2005, a Ministry of Education Digital Oportunities project, Project ACTIVate,
concluded that interactive whiteboards boost motivation, enhance concentration
and improve learning outcomes – results which have prompted the Invercargill
Licensing Trust to fund the installation of 120 more of the boards in classrooms
throughout the city.
• In the first ever citywide implementationin New Zealand, every school will receive
between two and 18 boards depending on their size.
• The announcement brought the total amount the ILT and its Charitable Trust had
invested in education projects in Invercargill in the past three years to $3.5 million.
• Trust president Alan Dennis said 120 more interactive whiteboards would be
distributed among the 34 schools in Invercargill in the coming months.
• Interactive whiteboards will also be donated to the Southland Museum and Art
Gallery, the Invercargill Public Library, the Southern Institute of Technology and the
Dunedin College of Education Southland campus.

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The Partners 5: The Teachers
Themselves!
• Teachers taking part in the project
have developed innovative ways of
using IWBs to create a richer learning
experience in the classroom
• As well as planning and
implementing the project plans for
IWBs, teachers have also been
responsible for researching their
projects. The teachers have been
evaluating the student learning
benefits of IWBs in the classroom.
• The results were published as a
collection of papers in the November
Edition of the academic journal
“Computers in New Zealand
Schools”.
• "For me as a teacher, the board has
been amazing. I just cannot imagine
teaching without it now. I'd be
devastated – and I've been teaching
for 30 years. It just lifts the whole
learning environment to a different
level, and the students say that too –
they find the interactive whiteboard
more motivating and easier to learn
from."
- Robyn Garden

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The Partners 6: Universities as Noisy 0

Active Research Leaders not just
Silent Research Partners
• Massey University has been
responsible for the overall delivery of
professional development and acting
as project facilitator.
• Ken Ryba, Associate Professor of
Education at Massey University has
been working alongside the schools
taking part in the project to review
the research data generated.
• He continues to lead research into
ACTIVate and is assessing how
interactive whiteboard technology
helps teachers to collaborate and
teach more effectively and in turn
how student learning is improved.
• John Raine, Deputy Vice-Chancellor
of the Auckland Campus of Massey
University said that Project ACTIVate
research has provided useful and
exciting insights, and identified how
the technology can be used to
support collaborative and inquiry-
based learning.

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The Partners 7: Technology
Provider as Advocate 1
• Technical support has been supplied throughout
the course of the project by technology partner
Envision Presentations Ltd which provided
support and training for schools through
individual school visits and professional
development seminars
• Envision provided IWBs and the ‘Click to Meet’
Video Conferencing Software application to each
of the schools.
• Auckland-based Envision Presentations Ltd
brought the Promethean IWB technology to New
Zealand 18 months ago.
• According to Envision Presentation Director,
Murray Thomas, “It’s a dynamic ICT tool that will
allow teachers to go further by enriching,
enhancing and inspiring students.”
• Ongoing training in the use of the technology
and technical support has also been supplied by
Envision. In all four Professional Development
days were held in Invercargill and Auckland for
participating teachers at approximately two
month intervals.
• Ongoing support was provided through the use
of email, phone and on-site meetings.

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The Partners 7: Technology
Provider as Advocate 2
• “When considering a company for this project, the ILT board
considered the companies’ enthusiasm for the project, their
strength, focus and track record as well as the teaching and
learning software supplied with the boards and the calibre of the
training and professional development programmes offered by the
vendors. ActivboardNZ came out clearly ahead and we look
forward to a long working relationship with them” said Alan
Dennis, President of the ILT
• Murray Thoms, says; “This Interactive whiteboard project which
also includes fully funded user training to support teaching staff
and specialist Promethean Teaching and Learning Advisors to
provide on-going professional development in the classroom has
the potential to make Invercargill and Southland the interactive
teaching and learning capital of New Zealand.
• Murray Thoms says that within five years every school in New
Zealand will have at least one IWB.
• “Most teachers I talk to say “’if you took my IWB away, I’d give up
teaching!”’ The writing is on the wall (or board) - schools wishing
to attract talented teachers need to embrace IWB technology,”
says Murray.
• Murray Thoms is an Advocate in the most powerful sense.
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Inquiry Based Learning
• Project ACTIVate built around an inquiry-based learning model,
• Try and encourage students to think independently.
• Use IWBs complements inquiry-based learning
• Allows students to link with information that they may need in
order to work out an answer to a question or a solution to a
problem.
• Integration IWBs into classroom learning designed to provide
more opportunity for interactive approaches for learning - helps to
make learning more motivating, enjoyable and relevant
• Teacher remains responsible for the learning of students but acts
in less directive and more facilitatory way, allowing students to
take more responsibility for own learning.
• By working collaboratively on group projects students develop a
range of skills in: identifying problems and creating research
questions, planning projects, carrying out data collection and
information gathering and analyzing and interpreting results.
• Preparing flipcharts using Promethean’s ACTIVstudio software
gave students effective ownership of their learning as well as
encouraging students to refocus on and revisit previous learning.
• In the process of using IWBs it was found that students were able
to show the development of thinking skills and learning strategies.

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The Results 1: Southland Girls’
High School
• Students taught with the aid of an IWB achieved better learning outcomes than
students taught by traditional methods
• Science teacher Robyn Garden took two similarly streamed Year 10 science
classes, and divided them into control group, which had traditional study
resources, such as textbooks and overhead projector slides, while the experimental
group used only the IWB.
• With natural disasters as the topic, each group received three weeks of tuition
aided by either the IWB or textbooks. At topic end, the groups were tested against
the curriculum exemplars again and the results were marked by contrast.
• Eleven of the control group were reassessed as achieving to a level three standard,
while 10 were assessed at level four, and only one student attained level five.
• However, it was the opposite for the experimental group, where 11 students
reached the level five standard, nine gained level four, and only two gained level
three.
No. of Students

• The class that used the IWB gained a better understanding than the class who did
not use it.
Student Achievement In Post Tests

12
10
8
W ithout IW B
6
W ith IW B
4
2
0
0 1 2 3 4 5
le ve l of Achie ve me nt

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The Results 2: St. Mary’s
Catholic School
• Further evidence of the positive benefits of interactive whiteboard
technology came from Paul Engles, Judy Lane, Janet Yelas, Bridget
Cairns from St. Mary’s Catholic School on Auckland’s North Shore.
• Students from the school were in unanimous agreement that, “they
understood the lessons better when using the IWBs.”
• The IWB was helpful to the learning of students. Preparing flipcharts
using Promethean’s interactive whiteboard software gave students
effective ownership of their learning as well as encouraging students to
refocus on and revisit previous learning.
• The use of interactive whiteboards moreover the writers concluded,
“afforded the students a rich diversity of perspectives and resources that
they could use in combination with more traditional sources of
information”.
How does an IWB help with learning?
• It helps me to learn. I do not get confused.
• I see things more clearly. I see the picture
visually.
• It helps me have other ideas.
• It helps me learn and understand more.
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The Results 3: Westlake Girls'
High School
Benefits of IWB Technology
• The IWB is a “value-added tool in engaging participants and enabling the
development of skills in communication, collaboration and cooperation”.
• IWBs provide, “potential for interconnectivity”.
• IWB enables “the participants to engage with [it] as a tool for gathering,
organizing and presenting information.”
• IWB enables, “the participants to put into practice and extend their
development of collaborative and cooperation skills and abilities.”
• The IWB makes “possible…visual and audio presentation”.
• The use of the IWB in “problem solving activities”.
• The capabilities of IWB technologies to build inter-connectivity.
• The ability of the IWB “to enable communication across the globe and
.
bring a range of connections into the classroom environment in a visual
and written manner.
• The inter-active nature of the IWB meant that the students were ale to
engage in their own learning and then share this with their groups.
• The ease of use of the IWB meant that students could see “immediate
results of the experimentation and exploration of the technologies”.
• Use of the IWB provided “immediate positive feedback which
encouraged…further use”
• The endless scope of possibilities for communication, data collection,
gathering and presentation.
• Active engagement of the students.
• Involvement of the students in directing their own learning.

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The Results 4
: Waihopai School
• Findings from Westlake were similar to those
found by Ann McDowell & Monique Murray at
Waihopai School in Invercargill

• The two teachers discovered that, “The IWB
proved to be [a] motivating influence for the
students and engaged them in learning…
effectively.”

• Students using the IWB were found to be
“actively engaged” in their learning tasks.

• The IWB was extremely successful “in engaging
children in learning as it allowed more
interaction” than took place in lessons where
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the interactive whiteboard was not used. 12/07/12

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The Results 5:
St. John’s Girls’ School
• Trish Boyle from St. John’s Girls’ School in Invercargill believes that this has a lot
to do with the cultivation of higher order thinking skills.
• Boyle used the IWB to provide additional help to Year 8 Students in the school on
reading comprehension. The critical question she posed herself was, “Could the
process of showing their thinking using the IWB help the students deepen their
understanding of what they read?”
• As you can see from the graph above there was a significant increase in reading
comprehension over the course of the project. As the sessions progressed the
students became more confident and were able to explain their thoughts and
interact with other students in a more effective way.
• In the process of using the IWB, students were able to show the development of
thinking skills and learning strategies.
Interactions from Penholder

20

15
1st Observation
10 2nd Observation
3rd Observation
5

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P C S W D

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The Results 6:
Te Wharekura o Arowhenua School
• Mere Ellis and Hera Wainui, teachers from Te Wharekura o Arowhenua
School in Invercargill took this research one stage further
• They posed the question, “How effective was the learning task using
the IWB environment compared to a parallel task in a non-IWB
environment?”
• They were interested to find out, “Which was more effective and why?”
This entailed exploring the effectiveness of IWB participation compared
to non-IWB participation.
• They found that the size and colour of IWB flipcharts grabbed the
attention of maori students. When students took turns completing
flipcharts others watched with no loss of attention.
• They also found that maori students were excited about using the pen
on the board making the lesson easier and go much faster.
• The teachers concluded that, “With the IWB you are involved in the
activity, taking part in it, and experiencing the colours, movement and
sound”.
• The teachers found that the IWB developed the confidence and self-
esteem of maori students because they didn’t need a lot of motivation
to take part in classroom activities using the IWB.
• More important students tended to listen to instructions more carefully
when the IWB was being used. The size of the IWB and the colour of the
flipcharts meant that it was easily able to be seen.
• When one student was interacting with the board the others were
learning as they watched, keen to have their own turn.
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The Results 7:
Mycross Bush Primary School
• Similar findings were obtained by teachers
Della Bowman and Carol Tait from Mycross
Bush Primary School in Invercargill
• In their project they set out to establish
whether the IWB was more conducive to Frequency of on-task behaviour
“on task” behaviour than other more
traditional computer-based learning with
children working individually or in groups.
• Observations were made of student
behaviour using 3 different technologies: 120
the IWB, individual computers and a group
computer shared by a group of 3 students.
Behaviour was observed using behaviour
100
recording sheets and by making note of all
the behaviours which arose. 80 IWB
• The teachers concluded that, “the impact of
IWB technology on student on-task
behaviour has been effective and positive. 60 Individual
The frequency of student on-task behaviour
when working on the IWB is much greater
than when working on the individual
40 Group
computers or as a group on one single
computer.” 20
• The students were observed to co-operate
well together by systematically organizing
in what order they were to take ownership
0
of the whiteboard pen to complete a task
while other members encouraged and Child Child Child Child Child Child Child Child Child
supported them.
• The teachers concluded that, a more 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
supportive and co-operative relationship
developed between the children as they
worked together on a task, using the IWB.

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The Results 9:
Aurora College
• Amanda Ridley from Aurora College in Invercargill explores whether high
levels of on-task behaviour are due to students perceiving the interactive
whiteboard to be a more motivational teaching tool than a conventional
whiteboard or printed worksheets.

• Ridley concluded on the basis of the evidence that it was apparent that
the majority of her students found the IWB was a more motivational tool
than a conventional whiteboard or printed worksheets.

Student Comments
• It’s fun.
• It’s cool and it’s fun! There are lots of pictures already drawn, it is heaps better
than drawing my own
• Because there is a lot of space to write on it.
• Because I can grab a pen and go with it! It was easier to work on the IWB
because we could pick our work up from where we left it last period, instead of
having to find my worksheet.
• I can see the writing heaps easier.
• If you make a mistake it doesn’t matter because it has got a memory and you
don’t lose things.
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The Results 10:
Hato Petera College
• Ridley’s comments are echoed by Brother David McDonald,
Timoti Maru, Rawina Maru & Karlin Shaw from Hato Petera
College in Northcote
• Responses from a class survey to measure perceptions and
experiences with using an IWB found that students thought the
IWB engaged them in the learning process.
• Students stated that the visual impact of an IWB aided their
understanding and they said that they focused more on what the
teacher was illustrating.
• The visual component also helped many students to recall
previous lessons which students felt aided understanding.
• From this the teachers were able to conclude that, “We believe
using the IWB helped teachers and students make a shift from
thinking of the role of a teacher as a disseminator of knowledge,
to a role of learning facilitator, in which students were able to
take a more active part in the learning process. This, in turn,
resulted in students developing a sense of ownership of the
learning process.

28 12/07/12

0
The Results 11:Viscount School
• Barbara Woods, Leigh Stevens, Fran
Mes and Sarah Reid from Viscount
School in Mangere, Auckland looked at
the influence of the IWB on engagement
levels in the class.
• The IWB has been used for individual
class presentations on topics as varied
as why the Titanic sank, to creating
static electricity and what college is right
for me?
• The IWB according to the teachers at
Viscount School, “had enabled students
to work collaboratively.”
• The students also reported that they
produced work of a much better
standard when working collaboratively
on the IWB. Indeed the interactive
whiteboard has effectively blurred the
line between teacher and student.
• The teachers at Viscount write that, “At
all levels when using the interactive
whiteboard we have observed students
becoming competent teachers both
when teaching their peers and when
teaching their teacher.”
• Students who were previously
uncomfortable in this role, they report,
appear to teach others confidently when
using an interactive whiteboard.
• The teachers have been prompted to
conclude that, “the IWB could be a
hitherto unsurpassed tool for
establishing sharing, co-operation, and
respect for one another in the
classroom.”
29 12/07/12

The Results 12: 0

Te Kura Kaupapa Maori Ō Te
Rawhiti Roa School
• Joanne Murray and Mark Morunga from Te
Kura Kaupapa Maori Ō Te Rawhiti Roa,
School in Whangarei explore the way in
which in which IWBs can enhance the
learning of students with learning
difficulties and behaviour problems.
• The project initially focused on the learning
of one unruly student.
• For that student the IWB was a cool new
way to learn.
• When given an opportunity to develop skills
on an IWB his interest in his work increased
noticeably. He became familiar with the IWB
software, creating flipcharts, inserting text
and graphics etc.
• The student began to use flipcharts to
explain step by step processes to others
including his peer group
• According to Murray and Morunga the IWB
provided the student with the opportunity to
feel valued by being able to show his
‘expertise’ using the the IWB and as a
result, increase his own self-esteem.
• The two teachers believe that this shows
promising outcomes for students with
similar learning difficulties provided that is
they are given the same opportunities to
use an IWB to stimulate, motivate and
enhance their learning

30 12/07/12

In Conclusion
• Project Activate participants were personally congratulated by
the Education Minister, the Hon Steve Maharey, for having the
project’s first year findings into the use of Promeathean
Interactive Whiteboards successfully published in the academic
journal, Computers in New Zealand Schools.

• Speaking in Rotorua at the project’s first professional
development session for 2006, the Minister said the publication
of the 13 articles was an “outstanding achievement,” and
provided educationalists, researchers and other interested
people with a rich research resource.

• "That project really brought to the fore that the boards really
make a difference. They are not just a gimmick as some people
claim. They are seriously impacting on the motivation and
achievement of students.“

• “I am very convinced that whiteboards make a difference, and
when I survey students they admitted their whole learning is
enhanced enormously with it."
31 12/07/12

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