The White Elephant

This is something I wrote a while back as part of a reflective task for the M.Ed module I’m studying. I was thinking about some of the teachers I meet when I go into schools. It’s an extreme amalgam of characters.

I’d forgotten that I hadn’t posted it here yet. I was reminded when I read this post by Chris Betcher and this one by Steve Wheeler.

The bloody thing arrived over the Easter break.  A giant screen with a stupid arm sticking out of it. They messed up my room to put it in too. My desk was moved and my old board ripped out. An interactive whiteboard they say it’s called. What do I want an interactive whiteboard for? My old board was interactive enough for me. I wrote on it. Occasionally I’d stick things to it with blue tack. It was fine. I asked the head if I could use my whiteboard pens on this new board and he went pale. No. Not under any circumstances.

I hate it. I’m not good with computers you see. I have to get my son over to help me with anything like that. I still get confused with the DVD player at home. There’s too many buttons.

All this technology in the classroom. It’s just unnecessary. What a waste of all that money that could be spent on books. I can’t see the point of all this email and texting. Kids are sending texts to the kid sitting next to them at school. How stupid is that? And as for Facebook and Twitter? Who wants to know what you’re doing every minute of every day? Apparently the C in ICT stands for communication – I think there’s quite enough communicating as it is. Kids are losing the ability to sit quietly and do their classwork. Whats the point of being able to speak to people on the other side of the world?

Anyway, so my big stupid board just sits there. A big stupid blank space, staring at me. I tried to use it once, but I couldn’t get it to click where i put my finger. Apparently I need to calibrate it or something. I asked the head and he told me there was a manual for it on the school network. I didn’t think i should ask how to get onto the network so I just nodded and left it at that. He said something about the P drive, or the Z drive or something. No idea how to get those. I don’t think they’re on my computer.

We haven’t had any training on it, the head said there was no need. “it’s intuitive” he said. “anyone can use it”. In reality he’s spent thousands on these things. I reckon he’s now trying to save a few quid by doing the training himself. But it’s the blind leading the blind. Even if we did get someone in it would probably be some snotty little 18 year old whizzkid who’d throw a lot of jargon at us, or a sales pitch. And then leave us to it.

I should try and do something with it. My kids have shown me how to get a video up onto the screen, but that’s all I can do. I just don’t have the time to learn anything new. Especially with all the jobs i keep getting given.

I’m too old for all this.

Do you have teachers like this in your school? How can you help them? How could your school support them?

When I go in and deliver training, I try and think of this teacher and try to make things manageable for them. To keep it simple but to show how to use the IWB in the classroom. At least in the schools I go into the management team have made the decision to invest in some training. That can make all the difference. Even to the very hesistant teachers.

I know there’s quite a kick back against interactive whiteboards in many schools. This links back to my post the other week about it not being the whiteboard that’s the problem. There’s always been a resistance to change, school boards and teachers have resisted slates, ballpoint pens and paper over the last 200 years. The tech is not going to go away – our children are growing up in a highly technological world. As teachers we need to adapt and embrace it.

How do you support the other staff in your school?

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