A year ago, “Makassed Khalil Shehab Primary School” had wielded the use of Promethean Interactive White Boards in its school. This highly technological invention had added multifarious amenities to its generic tutoring. Like any novel innovation; the “ Promethean Interactive White Board” wrenched teachers, students, and schools from discrepant conundrums regarding the plying of primordial methods of pedagogy. These interactive Boards have disparate merits. The most puissant theme that we would like to accentuate on in our study is ”Teacher’s Effectiveness”. Pedagogues are the imperative substrate of any educational process. However, a mason without the appropriate accoutrements fails to accomplish any errand! Hence, the secret behind our power and glory was the hodgepodge of the “ Promethean Interactive White Board” and the efficacy of our instructors.
As time passed, we have noticed that the students’ demands for “Technology” were surpassing our proffers. Pupils these days get more bored easily and hence become less productive. Their demands for enthusiasm in learning ramped up increasingly on the decreasing scale of ineffectiveness! Moreover, our children are daily exposed to broadly-based technologies like the web 2.0 tools such as blogs and wikis, in addition their Hi-tech PSP, Nintendo,Wii, and PS3Games, and even Hi-tech telecommunications through Iphones, Blackberries, ipads and others… Therefore, the life they were living outside school with all its offerings was incompatible with that of their school teaching. Something had to be done- and done quick… It was here were Makassed IT directorate worked on a strategic plan to integrate technology in its schools, both in administration and teaching. This plan started five years ago and changed the profiles of Makassed schools. Promethean boards were an integral part of this plan. Like in the case of any new innovative tool, the only shortcoming that we encountered and want to address is that tutors need some time of course to master all the broad skills of such a highly technological device, especially that they are technology immigrants, while their students are digital natives! It was surprising that our students were self-learners in using the board, since the first day it was in their classrooms
The resolution for his conflict was to empower teachers to use these boards. Thus, diverse adept development programs and trainings were held, orgainized again by the Makassed IT directorate. All teachers underwent an advanced training and prepared flipcharts to use on the interactive board. In antithesis, others were introduced to teachers as mandatory, particularly the reporting tools that would help the whole team to be more efficient in its communication and skills. In addition, other technologies and teaching practices were introduced through continuous applications. Hence, the class came to life by the addendum of the “Promethean Interactive White Boards”. All pupils of discrepant levels were keen to use it. They raced to write on it or perform a task using its features. Microsoft add ons were also used and we were the first school in Lebanon to use Mouse Mischief and train on it. Graphic slates and wands and other accessories were also used. Students started watching videos and listening to stories on promethean planet. They prepared lessons and became tutors, presenting their lessons on Promethean Board proudly to their peers. “Learing is Fun” many students would comment “and it is more interactive “, we would add. Teachers were enthusiastic and started uploading lessons on Promethean planet. The “Promethean Interactive White Board” introduced a grave unfledged novel way of teaching. It amalgamated learning with pleasure! It drew a yearning smile on the faces of our angelic youngsters, our four leaf clovers as we call them! The deployment of the “Promethean Interactive White Boards” added caliber to our school, teachers, and students. Students were lured into using modern technology and parents were satisfied. Moreover, it provided the means for keeping students actively involved and motivated in the imbibing progress. Hence, students’ engagement in the learning process was augmented while using the “Interactive Whiteboard”.
Consequently, the Promethean Interactive White Boards was used to deliver tutelage in multifarious discrepant ways. Three of the most crucial categories of conveying the tutoring development were the: “Visual, Auditory, and Kinesthetic modalities”. Thus, in each of these maneuvers; our ravenous students found gratification, complacence, and contentment. Their hunger for knowledge was satiated … their craving thirst for technology was cloyed, and their use of 21st century skills in the classroom was secured! Their eyes couldn’t forget the sparkling light of demeanor nor could their ears come up empty with the sounds of delineations!
Regarding pedagogues; tutors were introduced to multitudinous disparate professional trainings in order to furnish them with a prodigious substrate for effective technological implementations. These drillings allowed our teachers to become “Highly- Qualitative Mentors” This month we were informed that our school was chosen as a mentor school as part of the Partners in Learning Program. Only three schools in the Middle East and Africa regions were chosen so. In our Mentoring endeavours we are keen on abetting schools to use the “Promethean Interactive White Board proficiently. In our point of view, our teachers; as well, were aspiring for the use of a Highly-Innovative mean in order to manifest the suppressed capabilities they had deep down inside and which they failed to evince by using the traditional “Chalk Board”. It is astounding when we hear ample tutors say: ’We can’t imagine ourselves ever going back to teaching on “Chalk Boards”, after we have experienced the lucent “ Promethean Interactive White Boards” glimmering the magnificent ethereal of technology!’
Mentor Schools are chosen for their notably creative and innovative ways of implementing technology in education, researching, and sharing of knowledge. To us, achieving the Mentor School level award is only the beginning. Our aim is to continue “to work with and share expertise with educators from all around the world in order to progress and elevate International wise. Hence, this way, our beloved students will have more opportunities to participate in global collaborative projects and expand their intellectual horizons and use 21st century skills! Furthermore, our school has established links with other schools abroad to increment its global purview. These links have allowed students of both schools to work collaboratively on projects sharing ideas and intermingling on cultural levels. For that reason our Makassed school was awarded the International School Award from the British Council.
Last but not least, we would whole heartedly like to thank “Promethean” and its entire diligent staff for giving us this precious trove and for choosing us for this noteworthy study. Thanks again for believing in our school, our teachers, and our integrity... We will always do our best to be up to expectation and credence!
(This case study write-up is the collaborative work of Ghina Albadawi, Ghinwa Doughan,Dounia Badereddine, & Rawaa Shehab)
No comments:
Post a Comment