As technology goes Personal Computers (PCs) have a major role to play in supporting individual students to reinforce and explore concepts in their personal learning.  This has traditionally been labelled e-Learning. Interactive Whiteboards have proven to be very effective at enhancing whole class teaching, the necessary precursor of learning, increasingly this use of Technology has been referred to as e-Teaching.  To gain the greatest advantage from the use of technology schools and teachers need a strategy to create links and scaffold between the e-Teaching and the e-Learning. 

At Richardson Primary we create the links via software.

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Ideal Resources have produced some great software that the teachers at our school have taken to like ducks to water.

Why is this so?

This is software designed for effective explicit teaching of concepts, as well as whole class fun or individual, practice of the learned concepts.

There are other similarly themed software packages around, many web freeware - but in my opinion, the Ideal Resources stuff is significantly better and well worth the investment. The strength of the software is that it engages the students with well thought out visuals and allows for explicit teaching to occur. The activities are designed around eye pleasing graphics with simple, logical navigation menus.

The software works equally well using an IWB pen or finger, or a computer track pad or mouse. While the software is enhanced by the IWBs in our school, some of our teachers are experiencing great success using the software with a projector only in the Primary grades.

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Education Journal of NSW Review By Rosemary McDowall and Bill Gillespie for Computer Corner

Software for Interactive Whiteboards.

It seems only a short time ago that the time honoured, not to mention dusty and dirty, Blackboard was beginning to be replaced in classrooms by the cleaner Whiteboard. We’re sure that many of our readers still don’t have access to a Whiteboards and are still using the Blackboard just like teachers did decades ago. Now both are being replaced by the Interactive Whiteboards (IWBs).

The introduction of the IWB demands a change in the manner that a teacher interacts with the students. The use of wireless tablets, in conjunction with the IWB, increases the amount of interaction in the classroom and students become more active participants in the leaning process.

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School Zone  evaluations School Zone is an independent review service offered by teachers.

Early Years Maths Pack  evaluation

This title offers an interactive resource that can be used effectively on either individual computers or an interactive whiteboard. All the key concepts of the numeracy areas for the infant stage documentation can be covered using the activities on offer, either as a primary or secondary source.

The program has been used to great effect to introduce Kindergarten children to the basic properties of the interactive whiteboard, where program applications have proved very effective and successful. The pages/screens are well set out and the clickable areas are within reach of Reception age children.

The Early Years Maths Pack is invaluable in variety of teaching situations, from one to one correspondence, through number recognition, to shape recognition and pattern making.

Teaching Money  evaluation

This is an Interactive Whiteboard title that provides clear on-screen resources to aid the teaching of money. Differentiated activities allow primary year groups to benefit from this resource. From coin recognition screens to shopping activities where the child has to select the right coins to match the price of an item, there are plenty of opportunities for children to familiarise themselves with the different denominations and understand the concept of buying and receiving change.

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Teaching Measures  evaluation

This is an interactive Whiteboard title that provides clear on-screen resources to aid the teaching of measurement. It covers many of the resources required for this numeracy module. There are enough activities to keep the children interested, the graphics and instructions are clear and unfussy and although clearly designed to be used on an IWB it can easily be adapted to an ICT suite with either Class Demo for class-work or for individual use.

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Primary Games Vol 3  evaluation

Primary Games Vol.3 provides a wide range of highly engaging and enjoyable mathematical games which allow children to learn whilst having fun.

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Primary Games Vol 4  evaluation

With 12 different activities on the main menu page, expanding to 27 variations, most activities can be customised according to the age and/or needs of the pupils. This differentiation within the activities allows specific needs to be easily met. Also included within the software are customisable worksheets which can be printed off for classroom use. These worksheets can be customised almost infinitely, giving different combinations each time.

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Maths Pack Three evaluation

Interactive Resources have produced a Maths Pack Three program; an integrated learning system of activities to provide interactive opportunities for pupils to consolidate and practise mathematical skills relating to the objectives in the Primary curriculum.

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