The interactive whiteboard (IWB) 

So far, my posts have not ventured the possibilities offered by interactive whiteboards. The initial idea for the blog articles posted here was to stick to CALL so that they have all been devoted to the use of the computer. However, new possibilities are being offered with the IWB and they are not betraying the computer at all. On the contrary, the interactive whiteboard I have in mind cannot do without the computer.

My reluctance towards using the IWB had lasted for many years as the version I got to know years ago was not very fascinating. Recently I got re-introduced to the IWB, i.e. I have met a newer version. I must admit that a few minutes after the instructor had started demonstrating its features, I could already list several different brilliant ways implementing the potentials offered by the IWB. 

The most obvious and easiest way to use an IWB is to prepare a usual presentation, take it to class and instead of beaming it onto a wall or regular screen, it can be shown on the IWB. And that is when a world of opportunities opens. 

Depending on the software, which is installed on the computer and can be used at home even without being connected to the IWB, the teacher can prepare all sorts of additional activities for the class. These activities can range from the very basic highlighter pointing out a word to various imports, hyperlinks, copy-pastes, cropped images, real-time recordings, insertions, etc.   

Bearing in mind that ESP students are generally not so fascinated by interactive exercises, the teacher working with them will probably have to fight additional challenges, such as motivating grown-up students to come to the board and do something. Another challenge is that not much material can be found to be used in a particular ESP course for a particular segment to be taught. Yet, the most obvious possibilities to pursue include:

- Vocabulary work;
- Grammar presentation; 
- Content analysis; etc.

For instance, a text to be covered can be divided into several sections, each section can be put onto a separate slide in a presentation tool. The teacher can pre-select the new vocabulary by highlighting it and prepare a separate list of links, images or any other content that will be activated via the IWB in class by touching the proper icon. 

Now, many a colleague will say that this can be done in an ordinary PPt presentation, which is of course true. However, with the software accompanying the IWB, the teacher can import the presentation, transform each slide into a board and then use the slide/board as a board. In other words, the slide is being upgraded and improved during the class. Any student can come to the board, use the pointer, the whiteboard pen or their own finger, write, draw, highlight, connect, match, fill-in-the blank, etc. All the separate boards are being saved, they can be accessed and changed and updated as many times as needed, all that during the class itself. When the class is over, the separate boards/slides can be converted into a presentation, a Pdf, or any other format to be saved and emailed or uploaded to a workspace. 

A number of great ready-made resources can be found on Interactive whiteboard resources. The ideas can be used as models for teachers to tailor their own material. One that would probably be illustrative in terms of content analysis is Aesop's fables . By just clicking and flipping the pages, the text can be presented as a regular book, whereas the moral is hidden. After the teacher has asked the students about the moral of a story, they can click on the banner hiding the text and reveal the answer. 

As said, the IWB is being re-invented and most certainly worth the trouble as the most favourite tool - the presentation - can be transformed into an interactive and collaborative super experience!