An in-service training course developed for the use of interactive whiteboard in teaching process and its reflections

The purpose of this study was to develop an in-service training (IST) course aimed at primary education teachers about the integration of interactive whiteboard -a commonly used technology in education recently- to the process of learning-teaching, to implement this training course and to analyze its reflections to the teaching practices of teachers after an evaluation of the effectiveness of the course. The participants of the study which used case study method consisted of 13 teachers who attended the training course ?The Usage of Smart Board (Interactive Whiteboard) in Primary Education Branch Lessons? developed by the researcher and implemented within the context of Trabzon National Education Directorate?s 2011 Local In-Service Education Plan. The research was completed in three phases as ?the development of the IST course program? ?the implementation and evaluation of the IST course? and ?Follow-up Evaluation of the IST course?. During this process, the steps of system approach were considered in the development of the IST course program. For the collection of the data; questionnaire, semi-structured interview, survey and document analysis methods were used. For the analysis of the data obtained; content analysis method, frequency and percentage values were used. The results of the study showed that the IST course program developed for the integration of interactive whiteboard to the learning-teaching process contributed to the knowledge and skill development of the teachers who attended the course. It was also established that the IST course affected the teachers? views on interactive whiteboard positively. At the end of the course, it was found that the views of teachers on the IST course program they attended were positive in general. The evaluations made showed that the content of the course was applicable; however effective technology integration alone was not enough and support services to be provided at the end of the course were an important part of the process. That the course was affective in bringing about a difference in the teachers? educational practices was among the findings of the study. At the end of the study, the efficiency of an IST course designed for the integration of interactive whiteboard to the learning-teaching process was revealed. Key Words: Interactive Whiteboard, Technology Integration, In-service Training