By Gabriel Dike
The introduction of interactive whiteboards in schools would help teachers to engage students in a better academic exercise in the classroom, CEO of Zuma Marketing Firm, Charles Okechukwu Ozoemelam, has said.
Speaking at an interactive session in Lagos, Okechukwu advised schools nationwide to embrace the modern technology of interactive whiteboards to teach students because of its several advantages for teachers and students.
He said: “We are into the education market and modernization of teaching aids. Zuma Marketing majors in interactive whiteboards. We started in 2012 and we have been able to supply to public and private schools as well as provide training for users.’’
Okechukwu revealed that at the outset teachers were scared of the interactive whiteboard and Zuma had to train them to take advantage of the modern classroom technology.
He stated that the interactive whiteboards have gradually replaced ordinary whiteboards in classrooms, noting that the blackboard had since gone into extinction.
Okechukwu called on the Federal Government to give grants to firms engaged in educational technology to boost availability and accessibility as well as import waivers to firms to clear imported educational materials at the ports to avoid delays and huge money involved in clearing the ICT educational items.
The CEO of Zuma Marketing explained that there are many benefits to be derived from the use of the interactive whiteboard. He said it engages the students in the classroom, adding, “With the interactive whiteboard, teachers engage their students. Students can use the tool to do assignments.’’
He further added: “It makes learning easy for students. In the classroom, we have different types of learners. The interactive whiteboard comes with educational pictures and diagrams, so students can label the pictures. And with the speaker, students can hear the teachers.”
Okechukwu said the board has the ability to retain what was taught in the classroom and because of the interactive whiteboard teachers can put students into different groups for assignments.
“For high school, it helps students to present their assignment in the lecture using the board. This will make the students remember what he or she presented because the board retains materials,” he explained.
Stating the benefits of the interactive whiteboard to teachers, Okechukwu said, before, many of the teachers were afraid to go near the tool, stressing, “We had to train the teachers to meet the 21st-century learning and modern educational design.’’
According to him, the educational tool helps teachers to develop personal resources. When a teacher uses the interactive whiteboard, he can save works or rename them on the system: “It helps the teacher build his/her educational resources and gives the teacher the advantage of having existing files and updates. The teacher will have control and be in charge of the classroom and carry the students along.’’
The Zuma Marketing chief observed that schools need the technology and confirmed that many private universities are showing interest in the interactive whiteboards.
He stressed that with the technology tool the management of schools can monitor their teachers and assess what has been done in the class.
“Private schools’ patronage of Zuma Marketing more than public schools. They attract students with modern teaching aids. Public schools are coming up with the use of the interactive whiteboard. The board is affordable; schools can get one for a start. We work with banks to finance the whiteboard.’’
Okechukwu made a passionate appeal to the Federal Government to give grants to firms in educational technology or a waiver to reduce the cost of clearing the educational items from the port.
“We have schools in Adamawa, Yobe, Katsina, Oyo, Abia, Rivers, Edo, Ekiti, Benue, Akwa Ibom, Cross River and Bayesly using the interactive whiteboard. The adoption of the board is slow but public schools are picking up.
“We can’t do without the whiteboard. That is where the world is heading. If we don’t embrace it, there will be a deficit in knowledge. The interactive whiteboard has come to stay in the Nigerian education system. The benefit is enough for the schools and the education sector,’’ he noted.