Through the use of the interactive whiteboard which is an ever growing piece of technology in schools today I have learned to navigate my way through Activinspire. By watching videos of how to use the site I was able to follow instructions and guide myself through the site along with the video. Working along side my peers I was able to create a lesson for pupils based on game based learning and create a game that pupils could use when exploring the topic of shape. After completing my game, I moved round the class watching and playing other students games that allowed me to see that Activinspire can be used to create various different games or slideshows for pupils on a range of subjects. Through the use of Activinspire, pupils will be able to remain engaged throughout their learning experience. I agree with the statement made from Younie, S., Leask, M. and Burden, K. (eds.) (2014) Teaching and Learning with ICT in the Primary School pg. 221 “This is particularly effective in assessing pupils knowledge and understanding through encouraging dialect and discussion.” This proves that the interactive white board helps learners to voice out their opinion and allows a more open discussion between the learner and teacher. 

I really enjoyed exploring the programme and using various tools to create a game for children. This also allowed me to start thinking and preparing lessons for children using the first learning outcome that was given. On the other hand, I found Activinspire a challenging programme as I would need to spend more time and practice navigating my way through the various functions and options given. When creating the game my group struggled to duplicate pages and therefore had all the information stored on one page which became quite confusing. I feel that the programme allowed me to come out my comfort zone and work with technology more confidently than I previously have. To be able to use this programme effectively in a classroom enviroment when on placement and in the future I will continue to develop my skills on this particular area.