The Interactive Whiteboard has been a feature of the school classroom for many years now. Originally serving as a mess free replacement to the whiteboard and blackboards of old, their functionality and full potential has been realised only recently. However, many teachers still use them as an alternative to a PowerPoint presentation, but there are a number of innovative ways in which you can use your IWB.

1. Integrate Google Earth and Google Maps/Street View.

Google Earth and Google Maps are fantastic tools that are completely free. Allowing you to take a tour of the entire Earths surface, including the ocean floor, these tools can really help bring Geography, Science and History lessons to life. Google Maps Street View even allows you to take a tour of the streets of the UK and certain other countries of the world.

2. Use Skype to communicate with another school, either local or on the other side of the world.

Skype is a free video and text communication service. Although you have to pay if you want to contact home or mobile numbers, communicating to other Skype accounts is completely free. All you need is a webcam and a microphone and you can have audio-video calls with any other Skype user in the world.

3. Use the Whiteboard as a backdrop for in class drama activities and role-play activities.

Simply loading up a relevant image onto your interactive whiteboard can serve as a backdrop to a drama or role-play activity.

4. Google Body.

Google Body is a relatively unknown offering from Google. Working in much the same way as Google Earth, Body allows you to take a tour of the human body, peeling back the layers to see organs, bone structures and nerve and vein/artery systems. This tool is probably more suitable to a KS3 audience.

5. Hook up a games console to your projector.

As a lesson starter, a video game system with the right game can be very effective. The Nintendo Wii and the game Big Brain Academy is a popular choice among schools as a starter activity. Other video games that don't appear at first glance to provide an educational purpose can also be effective, such as Civilisation Revolution.

6. Use Aviary for Education to access online, free image editing and image creation software.

Aviary offer a variety of software allowing you to do advanced photo editing, vector illustration and music creation, all online and all for free. You can even sign up for an education account which allows you to add students and teachers to a "Class", where your pupils can share creations and work together on class "Projects".

7. Online Gallery Tours.

Use online gallery tours such as those available at the official site of the Louvre Gallery to take your class on a virtual trip to an art gallery.

8. Google Chrome Apps.

If you have the web browser Google Chrome installed, you can use the Google Chrome Webstore to download apps which you can use right in your browser. You will find a number of educational applications in the Education section of the store. Recommended free apps include:

• Planetarium
• The Elementals (fun visualisation of the elements)
• 3DTin (basic voxel modeling)
• Graph.tk (plot mathematical functions as graphs)
• Connected Mind (Mind mapping app)

There are also a number of games and other apps on the Chrome Web Store which you may find useful as starter activities or as rewards.

9. Prezi.

Prezi is a great alternative to the usual presentation software, allowing you to create dynamic presentations. They can be created and viewed online, so you can create them at home and access them at school. You can create a free account for basic usage.

10. Doorway Online.

Doorway Online is an educational Flash application resource site. The activities cover literacy, phonics, maths, touch typing and memory and matching. All the resources are free and designed to work on their own as well as with interactive whiteboards.