Kristie’s Blog

Using the interactive whiteboard

October 24, 2008

It seems that the craze in schools nowadays is the use of interactive whiteboards (IWB). I personally haven’t used them for myself but i’ve done some reading into the effects of them on students’ learning. One article I read by Benjamin and Hughes (2006) talks about engaging students using the IWB, and intersetingly most teachers have reported significant improvement in student engagement. Teachers also noted that they were getting through the syllabus faster than before, and time in class is concentrated on learning, with less ime spent copying notes. This must be a huge advantage for us teachers who are struggling to get the masses of content that the syllabus states we must get through in such a small amount of time. Another interesting point made is that the IWB is very convenient when recapping a previous lesson, or when students have missed a class. Again another plus surely. This article is a great advocate for the benefits of the IWB but I wonder whether there are any negatives?? Perhaps the fact that in my experience, the technology either takes forever to get started or simply refuses to work at all…..then you’re left with nothing prepared. I think it’s still important to have a back up plan and not rely on these wonderful pieces of technology as your only tool in the classroom!

Entry Filed under: Uncategorized. Posted in  Uncategorized .