The Interactive Whiteboard (IWB) Across the world we are seeing a quiet revolution in the use of ICT in schooling and a pronounced shift to the use of interactive whiteboards (IWBs) |
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Schools and education authorities, in such diverse situations as the UK, Mexico, the USA, Brunei and Australia, are moving away from an ICT and education strategy based solely on personal computers and shifting to one built around IWBs.
For the past twenty plus years schools and education authorities around the world have expended a vast amount of time, effort and money on an ICT and education strategy built around personal computers.
The reality is that there is little or no evidence that that investment has enhanced the quality of neither teaching, nor improved student learning.
Perhaps the most telling statistic is that after twenty years most schools still only have around 30% of teachers regularly using ICT in their everyday teaching.
With the vast majority of teachers not using ICT it should be no surprise it has made little difference, and why the aforementioned have decided on the folly of continuing to do more of the same.
In contrast schools that have opted to build their ICT and education strategy around interactive whiteboards have succeeded in getting 100% of their teachers to embrace the use of ICT in their teaching, and for it to become a normal, everyday part of teaching. Most importantly they have been able to do this within about a year. (See www.iwb.net.au) One is finally seeing total school communities, the students, teachers and parents; embrace ICT in every facet of school life.
The impact of the IWBs on those schools that have introduced them wisely across the whole school has been dramatic, virtually revolutionary. The boards create a buzz and excitement, ‘turbo charge’ the performance of all teachers and in turn improve student learning.
Indeed so great is the impact that one can expect within the decade most classrooms in the developed world will be using some kind of interactive whiteboard.
One of the key reasons why the IWBs are so successful is that they are a variation of an educational tool that has been central for teachers’ work for centuries – the board.
The interactive whiteboard is the teaching board of the 21st century.
The IWBs allow all teachers to gradually build on their existing teaching approach, and as they grow more competent and confident to vary it and increasingly capitalise upon the very considerable digital, multi-media resources available and to use the IWB as a large screen digital convergence facility.
The IWBs are ‘Trojan horses’ that open the way for every teacher to harness the undoubted power of ICT as an educational tool, and to markedly enrich teaching and indeed to finally take teaching into the C21.
Mal Lee, Director IWBNet
mal@iwb.net.au
http://www.iwb.net.au
March 2005
Interactive Whiteboard areas on Shambles
There are two relevant specific areas on the Shambles website:
- General IWB Information : www.shambles.net/pages/staff/intwhiteb/
- List of free software and content for IWBs : www.shambles.net/pages/staff/IWBcontent/
