An Interactive Whiteboard Will Be The Teacher’s New Pet

Interactive whiteboards (IWBs, or touchscreen whiteboards) are capable of enriching places of business, but we also know that taking them into schools will transform learning environments.
Research shows students have changed over the last twenty years. As a result of a technology rich upbringing, they appear to have different needs, goals, and learning preferences than students in the past. These students need to be better equipped to deal with the ever-advancing digital society they live in and will eventually work in.
Preparing them for the future has always been the hallmark of great teachers, but it’s not as daunting as it appears to be.
A piece of technology that brings the lesson to life, integrating a multitude of elements into their lesson plan, is all it takes, like websites and photos they can visually absorb and audio lessons they can partake in. These types of lessons foster interaction as students can respond and, with an IWB, see their ideas noted down.
An often-cited survey by Willms, Friersen and Milton shows students today are intensely social and interactive learners who want stronger relationships with teachers, each other and their communities.
They want their teachers to know how they learn and desire learning environments that build interdependent relationships that promote and create a strong culture of learning.
In essence, they don’t want to be passive audience members.
Both students and researchers have called for new tools in the classroom toolbox, expanding beyond standard computer stations and overhead projectors to facilitate deeper research and learning, and to build relationships among learners and experts.
Not only do students benefit, a study on IWBs in Australian classrooms found teachers were particularly enthusiastic about how the IWBs had assisted them in routine teach tasks, such as preparation and presentation of resources, saving themselves preparation time in the future.
“The preparation of electronic materials that could be quickly called up on screen also meant that teachers no longer needed to write on a board, making the pace of lessons faster and the transition between lessons quicker and smoother.”
An interactive whiteboard would easily bring a multimedia approach to learning by looking at blogs, wikis, YouTube, video documentaries and a variety of other multimedia avenues.
Getting students involved isn’t always an easy feat and the functions of an interactive whiteboard create a dynamic education space. And although it may seem like an object of pure utility, the benefits that come with it are far reaching when you consider student participation.
When you have student involvement, you have engaged students who feel a part of something. They may even begin feeling excited about getting into the classroom as soon as the first bell rings.
Craig is Sharp New Zealand's Product Manager for Visual Solutions and Consumer Goods. He's our resident expert in interactive touch panels and digital signage. Craig has a collection of guitars that far outweigh his ability to play them.