Are whiteboards worth the investment?
L&L needs submissions for our June/July Point/Counterpoint department! We need arguments on both sides of the question “Are whiteboards worth the investment?” by April 12.
Interactive whiteboards are arguably the educational technology tool of the decade. Teachers across the grades have credited them with increasing student engagement, interaction, and achievement, and a number of research studies have corroborated the anecdotal accounts. But critics point out that, at $1,000–$3,000 a pop, whiteboards are a drain on already suffering school budgets. What’s more, some argue that they perpetuate a teacher-centered learning environment that is antithetical to 21st-century
skill building.
Please post your response on the discussion forum on the L&L group page (on this Ning).
Tags: SMART board, budget, projector, whiteboards
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Michael Leitner on -
Personally, I feel that it all depends on who uses them if they are going to be considered worth the investment. Any teacher who is going to do nothing more than use it just like a dry erase board, then no they are not worth the investment. If you can get teachers to actually use them to their full potential though like using the various tools available on them, letting the students work with them for more interaction, or even used for interactive notes, then yes I would say they are worth the investment. I have been using one this past semester in the classroom and the advantages they have are incredible and have made my experience easier at times where other times I have gotten frustrated with them and used the dry erase board. In a nutshell, it truly depends on how much the teacher plans on using the features offered by the interactive whiteboard that a dry erase board simply cannot do.
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Permalink Reply by Brian Pettys on -
I agree with Mr. Michael Leitner. Interactive whiteboards can be a great tool for teachers to use in their classrooms if they are going to use them correctly. However, many teachers take interactive whiteboards for granted and use them like they are just simply some kind of glorified dry erase board. Whiteboards have so many functions and tools built in to them that if a teacher takes the time to learn how to use one and how to use it effectively, the possibilities for using it in the classroom is endless. Also, students can use interative whiteboards in a variety of ways and they are a great tool for getting students engaged and interested in their learning. I believe that interactive whiteboards are definitely worth the investment IF teachers are going to use them effectively and appropriately. If teachers are not going to take advantage of all of the tools and functions that a whiteboard has to offer, then I would say they are not worth the investment. Basically, it depends on the motivation and the knowledge that a specific teacher has to use them.
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Permalink Reply by Kyle Rosenberger on -
Most people overlook the fact that many teachers who get interactive whiteboards must also take substantial time revising and toning their classroom management skills. For example, if you have a large class of 8th graders and you are busy trying to figure things out on a whiteboard, you are probably going to have behavior problems. I think that whiteboards are mostly effective in classrooms of smaller to medium size rather than classrooms of larger size. I think before investing in a whiteboard, classes and teachers should be examined to see if it would be worth the investment.
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Permalink Reply by Joel Metzger on -
I think that the investment is worth it only to teachers who plan on using the board. I read an article in the L&L magazine that showed a school district that made teachers take classes on a technology before giving the teacher the piece of technology. If teachers were required to take classes and put in time to get a piece of equipment then I would think that the teacher would be more likely to use the technology. So if a school system put in place a policy like that they could ensure that the technology doesn't collect dust and isn't used as a fancy overhead projector. Also there are great ways to incorporate students in using the whiteboards, but this would only seem fair to give students an equal amount of time working with the whiteboard. This would be hard to do in a large classroom setting. Students do get excited using the interactive whiteboards as I have observed in high school placements as well as in my own college classes. I feel interactive whiteboards would be a great addition to any classroom as long as the technology is used, and by forcing teachers to be trained in the technology you can guarantee that they are going to be used to their full potential.
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Permalink Reply by Jeannine (Neene) on -
Interactive Whiteboards are definitely worth the investment. But that key word is "interactive". Whiteboards (simply used to display standard visual information) are not worth the investment. But interactive whiteboards where teachers and students collaborate on a theme are revolutionizing education. Recently, a seasoned teacher left me an email that read something to the fact of "My board is down. I cannot teach without it." It is this view from the teacher that makes the difference. If the teacher thought "Oh my board is down. I'll just revert back to chalk." Then they aren't getting it.
It is the combination of audio, video, digital images, and a note-taking component that make the boards so useful. The ability to label diagrams, watch Discovery videos, flash videos harnessed from Youtube. Generating interest with digital images and podcasts all stored in one easy to use format.
The magic of the interactive whiteboard is the discussion, collaboration, predicting and motivation taking place in the classroom that help bring us beyond the standard outdated textbook for a more well-rounded education.
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Permalink Reply by Sonny Mattera on -
Well I'd like to give my perspective from an IT point of view. It seems that there are teachers who incorporate the new technology very well, but you should be willing to follow through with the whiteboards in giving them supplement training from time to time and also showing them new resources. If you're using a smartboard, there are pre-made lesson plans to download from various websites as well as a gallery full of resources and a lesson activity toolkit. There are always new ways to use the interactive whiteboards, so the teachers should first and foremost be trained on how to use the whiteboards then on how to use the whiteboard with their subject (math, science, language arts, etc...).
You will also find more software to use (I know the budget is low, but in terms of long term expansion), but interactive white boards do have a long lifespan of versatility. My school district has just given our math teachers (7-12) both the TI-Smartview calculator emulation program as well as the Smart Notebook Math Tools.
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Permalink Reply by Lindsey Al on -
This blog post highlights the fact that technology is just a tool.
http://interactivewhiteboardinsights.blogspot.com/2010/05/reasons-w...
A new study finds 91% of students say they learn more when taught with a SMART Board; however, it is entirely up to the teacher whether or not an interactive white board is used effectively in the classroom. That makes professional development especially important.
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Permalink Reply by Theodore Bogar on -
I have a whiteboard in my classroom but have found little use for it beyond highlighting terms in a PowerPoint presentation. Students have used the board to locate places on Google Earth but they could do this just as easily on the class computer projected onto a normal screen. I have created a few lesson activities where students use the board but they have not gone beyond clicking and dragging items. It is nice to have but not worth the costly investment. I can use a mouse just as easily as my finger to change slides. Most of my lessons involve lecture, experiential exercises, and group activities that do not utilize the whiteboard. I believe we can hold off on interactive whiteboards until districts have the money. For now, it is more of a commodity than a necessity.
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Permalink Reply by Lindsey Al on
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That's too bad, Theodore. Do you use SMART Notebook Software? Have you received any professional development for the SMART Board?
Theodore Bogar said:I have a whiteboard in my classroom but have found little use for it beyond highlighting terms in a PowerPoint presentation. Students have used the board to locate places on Google Earth but they could do this just as easily on the class computer projected onto a normal screen. I have created a few lesson activities where students use the board but they have not gone beyond clicking and dragging items. It is nice to have but not worth the costly investment. I can use a mouse just as easily as my finger to change slides. Most of my lessons involve lecture, experiential exercises, and group activities that do not utilize the whiteboard. I believe we can hold off on interactive whiteboards until districts have the money. For now, it is more of a commodity than a necessity.
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Permalink Reply by Julianne Judge on -
My response is this: Whiteboards are indeed worth the investment, as long as those that use them are trained to use them appropriately and are committed to using them in ways that enhance learning. At the school where I work, some of the teachers are forced into having a whiteboard with no desire (or real worthwhile knowledge for that matter) to use it. In this situation, the whiteboard is becoming "a glorified chalkboard"as my technology professor would say. Maybe that teacher could use that whiteboard budget to enhance the materials they are are using or purchase new materials. I think that these interactive boards are extremely worthwhile, and save money on other physical supplies that we can now use from the whiteboard software. But this is a point to consider- hope this helps with your Point/Counterpoint!
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Permalink Reply by Mackenzie Dorton on -
Coming from an integrated language arts perspective, I see great potential for the interactive whiteboards. Already in the classroom where I have been placed as a methods/preservice teacher, I have used the interactive whiteboard as much more than your average chalk or dry erase board. The IWB gives me the ability to show examples of the types of essays, and paragraphs that I desire from the students. It also allows me to highlight the areas of a piece of writing that are desirable in a technological friendly way which appeals to the students. Just the other day I copied a PDF file of Chapter 1 of the novel we are starting in the hopes of modeling the intracicies of how the author writes and shows his writing style in just the first short chapter. I was able to write all over this small pdf file on the IWB. While some would say that the ability to simply write on the IWB like any other chalk board is not worth $1000-$3,000, coming from a language arts perspective, I believe it is. Everyday I have been in the classroom this semester, there has been some use of the IWB in a way that goes beyond your normal whiteboard. I also disagree slightly with the idea that the IWB perpetuates a teacher centered learning envrionment. I think out of necessity the teacher must be in front of the class teaching and manipulating the data on the IWB, but I also think IWB's allow for more student interaction with technology. Inevitably, the students will teach the educators how to really use the IWB's.
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