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Permalink Reply by KGAMMW on December 4, 2010 at 7:43am

As most people have already stated, of course it depends on how a teacher uses the interactive white board, as is the case with most educational technology. While these white boards have the potential to be an integral part of the classroom, they are not for everyone. When ordering SMART Boards, the school in which I am a student teacher asked each individual teacher if they felt it would be a valuable addition to their classroom. In fact, my own mentor teacher opted out of having one in her classroom. I think this approach worked really well, as teachers were required to actually consider how they would use this technology in the classroom. Teachers with SMART Boards whom I have observed have made constructive use of the white boards, in part because they feel accountable to the school for purchasing a whiteboard at their request. It can also be useful to have portable interactive white boards in a school, as then the school does not have to purchase as many (although these can be more unreliable than those which are mounted to the wall.)

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Permalink Reply by Will Zimmerman on December 4, 2010 at 11:15am

I fully disagree that interactive whiteboards perpetuate a teacher-centered learning environment. I have been teaching with an interactive whiteboard so far in my methods at BGSU and the students jump at a chance to come up to the board to answer a problem. The whiteboard has ways to keep the class motivated and engaged through object animations and sound cues. I am a math teacher and the students click on a shape and when it moves it makes a noise, the students laugh and enjoy themselves while still thinking about the problem. This also keeps them guessing as to what is going to happen next and the sooner we solve a problem the sooner they can move on. Also, combining the interactive whiteboard with online interactive websites can keep a student really engaged, it shows them that it is not just a tool to regurgitate notes but a fun way to think about confusing mathematical concepts, students love to think of it as a giant touch screen computer, which it is! I understand that the cost is a giant factor in getting these computers but if it increases student involvement I say it is well worth it.

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Permalink Reply by Alma Resendez on December 4, 2010 at 8:38pm

Will, I completely agree with you. As a Spanish methods student, I have been using the Smart Board my self. The students get so excited when they see we are going to do a whiteboard activity. The range of things to do on this board are so big. It just depends on how the teacher is using it. If a teacher is using it as a "glorified chalkboard" as my teacher would call it, then I really do believe having a White Board is a complete waste of money. It is not as hard as it seems. Especially with the easy to use templates one can download straight off of the notebook software site. I recently did a Jeopardy game with my Spanish IV students, which they really enjoyed. They got to read the questions in the target language, write them in or do some drawings (if that is what was asked of them) and used the target language throughout the whole lesson. The Smart Board is a great tool. It just needs to be used in a productive manner.

Will Zimmerman said:

I fully disagree that interactive whiteboards perpetuate a teacher-centered learning environment. I have been teaching with an interactive whiteboard so far in my methods at BGSU and the students jump at a chance to come up to the board to answer a problem. The whiteboard has ways to keep the class motivated and engaged through object animations and sound cues. I am a math teacher and the students click on a shape and when it moves it makes a noise, the students laugh and enjoy themselves while still thinking about the problem. This also keeps them guessing as to what is going to happen next and the sooner we solve a problem the sooner they can move on. Also, combining the interactive whiteboard with online interactive websites can keep a student really engaged, it shows them that it is not just a tool to regurgitate notes but a fun way to think about confusing mathematical concepts, students love to think of it as a giant touch screen computer, which it is! I understand that the cost is a giant factor in getting these computers but if it increases student involvement I say it is well worth it.

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Permalink Reply by Lindsay Westbeld on December 5, 2010 at 6:11pm

I feel that even though they can be expensive and require a lot of training, interactive whiteboards are very beneficial. Yes, they can promote more of a teacher-centered learning environment, but they do not have too. The teacher could have the students come up to the board and use the interactive whiteboard. There are many different review games that I have seen work well with the interactive whiteboard, as well as many different ways to introduce a mathematical topic creatively. Using an interactive whiteboard in the classroom also allows students to have hands-on training with technology that they could be introduced to in college or in their job someday. So, this gives them a head start on learning how to use it before using it in college or in their job someday. Now, I really like using interactive whiteboards, but I am not saying that everyone should get one. I am doing my methods right now in a classroom that does not have one, and I am alright with that. Teachers can still have creative and engaging lessons without an interactive whiteboard because I am doing it right now. So, interactive whiteboards are great and can be very beneficial, but are not necessarily needed to have a engaging and creative lesson.

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Permalink Reply by Lisa Davis on February 8, 2012 at 5:34pm

Personally, I think interactive whiteboards are definitely worth the investment if the funds are there. In my technology class we just complete an interactive whiteboard project where we developed a micro-teaching lesson and presented it to the class. One of the groups that presented did their lesson on linear equations and graphing and the activity that they used was able to give you 2 sets of points, let you work out the equation to find the slope, plug that into a linear equation and then enter that into a column on the board to see if it was correct. If it was, the line would go through your original 2 points. For people who are visual learners this is a great tool, and it really helps in getting students engaged and active in your own lesson. I know for me personally, in Social Studies, I'll really be able to utilize all the maps for geography lessons and timelines for learning about certain time periods such as the Enlightenment and the Great Depression.

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Permalink Reply by Megan Hall on February 13, 2012 at 2:19pm

I feel like interactive whiteboards are a good investment. They help get students to see things in a different way and be more interactive with the content they are learning. You can play interesting games with them that they enjoy and they still learn at the same time. The students can not only come up and play those games on the boards but also click on pictures or links in a power point or document and discover more information on something they like. Without the interactive boards students may not feel the need to look something up later but with the ability right there they may. There are so many things that can be done with an interactive whiteboard that just make it worth the cost. 

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Permalink Reply by Joe Kaloger on February 29, 2012 at 12:55pm

Hey Andrea great post, I have asked myself the same question wondering if whiteboards worth the investment. I have come to the conclusion that they are “nice” to have but I don’t think schools “need” them to educate students. Honestly most of the teachers in my schools have only used the smart board as a projector for their computer. It seems like a waste if there is a great technological tool but it is not being utilized that much. Most computer projectors are half the price of most smart boards and I believe they are far more valuable to the classroom than smart boards. I think the projector is important based on class presentations, videos, and teacher examples. However the interactive board has never been a value to me in my education career and I have seen it used for about 8 years as a student. I think if a district can afford the boards they can get them however why waste the money for a board if it’s not going to be used to the best of its ability, plus many board markers that I have seen are not even accurate with the board. I personally think they are a waste of money but that’s just my opinion.

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Permalink Reply by Elayne Kuletz (Evans) on March 2, 2012 at 8:38am

I agree. Interactive whiteboards, like most tools, are by themselves not worth much. How they are used is what determines their worth and effectiveness. I've seen many $2000 installations gather dust but I've also seen teachers make amazing changes to their classrooms with one. On the whole, though, they seem like an expensive gamble to me when there are cheaper and similarly effective alternatives.

Michael Leitner said:

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 Sandra Wozniak on March 6, 2012 at 6:36pm

Tonight a superintendent told me that next year they will have an interactive whiteboard in every classroom.  He would like people to use them for showing youtube videos to introduce lessons to get kids thinking.  I was astounded.  They are looking to hire people to help them find the videos and cool sites, not to understand the potential of the board.  I don't get it.

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