Interactive Whiteboards

A short review of the "article":
Interactive White Boards in 1:1 Learning Environments

The author really needed to acclimate the reader to what an "interactive white board" is and what is does. At points the article mentions the device is "highly visual and engaging for today’s tech-savvy student", I feel in order to fully appreciate the full potential of the technology the instructor must also be "tech-savvy". A simple diagram of the whiteboard's peripherals and means of connecting them would have cleared up paragraphs of mind numbing confusion and anxiety over the devices true form and function! I provided just such a sample here:



So assuming I totally understand the ins and outs of the interactive whiteboard (which I did not until I read the wiki on it), I can finally begin to learn about how the device can interact with students and facilitate learning. There is no question that this device can help a classroom become interactive, the question however needs to be asked "do I need my classroom to be more interactive". We always talk about interactivity, but how many have stopped to think if it's necessary across the board. For art students; collaboration is not always the way to go. Solo projects are the best way for a student to practice their newly discovered techniques and hone their talents.

I appreciate the authors need to include a section on balance, but their stance on the subject is obvious and unbalanced due the fact the article is nothing more than a ten page lifeless promotional brochure. The limited exposure I have had with an interactive whiteboard has not been extensive, so I am hardly an expert on their reliability, but I would say they work properly about half of the time. For me, that reliability level is simply not high enough when you consider a sheet of velum and a few 2B pencils have a nearly 100 percent success rate.

Here is a link to some other criticism against the interactive whiteboards.