Interactive Whiteboards in
Education
Dana M. Starkey
EDG 646
Facts
Interactive Whiteboards are a large display that
connects to a computer and a projector. The
projector projects the computer's desktop onto
the board's surface, where users control the
computer with a pen, finger, or other device.
The board is typically mounted to a wall or
floor stand.
The main suppliers: Smart, Hitachi and
Promethean, a U.K. company.
Facts
Sales
zoomed from 170,000 units in 2004 to
700,000 worldwide this year, mostly to schools.
Almost a third of k--12 classes in the U.S.--and
three-quarters of the schools in the U.K. have
Interactive Whiteboards.
More than half of the world's interactive
whiteboards (and 63% of those in the U.S.) are
made by Smart Technologies, a 22-year-old
privately held company in Calgary, Alta. run by
husband-and-wife co-founders David A. Martin,
and Nancy Knowlton.
Facts
Martin and Knowlton built the first Smart
Board in 1991.
Smart Technologies is the most popular
Interactive Whiteboard sales manufacturer in
the U.S.
Smart Technologies racked up sales of $21
million in 1999.
Smart Technologies revenue for 2009 was
recorded at $430 million.
Worldwide Influence
In 2004 the British government decided to
spend $90 million on interactive whiteboards
for grade school classrooms.
The total number of interactive whiteboards
sold by all manufacturers during 2009 was
747,572, up nearly 34 percent from the previous
year.
Worldwide Influence
Future-source predicts the number of interactive
whiteboards sold in 2010 will be nearly one million
– a 27 percent increase over 2009. There are
currently 2.78 million interactive whiteboards
installed worldwide, representing approximately
seven percent of all classrooms.
There are approximately 1.5 million SMART
Board interactive whiteboards installed worldwide,
and more than 30 million students benefit from the
product every day.
By 2013, it is predicted that 20 percent of
classrooms will include an interactive whiteboard.
% of Classrooms with
Interactive Whiteboards
YEAR
UK
US
2004
26%
5%
2005
41%
7%
2006
53%
10%
2007
63%
14%
2008
71%
22%
2009
78%
31%
Source: Futuresource Consulting.
Effects on Students
"There's no silver bullet in education, but we see these increasing
student enjoyment and decreasing behavioral problems, and that
translates into better student achievement.”- Smart Technologies
Owner N. Knowlton
Teachers can use whiteboards for wonderful interactive multimedia
presentations for an entire class, combining many types of digital
material with the touch of a finger, or they can use the boards with
only a couple of students at a time. The presentations and student
work can be annotated and saved.
Whiteboards can be used with student response systems, visual
presenters, podcasts, and much more. Used properly, they could
even be the teaching tool that can compete for students' attention
with TV, games, and other exciting external visual activities.
SPECS…SmartBoard
Smart Board SB660i has a 64-inch diagonal board (4:3 aspect ratio)
Smart Board SB680i has a 77- inch diagonal board (4:3 aspect ratio)
Smart Board SB685i has an 87-inch wide screen board (16:10 ratio)
Smart Board SBD600 has a dual-user mode allowing two students to
work at the board at the same time
Each projector uses 2,0000 lumens
Projector bulbs lasts 3-4k hours
depending on standard or economy
mode
SPECS…Hitachi
Hitachi offers the StarBoard, which is similar to the SmartBoard
It comes in 50- 77 inch sizes
Notable differences are that Hitachi offers a plasma display option.
Hitachi also only responds to the touch of the wireless electronic
pen, not the use of fingers. This keeps the board oriented more
accurately, but can be costly if you lose the pens.
SPECS…e-Beam
The small, lightweight e-Beam receiver attaches to any flat,
rigid surface and allows you to utilize an existing wall or
board without covering it up.
Can cover a surface of 9’ x 5’
Interactive Flash tools are provided to be downloaded and
used
SPECS… PolyVision
PolyVision makes the eno
board, which can be
installed over any
ceramic/steel or
whiteboard surface
Uses Bluetooth capability
instead of wiring
Runs about $3,000
Offer student response
systems as well as teacher
walk and talk remote
controls
PolyVision- ENO
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SSLKGQEeags
SPECS…Promethean
Promethean now offers a
gooseneck-mounted lens to show
3-D objects
Offers learner response systems,
classroom audio, software, and
interactive tools
Must use the ActivPen when
writing. No other objects can be
supplemented. The theory
behind this is that it improves
student writing, and touch
screens can be too
temperamental.
SPECS… TeamBoard
TeamBoard is an interactive product geared toward large
group instructional settings, such as lecture halls
Saves digital notes that can be printed (like Smart Boards)
Can be written on as a whiteboard without using the
projector and it will save it to your computer
Technology Extensions
When attached to the Internet, these boards are a
portal to the digital world.
Students can manipulate what's on the screen
with a finger or a stylus.
If you want to use them like a blackboard, you
can do that too!
Accessories
An extended control panel allows users to plug in
devices such as document cameras, laptops, and other
A/V equipment.
The series can be operated with a stylus pen, pointing
device or just a finger.
Products may include slates and minicomputers,
software, projectors, student response systems, and
various other accessories available at an extra cost.
Boards can be mounted permanently, or purchased on
moveable stands
Digital ink features allow users to write over applications
Smart Notebook Software can be used for creating,
managing, and teaching interactive lessons
Technologies Effect on
Education
2009 Study of 170 classrooms and 85 teachers
Using interactive whiteboards was associated with a 16 percentile point gain in student
achievement. (This means that we can expect a student at the 50th percentile in a
classroom without the technology to increase to the 66th percentile in a classroom using
whiteboards.)
3 features had a statistically significant relationship with student achievement
learner-response device — handheld voting devices that students use to enter their
responses to questions. The percentage of students providing the correct answer is then
immediately displayed on the board in a bar graph or pie chart. Using voting devices was
associated with a 26 percentile point gain in student achievement.
use of graphics and other visuals to represent information. Use of these aids was also
associated with a 26 percentile point gain in student achievement.
interactive whiteboard reinforcers— applications that teachers can use to signal that an
answer is correct or to present information in an unusual context. These applications
include dragging and dropping correct answers into specific locations, acknowledging
correct answers with virtual applause, and uncovering information hidden under objects.
These practices were associated with a 31 percentile point gain in student achievement.
Getting the most out of
Technology
Avoid using the voting devices but doing little with the findings.
Avoid not organizing or pacing the content well.
Do not use too many visuals. Too much stimuli an make it hard
to identify the important content.
Try not to pay too much attention to reinforcing features.
Think through how they intend to organize information
Group information into small, meaningful segments
Insert flipcharts that remind them to stop the presentation so
students can process and analyze the new information
Pricing
Education pricing starts at $3,079.
-Check them out at http ://smarttech.com.
Sales of wall screens can range in price from $700 to $4,500
How can you afford one?
With state and government funding cuts, as well as layoffs
and budget cuts, the economy makes this quite a challenge.
PTO’s, private donations and building budgets may be some
areas
Some teachers are willing to give up other supplies to get a
whiteboard into their building
Some companies are offering products through the ARRAAmericans Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
Notable Quotes
"As digital tools permeate the classroom, kids get more
actively involved with learning, they become doers.” Scott
McLeod, a professor at Iowa State University.
“Interactive whiteboards have great potential as a tool to
enhance pedagogical practices in the classroom and
ultimately improve student achievement. However, simply
assuming that using this or any other technological tool can
automatically enhance student achievement would be a
mistake. As is the case with all powerful tools, teachers must
use interactive whiteboards thoughtfully, in accordance with
what we know about good classroom practice.”- Robert
Marzano, Marzano Research Laboratory
Exploring the SMART
Classroom
Take the SMART Classroom Tour @
http://downloads.smarttech.com/media/flash/classroomto
ur/index.html
Additional YouTube Video
Resources
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0U05WeXPGlk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1JdG5U8Uwhg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DyNOL0lMidU&NR=
1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G8P-sv9dOu8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ywsNjTep1JI&feature=r
elated
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7AgO4ynnyzE&feature
=related
Additional Interactive
Whiteboard Resources
Smart Board
StarBoard
e-Beam
PolyVision
Promethean
TeamBoard
Works Cited…
Corcoran, E. (2009). Getting to the top of the class. Forbes, 184 (6),
40-41.
(2009) Interactive whiteboard system. University Business, 12 (2), 4343.
Doe, C. (2010). Interactive whiteboards. Multimedia & Internet @
Schools, 17 (1), 30-34.
Marzano, R.J. (2009). Teaching with interactive whiteboards.
Educational Leadership, 67 (3), 80- 82.
(2009) The interactive classroom. Instructor, 119 (3), 22-23.
Mishra, P. & Koehler, M. (2009). Too cool for school? No way!
Learning & leading with technology, 36 (7), 14-18.