Interactive Whiteboards are superseding blackboards more and more often. There are different reasons for the increasing use of interactive whiteboards. Of course every item has its advantages and disadvantages; which I will now present and state my opinion for or against the use of interactive whiteboards instead of blackboards.
In my Presenting Content class we did an introductory session on whiteboards and its use. I got to know how to work with an interactive whiteboard in this session because before that I never worked with one or even knew how to work with it.
Advantages
Of course interactive Whiteboards are expensive, especially compared to old school blackboards but once you have worked with one you will see the numerous advantages which a whiteboard offers. At first I want to present the usefulness of interactive whiteboards (IW).
Especially in the first sessions with an IW the students will be really enthusiastic about this new item but this is only a temporary effect of it because after a couple of times working with it the students realize that it’s just another type of a board.
Teachers might be afraid of having to use one of these IW but after they got to know it in a workshop they will see how it easy it is to use the board, and most importantly that it can be involved in every subject.
Another huge advantage is that the lessons can be recorded or saved. Especially mind-maps or other brainstorming ideas can be saved and teachers can later fall back on it when needed. The saved material can also be send to the students e-mail addresses and they can then print it out at home. Therefore students don’t always have to take notes because the teacher can simply send it to them.
The IW offers many nice visual support tools, e.g. drag & drop functions or the magic pen. These tools will cause the students to look at the board and on that basis the students automatically get involved in the lesson because they pay more attention.
Teachers can prepare lessons or parts of a lesson at home and can bring it to school without having to write things on the blackboard; therefore the IW saves a lot of time which can be used for teaching instead.
Especially in the first sessions with an IW the students will be really enthusiastic about this new item but this is only a temporary effect of it because after a couple of times working with it the students realize that it’s just another type of a board.
Teachers might be afraid of having to use one of these IW but after they got to know it in a workshop they will see how it easy it is to use the board, and most importantly that it can be involved in every subject.
Another huge advantage is that the lessons can be recorded or saved. Especially mind-maps or other brainstorming ideas can be saved and teachers can later fall back on it when needed. The saved material can also be send to the students e-mail addresses and they can then print it out at home. Therefore students don’t always have to take notes because the teacher can simply send it to them.
The IW offers many nice visual support tools, e.g. drag & drop functions or the magic pen. These tools will cause the students to look at the board and on that basis the students automatically get involved in the lesson because they pay more attention.
Teachers can prepare lessons or parts of a lesson at home and can bring it to school without having to write things on the blackboard; therefore the IW saves a lot of time which can be used for teaching instead.
Disadvantages
As I have already mentioned IW cost a lot of money and can’t be afforded by every school. Experts warn that teachers who use an IW in their lessons tend to go back to didactic teaching and the involvement of students will decrease.
Another problem of the IW is that the teacher or the person writing on the board sometimes stands in the light of the boards and won’t be able to see what he or she is writing.
Some people might also be scared that the students could damage the board which costs so much and that it then would be broken. The companies however guarantee that the board won’t break and if it ever does it will be replaced by a new one without having to pay for it; so obviously it must be really shock proven.
Another problem of the IW is that the teacher or the person writing on the board sometimes stands in the light of the boards and won’t be able to see what he or she is writing.
Some people might also be scared that the students could damage the board which costs so much and that it then would be broken. The companies however guarantee that the board won’t break and if it ever does it will be replaced by a new one without having to pay for it; so obviously it must be really shock proven.
I think it’s obvious that the advantages are predominate and in my opinion interactive whiteboards are the only possibility for schools to invest money for a guaranteed future object.
