Interactive whiteboard systems, or IWB's, are large display boards on the wall connected to a projector and a computer. They are used for educational purposes within a classroom environment during lessons in order to engage students in an interactive way. Chapter 1 breaks down the uses, benefits, and shortcomings of using an IWB inside of the classroom. IWB's are effective for highlighting important content, hiding/revealing pictures of text, importing photos for instructional use, shared readings, using multimedia content, providing feedback, and using a student response system. A student response system is particularly effective to engage students, allow student feedback, and offer ways for students to answer questions who may normally be too shy to answer.
Chapter 1 also discusses multiple instructional benefits for using IWB's. A few of those benefits include lesson organization, interactivity, active learning, and classroom management. Many strategies can be used with an IWB to enhance student's motivation, participation, and collaboration within the classroom. While teachers who used the IWB's effectively did see positive gains within their classroom, teachers who used the boards only as screens saw no benefits of the board within their classrooms. There was also little effect for students who were on lower achieving levels compared to their peers. Three features that have been proven linked to these gains of student achievement are the student response systems, graphics and videos, and reinforcer properties. Teachers need to know how to use these effectively in order to help their students learn and gain higher achievement.
The book recommended continuous professional development in the area of of using this technology effectively within the classroom. There are many resources for teachers to learn how to use the board as well as all the different features to create lessons that will be the most beneficial to their students. Chapter 1 is a great introduction to what IWB's are and their benefits of use in a classroom.
