The promise of interactive whiteboards in education is becoming clear, but MARIE BORAN finds that adoption is not what it could be
Education & Research | 05 Sep 2006 :
White space
Confucius reputed to have
said “I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand.” This
is the ethos behind the interactive whiteboard, a teaching tool that has gained
huge popularity in the primary and post-primary classroom in the UK and Northern Ireland. A recent study
from the UK government’s
Dept of Education and Skills has shown that almost half (44%) of all primary
schools in Britain
have at least one interactive whiteboard. The IWB has yet to gain a foothold in
the Irish education system although the Drumcondra Education Centre has taken
the first steps with its IWB Pilot Scheme which was rolled out in 2004/2005.
What is an IWB?
An interactive whiteboard
system comprises of the whiteboard itself, the digital projector, the computer,
the software and the physical connection (USB or Bluetooth). The whiteboard is
a large touch-sensitive panel that looks like a regular whiteboard and can be
used as such with a special pen or information can be input by touching the
screen with your finger. There are currently three types of IWBs on the market.
The resistive membrane which has a soft, flexible surface; this whiteboard
detects pen movement by its pressure sensitive surface and as such can be
easily damaged. The magnetic pick-up is most like the traditional whiteboard in
that it has a solid, rigid surface. The pen used with this whiteboard emits a
small magnetic field as it moves over the whiteboard’s surface. Finally laser
scanners are whiteboards with infrared laser scanners located at the top
corners of the board. These scanners detect pen movement and reflection-encoded
felt pens can be used to write in colour as each colour has its own unique
encoding picked up by the scanner. Some manufacturers produce IWBs with
detachable tablets that can be passed around the class for students to input
information.
Benefits
The IWB has much to offer
the learning process. Most schools around Ireland already have access to PCs
and educational software so what gives the IWB an edge over standard ICT
teaching methods? Well, using software on the PC is a one-on-one activity - the
student and teacher are not interacting. Eileen O’ Duffy, educational consultant
for the IT Innovation Centre at Intel says that amongst the benefits of the IWB
are “involvement in the lesson and collaborative learning”. This interaction
and collaboration not only aids the learning process but also develops a
child’s personal and social skills. Duffy goes on to say that with the
traditional whiteboard and blackboard interaction between the teacher and
student ceases every time the teacher turns around to write but with the IWB
there is no loss of all important eye-contact. The IWB also benefits the
teacher by making it possible to save and print notes made on the whiteboard
during class, eliminating time-consuming duplication of notes afterwards. With
the IWB teachers can also share and re-use their teaching materials. The pupil
benefits from the graphic, dynamic software that enables easier digestion of
more complex ideas. The great thing about the IWB is that no keyboard is needed
for input so students with learning disabilities and also younger students can
enjoy the benefits of the technology.
Software
There are several
Irish-based software companies that supply software that can be used with the
IWB. Easiteach, the software used by the Drumcondra Education Centre’s IWB
pilot scheme, is provided by Irish agent Edtech Software based in Westport, Co. Mayo.
Easiteach has a wide range of software for the IWB that can also be used on a
normal desktop PC.
Edware has its
headquarters in Co. Kildare and supplies geography software such as ‘Know Your
Ireland’ along with ‘A whale of a Tale’ series covering science, maths,
languages and social studies.
Learning Horizons, founded
by Kevin Farrell a former primary school teacher in the Tallaght, area offers
the Destination Series which covers maths, English and music and offers a
30-day free trial for educators wishing to test the waters.
The non-government
organisation Gael Linn provides two software titles: Beir Bua 1 (ages 4-7) and
Beir Bua 2 (ages 8-11) for primary level. Both titles cover maths, science and
Irish. They are compatible with the national curriculum and are in both the
English and Irish language.
IWB pilot project
The Drumcondra Education
Centre in conjunction with the Irish Computer Society ran the Interactive
Whiteboard Pilot Project over the 2004/2005 academic year and selected eight
schools to join in the project, three primary, three secondary, one special
education school: St Mary’s School for deaf girls in Cabra and one Gael scoil:
Scoil Neasain in Harmonstown. David Kearney, the project manager, states on the
website for the pilot project that the aim of the project is “to investigate
the effectiveness or otherwise of using Interactive Whiteboards in the
classroom.” The objectives of the project are to investigate the impact on
whole-class teaching, the impact on learning and to see if new
teaching/learning strategies are developed. The project also hopes to create a
database of teaching and learning resources and to create new curriculum-based
resources.
Government policy on
funding for IWBs
Compared to the widespread
integration of the interactive whiteboard in the UK
education system Ireland
is quite a way behind. On talking to the NCTE (National Centre for Technology
in Education), they agreed that the IWB was a great education tool and they
felt that the main obstacle in getting the IWB into the Irish classroom was the
cost factor. The government has provided grants over the past four years for
the purchase of PCs for schools and subsequent networking grants over the past
year. When I asked the Dept of Education about funding for the IWB one source
asked “What is an interactive whiteboard?” I was eventually told that “no
direct funding” was given, while another source gave me a simple “No.” This is
in stark contrast to Digisound’s experience of the UK market. “The uptake of
interactive technology has been very positive in the UK. Large scale grants on the
educational side have allowed schools to embrace interactive whiteboard
technology allowing boards to be installed in practically every classroom.”
Suppliers
The IWB pilot scheme in
Drumcondra uses the Promethean Interactive Whiteboard and accessories range.
Digisound is the Irish supplier and the cost of a full system is €6000
excluding VAT and PC. For this price Digisound provides the whiteboard itself,
digital projector, software, audio and video playback system, training and
installation. Ivan Smyth of Digisound says that “the biggest pitfall of all is
the introduction of interactive whiteboard technology without the planning and
provision of suitable training. There is nothing worse then a state of the art
interactive whiteboard system hanging on a wall collecting dust!” Christine
Jones of Promethean says that “durability is obviously a key consideration for
classrooms as the boards are generally used by over-eager youngsters”.
Osmosis also provides an
IWB system called Interactive Techonologies. A 60” screen retails at €1,134 and
a 70” screen retails at €1,299. Its main customer base is commercial AV
installers and IT resellers, in total a customer base of 2,000. David
Fitzgerald of Osmosis said that although it hasn’t begun in education yet here
in Ireland
they expect their product to move strong volumes in 2007.