Journal # 7. Interactive Whiteboard

1) Interactive Whiteboard
This technology is used in many classrooms in the United States and it is replacing traditional white boards in many schools. It is more expensive than a traditional white board but it's benefits far outweigh it's cost. Having one of them in your classroom is like a large desk top that teachers can store and access information anytime they choose to. Unlike traditional white boards, the interactive ones are a lot more convenient and give the teacher way more options and better ways to teach and explain lessons. Interactive white boards are touch sensitive. Teachers and students can virtually use anything to write on them. They can erase what they want by using their palms and they can even move things around by using their fingers. The Interactive whiteboard is an intelligent tool that makes teaching a lot more fun. It also increases students' participation because it interacts with them. Children feel more empowered because they can manipulate the information on the board and get to move it around as they please.

2) The two threads that I followed:
How are you using your classroom whiteboard?
I read a lot of comments made by teachers on the thread and I learned a great deal about the interactive white boards. These white boards keep the students engaged in the classroom. They encourage collaborative work as they allow the students to look up virtually anything. It is like having a big computer screen where all the students can share their thinking and knowledge. They can also be used for math games that makes teaching more fun and enjoyable.
Another teacher commented that interactive boards knock down classroom walls by using them for group instruction. They are also used for virtual field trips.
Most schools still don't have them but few of the teachers who left comments on the thread wished they could have them in their classrooms.
Few teachers commented that the interactive white boards brought the scores higher and improved the students' learning curve.

Are Interactive Whiteboards Necessary?
After reading few comments made on this thread, I got mixed messages on how necessary it was to have an interactive whiteboard. Few teachers felt that a projector and a wireless drawing pad are less expensive alternatives to the interactive whiteboard . Another teacher felt that the interactive whiteboards were meant to make the teachers' lives easier and didn't necessarily help the students.
The majority of the teachers who commented felt that the interactive whiteboards enhanced teaching and made it a lot more fun. It made it more student centered because students had a lot more involvement and interaction with the screen. It certainly made learning more enjoyable.
The only drawback about having an interactive whiteboard is the issue with discipline. One teacher commented that it was harder on him to contain the excitement of the students and their reactions to the screen in the classroom.
I would say that the interactive whiteboard is a piece of technology that every classroom should have access to. It certainly makes learning a lot more enjoyable and enhances students' performances.