Positive+Position

Students with last names starting with letters L - Z will take the positive position on the below prompt.

**Are Interactive White Boards worth the investment for schools? Do they benefit the teaching and learning process? How or how not?**

Please make sure you type your name at the very begining of your response. This will allow me to give credit where credit is due.

I took some time to read through the posts in the negative position so that I could respond to some of the concerns brought up there. First, I think it's important to note that supporting IWBs in the classroom does not exclude us from hoping that the technology improves and becomes more intuitive, practical and accessible. Economically, the way this will happen is by increased competition and growth in the industry, which will happen as there is greater demand. As I see it, if your school can afford the technology, they're supporting the further growth and development of the technology.
 * Stephanie Sipes **

The Promethean has already developed several other tools including a student response system and an interactive classroom set-up called ActivClassroom. This is a link to Promethean's research page - []. Here they have several reports and case studies on the effectiveness of their technologies.

Several students in the negative position were concerned about teachers who don't receive enough training to use the IWB in a way that actually engages students. I admit that I'm in a class right now where the teacher uses the IWB as a glorified overhead projector. However, after looking into it, I found that both Promethean and Smart offer teacher training through their websites. I believe that Promethean's training comes with the product, but I'm not sure about Smart. Also, Promethean has a huge online community (over one million members) at [|www.prometheanplanet.com]. This is a free PLN which would be great for any teacher with a IWB. It has articles, advice, training and free lesson plans as well as other relatively cheap purchase-able programs to use. In other words, if you're a teacher who has an IWB, there's no excuse for not using it to it's fullest extent. Even if your district doesn't provide professional development in person, there are tons of great resources online which can help you find your way.

I have never had the chance to use an interactive white board but I have had the chance to be a student in a classroom where an interactive white board was used to teach with. I found it to be more interesting that a chalkboard or dry erase board because there are so many different functions to use and the internet can be accessed which can always aid in learning. Interactive whiteboards make learning so much more fun and exciting and therefore capturing and keeping the students attention.I have provided some links that explain some of the benefits of interactive whiteboards and a video of a child explaining why they like the use of whiteboards.
 * Kristin Williams **

[] [] [] []

Patricia Morgan My experience with a smartboard has been limited. I have only been able to use one as a substitute. I have taken one professinal development class on the boards. Even with little experience I can tell you without a doubt that Interactive White Boards are a benefit to teachers, students, and the schools that invest in them. These boards provide an active learning environment for all students. The following link describes 4 advantages (Improved Learning, Increased Participation, Collaboration, & Improved Feedback) of Interactive White Boards: [] There are so many ways to use an Interactive White Board in your classroom. The following link gives a great list of ways to use the board: [] We remember: 10% of what we read 20% of what we hear 30% of what we see 70% of what we say 90% of what we see, say, & do ---Elkwall & Shanker University of Texas

Katie Rathmell

I have never used a smartboard and the last time I saw one being used was in college 5 years ago. I've been researching the smartboard and the Promethean online. All the information I am finding from teachers certainly points toward the smartboard or the Promethean. Complaints about the Promethean, the pens are breaking quickly and are expensive to replace and if you lose the pen you cannot control the board. Smartboards on the other hand are receiving rave reviews from teachers. I would love to experiment with one. I found a really cool website that list all kinds of activties that can be used with a smartboard and with links to other websites. Also it is separated into Primary, Middle, and High school levels. []

I wanted to add to my post from earlier. I did some more searching on the internet for activities with smartboards and found a really awesome site that links straight to games and they are even sectioned to grades an specific areas. I clicked on one of the activity links and played of some of the games. I even had fun doing it so I can only imagine my students. When teaching Pre-K and Kindergarten a lot of the information needed to presented gets extremely repetitive and as a good and well prepared teacher you need to find ways of presenting the same material in new and creative ways to keep your students on their toes and excited to come into the classroom each day. Now I know that technology shouldn't be the only things that works but it allows for the whole classroom to participate. The screen on smartboards are large enough for everyone. A teacher does not have to worry about the board being erased by students or the janitor. I can only imagine how awesome it would have been for those sick days and giving the substitute extra material. I only wish I would have an a board like this in my classroom. Here is the link mentioned above. []

I'm going to keep looking for awesome ways to use the smartboard.

Kendra Richards [] [] - this is a wiki dedicated to the use of IWBs in the classroom. [] The man has EVERYTHING! [] These are games with tutorials on how to make them, plus templates already created! [] Another huge collection of interactive powerpoints from JC Schools in TN! If you want to make your own, watch this Youtube video as a tutorial! [] [] - SMART classrooms channel I also enjoy this website that will provide you with a WEALTH of already made lessons, projects, games, and so on through an exchange. [|http://exchange.smarttech.com/#tab=0] - Smartexchange If all else fails, you can always try… J Happy Interactive Whiteboarding!
 * To be interactive or to not be interactive? BE INTERACTIVE! **
 * I have been very fortunate to have been able to teach with a smartboard during my first year teaching. It was such an awesome tool that both my students and I loved. I found that true teachable moments could be spun, searched, shown, and discussed so quickly with the help of my laptop and my smartboard. I also found that my students were so much more involved knowing that they could interact with the whiteboard and they could also see the “changes” that THEY made, which of course made the presentation/game/etc that much more important to them. **
 * Here’s some research for you to read that supports how amazing these interactive whiteboards can be in the classroom: **
 * Aside from your basic PowerPoint presentation that can be shown and made interactive, you can also do a number of other things. Here are a couple of great site for interactive powerpoints for anything you can imagine. I use them frequently for “guided practice/review” activities. You can also play games to help study for tests. I’ve also let third and fourth graders make their own games and then we play them on the smartboard. **
 * Try these: **
 * There are so many amazing resources out there to help you learn about using an interactive whiteboard (I’m going to focus on a smartboard), including videos, articles, books, and help desks! **
 * Here are some videos that give you some great information on Smartboards! **
 * [] - Ease of the Smartboard **
 * [] - a teacher giving you more info! **
 * Smartboard has their own Channel on Youtube.com that you can search and find a lot of information on how to use specific points of a Smartboard. **

Jeremy Vlasich The role of technology cannot be understated within the future of our world. This includes everything that we do from buying things, email, phones, etc. Knowing this is our future, we must embrace technology and start using technology within our classrooms. Although we are discussing Interactive Whiteboards, we are going to focus primarily on the SMART Board. The SMART Board is the perfect match for technology in the classroom. Although there are many reasons to use SMART Boards in the classroom, we will highlight the most positive reasons for schools to invest in SMART Boards for enhanced teaching and learning in our schools.

First, SMART Boards allow for more interactive class collaboration versus one on one computer time. Interaction and collaboration allows for the students to be more involved. Also, the SMART Board allows for more direct teaching (view support at the following link):

[]

The SMART Board allows for learners of all types to benefit because the smart board has the possibility for your lesson plan to more adaptable to more individual styles of learning. There are options for kids learning more through doing the tasks, having interaction, and writing answers on the interactive board. Also, the possibility to add video to your lesson plan is conducive to add value and additional learning for the students. The possibility for interactive research using the Internet is possible, such as webquests or going to websites for additional value and enrichment within your lesson plan. The presentation of the SMART Board is great for visual learners since the presentation is more rich, colorful, and interactive. The following is support for accommodating different learning styles (review item #3):

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Students are more engaged in the lesson plan and learning process. The presentation of the lesson plan is dynamic and interactive. Plus, it is easy for a teacher to download lesson plans for their subjects without having to create a lesson plan from scratch, to extensively modify the plan, or transfer the plan through their computer. The SMART Board allows for a direct download from the SMART Board software. Check out:

[|http://exchange.smarttech.com/#tab=0]

Plus, SMART Boards are easy to use:

[]

SMART Boards input technology capabilities into the classroom, lesson plans, and curriculum. Also, since SMART Boards have been around for enough years for teachers to develop lesson plans, there are many SMART Board lesson plans that you can download and reuse in your classroom (See link):

[|http://exchange.smarttech.com/#tab=0]

Here is the video for SMART Board Lesson plans:

[]

They also have the advantage of allowing the digital whiteboard to be used with a dry-erase marker, like a normal whiteboard, thus saving valuable space and resources in school classrooms. []

Also, the SMART Board is environmentally friendlier rather than having to print off paper from the school copier. They even make a “Green” SMART Board:

[]

Thus, the Interactive Whiteboard (SMART Board) is vital to the teaching and learning process and worth the investment in our future!

Allison Wilson It is inevitable that technology is transforming the future. Technology is everywhere we go and new developments have led to students having access to internet on phones, tablets, iPods, etc. We can meet students with technology in the classroom and use the applications as a group in the class. One way we can reach out and meet students is by using interactive whiteboards in classrooms. There are many positive reasons that an Interactive Whiteboard should be in every classroom. We all know that most students have grown up with a computer and with internet. We see students who have smarter phones that we do. Students have the need for instant gratification and desire for stimulating, media-rich environments. The interactive whiteboard can provide large displays, colorful displays, touch control, and sound capabilities. This will give digital learners the immediate interaction and feedback and allows the students to explore, create, share, organize, and manipulate information in new ways. We can meet students in their realm and captivate the digital age learners by using interactive whiteboards. The idea of interactive whiteboards came from the constructivist pedagogy. The product allows teachers to represent information using interactive text, images, sound, and video files and therefore engages many learners. This also allows students to use the same features to demonstrate their understanding. Students should be the ones who select information to manipulate, hypothesize, share and it is easily done using interactive whiteboards. Students are able to share information with the entire class on the board and online. This brings a class together for whole class instruction in the present and the future. Students are focused on the group interaction and use the interactive whiteboard for displaying information. Students are actively learning in this type of environment. Students are able to be in control of their learning and are able to openly communicate to teacher and class about learning materials and this brings engagement and excitement to lessons. [] [] Interactive whiteboards can be useful for differentiation in classrooms. We all know that students learn differently than their peers. Each learning style can be reached in a classroom with the aid of an Interactive whiteboard. Kinesthetic/bodily/spatial learners can benefit from touching and manipulating documents on the board with the pen provided or fingertips, aural learners can listen to lecture and class discussions, visual learners can see what is being changed on the board as it happens. [] We know that there are two types of motivation; intrinsic and extrinsic. The interactive whiteboard can intrinsically motivate students because students are able to demonstrate their knowledge on the interactive whiteboard and share with peers (individual achievement). The whiteboard can also be extrinsic because students are intrigued by the technology and receive enjoyment from an interactive student centered class. [] According to a case study in Missouri, Dr. Terry Stewart noticed that if you put technology in a room with properly trained staff the lessons enhanced, classrooms were interesting/entertaining, and students had fewer absences. Also according to this research article teachers used open-ended questions and it indicated that students were more involved, attentive, and motivated when lessons were offered using the board rather than using other teaching methods. [] Interactive whiteboards are also just as the title states; interactive. Students can get up and manipulate documents according to lessons. Students or teachers can type or draw notes on top of notes and then print the page right there. The information saved on the interactive board is archived and students can participate in discussions instead of worrying about copying down every note for the class. The students can ask questions days later and the information can be pulled up quickly from previous days. Also videos, websites, and music are able to be viewed quickly as a whole class. [] For teachers the interactive whiteboard can improve lessons. The teachers can have more flexibility and versatility, it will be easy for teachers to determine the needs as a class and can quickly adapt to those needs in the class. The teacher can manipulate lessons in front of the class so the class can see the changes and discussions can arise. Multimedia and Multimodal presentations allow teachers to reach all learners. Teachers and students can be efficient and use many resources at once and can collaborate as a class. The whiteboard is able to read an abundant source of software so the teachers are able to use multiple resources to plan engaging lessons. [] Interactive whiteboards are similar to regular whiteboards in the fact that the teacher can write material on the board and then manipulate it later. This is a good thing because it enables teachers who have not used much technology an opportunity to ease into the usage of an interactive whiteboard. There are many applications for the whiteboard but it can be used in simple terms (just like dry erase board, internet surfer, video player) and still be engaging in class. However, as teachers begin to train on how to use the interactive whiteboards in class the lessons will continue to become more and more efficient, engaging, and meaningful. There are many things that whiteboard can help with in class, and there are ways for teachers to receive that training through tutorials, lessons online, collaboration, workshops, and experimentation with the interactive board. The teachers will have fun learning how to use this tool and therefore they will be more engaged in teaching. [] this article discusses the views of interactive white boards from a teachers perspective. I used information from this article throughout the entire paper. [] - Interactive Whiteboards in Education The article contained information I used throughout my paper.

Some videos to help show how easy someone can use the smart board as well as how to find resources for the smart board, student interaction, etc. [] [] [] Smart Board is as easy as notepad!

Based on the research I found and opinions from students and teachers who I have communicated with throughout my career in education, I think interactive whiteboards are vital to the learning process. They meet the needs of all students, including special education, and the students are engaged and achieving learning goals while having fun in an interactive classroom.

Based on the research I found and from my own classroom experience using an interactive white board, I would definitely say that they are an asset to any classroom. Research that I found on [] indicates that although there has not yet been a significant amount of research done to suggest positive student achievement with interactive whiteboard use, there was a recent study done that indicated an increase in academics with integration of the technology versus not using the technology. Through my own experience, I have found that when I utilize the interactive white board, my students are much more engaged in the lesson than they would be if I weren’t using the IWB. I have also witnessed an increase in student motivation when I engage students in a lesson with the interactive white board. Research from [] detailed many benefits of utilizing interactive white boards including those that I have already mentioned, but adding that they facilitate an increase in teaching time because of the easy access of lessons and an increase in class discussions which encourages higher level thinking in students.

For those who are intimidated about using an interactive white board there are some great resources out there, some free and some not. Promethean Planet ([]) has tons of ready made IWB presentations for free and many from publishers that can be purchased. Scholastic also offers books with graphic organizers and lessons for interactive white boards.

Overall, interactive white boards provide a way for teachers to engage students in meaningful class lessons and discussions that encourage higher level thinking. We also live in a digital age where students now “live” for technology. We must keep up with their interests in the classroom to keep them engaged. Students who are engaged will learn much more than students who are not, therefore making the interactive white board an asset to the world of education.

**Aaron Portell**
First, before I start I believe we all need to take a few minutes and really think about why we chose the Profession of being an Educator. Hopefully we all chose the correct answer which is that we, as teachers, want to give our students the best opportunity to be successful in today's ever-changing world. A world that is driven by technology. As teachers it is our job to give each student the best opportunity to learn and achieve, and I believe the Interactive White Board is the best "tool" we have available.

The Interactive White Board increases the level of student engagement and promotes enthusiasm which motivitates students to learn. The students that we teach today are much different than students were 15+ years ago. There are many more students with IEP's, Profiles, and dissabilities. The IWB accomodates many different learning styles and can be used in a variety of learning environments.

Look, the research has proven that students learn better when they are fully engaged. Using the IWB allows for hands-on learning along with multisensory learning keeping each child in your class engaged in active learning.

I hope I have made my case that IWB's must be a necessity in the classroom. Here are a few sources to back up my opinion:

Interactive whiteboards enhance classroom instruction: []

teacher.net: []

Learning 2.0 “Teachers helping teachers”: []

video: []

video of benefit of interactive whiteboard: []

video: Benefit of interactive whiteboard: []