Interactive Whiteboards and Digital Displays Enhance Classroom Instruction and Learning

by NEA Member Benefits

The first interactive whiteboard was released in 1991, and as recently as a few years ago, it appeared that the
technology was cementing itself as a permanent mainstay in the classroom — helping teachers to embrace technology
and promoting 21st Century skills in students. A number of districts around the country placed the tools in all of their
classrooms, and teacher professional development programs were reshaped around the technology.

Fast-forward to today, and the market has shifted. While a number of schools continue to use interactive whiteboards,
many are transitioned to interactive digital displays—which look more like flat-panel TVs or jumbo-sized tablets than dry
erase boards—as they fund new purchases. Several interactive whiteboard makers have either gone out of business or
shifted their own strategies, and even SMART Technologies (whose SMART Boards came to be synonymous with
interactive whiteboards) has embraced interactive digital displays.

“If you go to a major trade show, you’ll be hard-pressed to find interactive whiteboards anymore,” says Stephen Yao,
head of product marketing for SMART Technologies. “If you look at price points 10 years ago, if you were to buy a large
touchscreen, it would have set you back $20,000 or $30,000 for a 78- or 80-inch display. Today, you might be able to get
a 65-inch display for under $3,000. It’s a stark difference.”

The good news for educators: This doesn’t really matter. It’s true that there are some advantages to digital displays. For
one, they can be moved easily without having to recalibrate a projector. They don’t require replacement bulbs and their
screens are sometimes easier to see in direct light than older interactive whiteboard displays. But, from an instructional
standpoint, digital displays and traditional interactive whiteboards are interchangeable.

Anything that can be done on a computer monitor can be replicated on an interactive whiteboard or interactive digital
display. A teacher can create engaging lessons that focus on one task, such as a matching activity where students use
either their fingers or a pen to match items. Another teacher might integrate multiple items into a lesson, such as
websites, photos and music, that students can interact with, respond to verbally or even write comments on the board
itself. Image size and placement can change with a simple touch to the screen. This technology makes the one-computer
classroom a workable instructional model. Imagine taking a class on a photo safari to Africa complete with embedded
videos, animal sounds and mapping software.

Research has repeatedly demonstrated that students learn better when they are fully engaged and that multisensory,
hands-on learning is the best way to engage them. Interactive whiteboards facilitate multisensory learning whether it is
a collaboration exercise for math problem solving or a Google Earth tour of the Amazon rainforest.

Classroom applications for using interactive whiteboards and digital displays include:
 Multimedia lessons and presentations including audio and video
 Collaborative problem solving
 Showcasing student projects and presentations
 Virtual field trips
 Recorded lessons that can be used by substitute teachers
 Documentation of student achievement

There are interactive whiteboards and digital displays that meet every school and district budget. Teachers report that
increased student engagement is the number one benefit to teaching with these tools. The technology allows teachers
to integrate multiple information streams into a coherent lesson individualized for their students and they provide an
extraordinary opportunity to create classroom environments where students with different learning styles can engage
and learn from each other.