Interactive whiteboard
Interactive whiteboards are widely used in classrooms, boardrooms, and training environments, providing an innovative way to share information, facilitate discussions, and enhance the overall learning or business communication experience.
If text input is required, user can invoke an on-screen keyboard or, if the whiteboard software provides for this, utilize handwriting recognition.
In addition, most IWBs are supplied with software that provides tools and features specifically designed to maximize interaction opportunities.
Infrared IWBs may be made of any material, no dry-erase markers are involved, and may be found in many settings, including various levels of classroom education, corporate boardrooms, training or activity rooms for organizations, professional sports coaching facilities, and broadcasting studios.
In the most common resistive system, a membrane stretched over the surface deforms under pressure to make contact with a conducting backplate.
Like a scaled-up version of a graphics tablet used by professional digital artists and designers, an electromagnetic IWB can emulate mouse actions accurately, will not malfunction if a user leans on the board, and can potentially handle multiple inputs.
After moving the set-up to a new location, the system acquires connection to the computer with a simple re-calibration of the projected image — again using the electronic pen.
Typically, multiple brackets can be added, providing for users at different sites to share the same virtual whiteboard.
Lee claimed that the system "Makes a technology available to a much wider percentage of the population" (Speaking at TED, April 2008) by using an ordinary Wii remote control as a pointer and the IR camera on the front of the remote control as tracking device sensing light from an IR light pen.
Lee produced several videos on YouTube about this system to demonstrate its operability, flexibility, and ease of use, and pointing out its modest price — the most inexpensive part is the infrared LED of the pen.
Brief instructional blocks can be recorded for review by students — they will see the exact presentation that occurred in the classroom with the teacher's audio input.
Many companies and projects now focus on creating supplemental instructional materials specifically designed for interactive whiteboards.
More sophisticated clickers offer text and numeric responses and can export an analysis of student performance for subsequent review.
By combining classroom response with an interactive whiteboard system, teachers can present material and receive feedback from students in order to direct instruction more effectively or else to carry out formal assessments.
For example, a student may both solve a puzzle involving math concepts on the interactive whiteboard and later demonstrate his or her knowledge on a test delivered via the classroom response system.
At Key Stage 3, interactive whiteboards here associated with little significant impact on student performance in Mathematics and English and only a slight improvement in science.
The authors cite several possible causes for the Key Stage 4 findings, including: a Type II statistical error, disruption to teaching methods leading to reduced pupil performance when IWBs were installed, or a non-random deployment decision of IWB installation resulting in a skew of the data.
This study showed a very significant learning gains, particularly with second cohorts of students, where they benefited from the teacher's experience with the device.
Variables considered in the research included length of exposure to interactive whiteboard technology, the age of pupils (down to individual birthdays), gender, special needs, entitlement to free school meals and other socio-economic groupings.
The implementation and impacts of the project were evaluated by a team at Manchester Metropolitan University, led by Professor Bridget Somekh.
The authors of the study argued that "mediating interactivity" is a sound concept, offering "a ... theoretical explanation for the way in which the multi-level modelling (MLM) analyses link the length of time pupils have been taught with interactive whiteboards to greater progress in national test scores year on year."
In order to determine if any change in pedagogy or teaching strategies was taking place the researchers conducted a detailed questionnaire.
times, manufacturers of IWB technology have been setting up various online support communities for teachers and educational institutions deploying the use of the interactive whiteboards in learning environments.
Some educators have found that the use of interactive whiteboards reinforces an age-old teaching method: the teacher speaks, and students listen.
These vastly reduce the shadow effects of traditional front-projection systems and eliminate any chance for a user to see the projector beam.
Fixed installations with projectors and boards bolted to roof and wall greatly reduce or eliminate the need to calibrate.
As the projector generates its calibration image (a process called "training"), it detects the change in light reflected from the black border and the white surface.
Such a technology and system is integrated into penveu, and is further disclosed in patent 8,217,997[33] A variety of accessories is available for interactive whiteboards:
