Pedagogical+Adv+&Disadv.

Smith, Higgins, Wall and Miller (2005) suggest a number of pedagogical advantages provided by IWB. Interactive whiteboards give students the opportunity to take an active role in their classes, by moving up to the board and interacting with the board. IWB also support Gardner's theory of multiple intelligences, by providing multisensory presentation. Students with strong visual ability can remember the images in their mind after the lesson. Kinaesthetic learners are able to move around and write on the screen.

Smart Technologies (2004) link student engagement to current learning theories of constructivism and active learning. Strangely enough they also link it to whole class teaching which can be seen to be negative if overly used as a teaching strategy. Students are motivated both instrinsically through their participation in the learning process and extrinsically through the fun and enjoyment they experience using the IWB. Students are hooked in by the highly visual, interactive nature of the learning environment. It appeals to students who enjoy using other types of technologies such as games, MP3 players, cellphones etc. Smart Technologies even claim that motivation is so increased that attendence has improved in classroom with IWBs

Kopu Project (Howes 2005) case study teacher Rob reports that his lesson preparation time is reduced as he can prepare work from home easily on his laptop and access and review students' previous work saved on the IWB. Resources are easily accessed and reused with little modification. He also reports that students are more active in discussions involving IWB activities, individual learning styles are catered for and students are more focused by the visual nature of the IWB. Students in the Kopu Project were also surveyed about their use of the IWB. There overwhelming response was that using the Activeboard was fun and easy. They also liked the way their work could be saved on the IWB and revisited later. Students surveyed at Hato Petera College (McDonald et al 2005) also reported similar comments of visual impact helping them understand & recall previous lessons.

Smith, Higgins, Wall and Miller (2005) also identify a number of disadvantages. Teachers need to learn how to use the IWB, to cope with light shining on the screen, the height of the screen, where to position the screen, the presence of IWB in a limited number of classrooms. The ability to create faster-paced lessons, with a combination of visual imagery may lead to an "information overload" for students.

Mounting the technology in one place in a classroom anchors the focus to that one place going against the idea of anywhere, anytime learning seen as an advantage in portable computing. In many ways it reinforces the traditional concept of teacher-centred spaces. ([|www.assortedstuff.com], 2005)

Wenmoth (2006) summarises his concerns with the following thoughts: The introduction of IWBs in schools and the debate that surround their use in effect has become a pedagogical magnifying glass revealing a lot about how our classrooms operate (Wegner, 2006) Teachers' beliefs about effective teaching and the role of teachers and learners strongly affects the use of new technologies in the classroom. Although research recognises a number of pedagogical advantages and disadvantages, the uptake of interactive whiteboards will be heavily dependent on the amount of planning time given to teachers to work with colleagues and share their experiences. In addition, each school defines its own norms and expectations about the role of technology in the classroom, influencing teacher's lesson plans and resource requirements. Windschitl and Sahl (2002)
 * “they've been over-sold on the promise of 'motivating' students
 * they're too similar to previous technologies used in instructivist classrooms (the chalkboard, whiteboard and OHP) and therefore get used with a //subsititution// mentality
 * there's an emphasis on the use of pre-prepared templates in the way these are sold and promoted (often by the manufacturers) which reinforces an instructivist approach, and
 * the fundamental approach to teaching and learning in many classrooms (reinforced by curriculum and exam pressures, timetables and subject silos) means that an instructivist pedagogy prevails!”