Interactive whiteboard

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

An interactive whiteboard is a large interactive display that connects to a computer and projector. A projector projects the computer’s desktop onto the board’s surface, where users control the computer using a pen, finger or other device. The board is typically mounted to a wall or on a floor stand.

They are used in a variety of settings such as in classrooms at all levels of education, in corporate board rooms and work groups, in training rooms for professional sports coaching, broadcasting studios and more.

Uses for interactive whiteboards include

  1. Operating any software that is loaded onto the connected PC, including Internet browsers or proprietary software
  2. Using software to capture notes written on a whiteboard or whiteboard-like surface
  3. Controlling the PC (click and drag), mark-up (annotating a program or presentation) and translating cursive writing to text (not all whiteboards)

Contents

[edit] Operation

The interactive whiteboard is connected to a computer through a wired medium (USB, a serial port cable) or with a wireless connection (Bluetooth).

Usually, the device driver software is loaded onto the attached computer where it enables the Interactive Whiteboard to act as a Human Input Device (HID). The interactive whiteboard usually becomes active once connected and the driver is running.

Most interactive whiteboards capture annotations and emulate mouse and keyboard functions with varying degrees of accuracy. Users can click links and icons and depending if the technology support full mouse functionality, also control pop-ups, hints, hyperlinks and mouseovers.

The combination of a large, bright interactive surface with (in some cases) complete control of any computer application means these whiteboards are ideal for integrating information technology into business meetings and group learning situations.

[edit] Growth of Interactive Whiteboards in Education

The Harnessing Technology schools survey 2007 carried out in the UK by Becta, reveals that interactive whiteboards are in place in almost all schools (98% of secondary and 100% of primary schools). National initiatives in countries such as Mexico (Encyclomedia Project) also see interactive whiteboards installed nationwide.

Growth in the UK has been rapid in the last two years, with the most marked increase. In secondary schools, the average number of whiteboards per school has increased to 22 in 2005 (Kitchen et.al, 2007). All primary schools surveyed reported that they now had an interactive whiteboard, compared with 39% in 2002. [1]

The America's Digital School 2008 Survey discovered that over 85% of school districts were using Interactive Whiteboards with 11.8% reporting one per classroom and 61% reporting at least one per 5 classes.[2]

[edit] Impacts of interactive whiteboards on pedagogy

A research review by the British Educational Communications and Technology Agency[3] reported the following benefits for students:

  • Increased enjoyment and motivation
  • Greater opportunities for participation and collaboration
  • Improved personal and social skills
  • Less need for note-taking
  • Ability to cope with more complex concepts
  • Accommodation for different learning styles
  • Increased self-confidence


There are valid concerns that interactive whiteboards can persist traditional forms of didactic teaching, especially when they are used to simply project Powerpoint type slideshows, rather than the teacher taking advantage of the annotation and group feedback tools that some manufacturers integrate. Devices such as Learner Response Systems (handheld clickers that allow for polling of opinions, pre- and post-assessment, and in the case of some more advanced systems, the contribution of phrases, words, and numbers to the interactive whiteboard from all the individuals in a class) can help with this.

[edit] Classroom uses

Interactive whiteboards are used in many schools as replacements for traditional whiteboards or flipcharts. They provide ways to show students anything that can be presented on a computer's desktop (educational software, web sites, and others). Projectors, which are used with the interactive whiteboards, can also be connected to a video recorder or a DVD player, or users can connect to a school network digital video distribution system. Interactive whiteboards can also interact with online shared annotation and drawing environments in the form of interactive vector based graphical websites.

In addition, interactive whiteboards allow teachers to record their instruction and post the material for review by students at a later time. This can be a very effective instructional strategy for students who benefit from repetition, who need to see the material presented again, for students who are absent from school, for struggling learners, and for review for examinations. 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. This can help transform learning and instruction.

Many manufacturers are providing classroom response systems with their interactive whiteboard products. With classroom response and interactive whiteboard systems, teachers can present material and receive feedback from students. For example, the interactive whiteboard allows students to solve puzzles and math problems and demonstrate their knowledge. It also allows the teacher to keep notes, as an electronic file, on the lesson for later distribution either as a paper or any number of electronic formats.

Many companies and projects now focus on creating supplemental instructional materials specifically designed for interactive whiteboards.

[edit] Research into Impact of Interactive Whiteboards on Education Standards

Evidence of impacts on attainment when Interactive Whiteboards is appearing. The BECTA (UK) commissioned study into the impact of Interactive Whiteboards over a two year period showing very significant learning gains, particularly with second cohorts of students, where they benefited from the teacher's experience with the device.[4]

The DfES Primary Schools Whiteboard Expansion project (PSWE) provided substantial funding to 21 Local Authorities in 2003-04 to support the acquisition and use of interactive whiteboards in UK primary schools.

The implementation and impacts of the project were evaluated by a team at Manchester Metropolitan University, led by Professor Bridget Somekh.

This major study into the impact of interactive technologies on student performance standards, involved 20 Local Authorities and 7272 learners in 97 schools. Variables considered in this detailed research included; length of exposure to interactive whiteboard technology, the age of pupils (down to individual birthdays), gender, special needs, entitlement to free schools meals and other socio-economic groupings. To date it is the largest and longest study conducted into the impact of Interactive Whiteboards.

Key Findings:

The research showed that interactive whiteboard technology led to consistent gains across all key stages and subjects with increasingly significant impact on the second cohorts, indicating that embedding of the technology into the classroom and teacher experience with the technology are key factors.

Gains were measured in ‘months progress’ against standard measures of attainment over the two year study period.

In infant classes, ages 5 - 7:

- In Key Stage 1 Maths, high attaining girls made gains of 4.75 months over the two years, enabling them to catch up with high attaining boys.

- In Key Stage 1 Science, there was improved progress for girls of all attainment levels and for average and high attaining boys.

- In Key Stage 1 English, average and high attending pupils all benefited from increased exposure to interactive whiteboards

There was also clear evidence of similar impacts in Key stage two - ages 7 - 11

- In Key Stage 2 Maths, average and high attaining boys and girls who had been taught extensively with the Interactive Whiteboard made the equivalent of an extra 2.5 to 5 months progress over the course of the two years.

- In Key Stage 2 Science, all pupils, except high attaining girls made greater progress with more exposure to the IWB, with low attaining boys making as much as 7.5 months additional progress

- In Key Stage 2 writing, boys with low attainment made 2.5 months of additional progress.

There was no adverse impact observed at any level.

The study also indicated how interactive whiteboards have very positive impacts on the attention, attitude and motivation of all pupils and produces a co-operative, ‘community of learning’ ethos in the class. It also shows how Interactive Whiteboards help with teaching abstract and difficult concepts and complex ideas - visual tools help pupils concentrate for longer and understand more fully.

Becta summarise the research as follows:

“This study clearly shows the benefits that can be gained from effective use of an interactive whiteboard. We know that technology has the capability of bringing lessons to life and making that much more enjoyable for the learner.

Not only do the lessons become more fun, the study clearly shows the very real benefits in terms of learner attainment and engaging pupils in lessons.”[5]

[edit] Impact on English Language Learner (ELL) students

Round Rock ISD is a progressive district with a diverse population of 39,000. In 2007 the district implemented a Digital Learning Classroom Project (DLC)[6].

This study took third and fifth grade high-stakes assessment scores in classrooms using the Promethean Activclassroom (a system that includes and Interactive Whiteboard linked to a response system) and compared it to similar classrooms without the technology.

“We wanted to use quantitative data to determine the extent to which Promethean (a manufacturer of Interactive Whiteboards) could help close the achievement gap of ELL and mainstream students in mathematics and reading,” said Laura Alcorta, Director of Student Diversity and Learning at Round Rock ISD.

In spring 2003, TAKS, Texas’ high stakes assessment mandated by NCLB legislation was implemented. The commended achievement level of TAKS indicates student performance at a level which notably exceeds the state passing standard, demonstrating thorough understanding of knowledge and skills at the grade level tested.

5th Grade TAKS Reading Performance

When the results of the DLC project at Round Rock ISD were reviewed, there were notable increases in student performance in classrooms implementing Promethean’s Activclassroom. Fifty percent of fifth grade ELL students in digital classrooms received the TAKS commended rating, compared to 8.5 percent of ELL students in non-digital classrooms. For TAKS reading performance in third grade, the percentage of ELL students who achieved the TAKS commended level was 10 percent higher than comparable classrooms without Promethean’s technology. Perhaps the most significant result of the study showed a 100 percent TAKS pass rate for fifth grade ELL students in Promethean classrooms compared to a mere 73.2 percent in non digital classrooms.

5th Grade TAKS Math Performance

The goal of increasing ELL academic achievement with the ELL Digital Learning Classrooms was achieved by the district. The ELL Digital Learning Cssrooms TAKS pass rate was 88.9% as compared to 66.0% pass rate of the control group ELL non-Digital Learning classrooms.

Furthermore, the percentage of ELL students achieving the TAKS Commended rating was 50.0% for those in the Digital Learning Classrooms compared to 8.5% for those in the control group without access to the technology.

The TAKS results of mainstream low-income students in the control and experimental group classrooms were similar, within ±5% of each other. 84.6% of the mainstream students not in the Digital Learning Classrooms passed the TAKS assessment compared to 87.2% of comparable students in classrooms using the technology. However, the percentage of students achieving at the TAKS Commended level was 35.9% for those in Digital Learning Classrooms compared to 28.2% for those in classrooms not using this technology.

“Based on these findings, we found that Round Rock significantly increased student achievement levels for ELL students using Promethean through the Digital Learning Classroom project,” says Alcorta. “Based on the learning gains witnessed this year, we are confident that even greater results will be realized in the second year of implementation.”

[edit] Academic literature reviews & research

There are a number of literature reviews,findings and papers on the use of interactive whiteboards in the classroom:

  • DCSF and Becta (2007) Evaluation of the DCSF Primary Schools Whiteboard Expansion Project[7]
  • Painter, D Whiting, E and Wolters, B (2005) The Use of an Interactive Whiteboard in promoting interactive teaching and learning[8]
  • Beauchamp, G and Parkinson, J (2005) Beyond the wow factor: developing interactivity with the interactive whiteboard. School Science Review (86) 316: 97–103.[9]
  • Glover, D and Miller, D, Averis, D and Door, V. (2005) The interactive whiteboard: a literature survey. Technology, Pedagogy and Education (14) 2: 155–170.[10]
  • Smith, H.J. , Higgins, S., Wall, K., and Miller, J. (2005) Interactive whiteboards: boon or bandwagon? A critical review of the literature, Journal of Computer Assisted Learning, 21(2), pp.91–101.11[11]

[edit] Interactive Whiteboard Technologies

Interactive whiteboards may use one of several types of sensing technology to track interaction on the screen surface: resistive, electromagnetic, infrared optical, laser, ultra-sonic, and camera-based (optical).

Leading forms of Interactive Whiteboard Technology

  • Resistive — Resistive touchscreens are composed of two flexible sheets coated with a resistive material and separated by an air gap or microdots. When contact is made to the surface of the touchscreen, the two sheets are pressed together, registering the precise location of the touch. This technology allows one to use a finger, a stylus, or any other pointing device on the surface of the board. By their nature they do not support the full function of a mouse and interface effects such as hover/popups require additional interactions or software helper functions. Resistive touchscreens typically have a resolution of 4096 x 4096 DPI providing accurate touch control.
  • Electromagnetic — These digital boards feature an array of wires embedded behind the board surface interacts with a coil in the stylus tip to determine the (X,Y) coordinate of the stylus. Styli are either active (require a battery or wire back to the whiteboard) or passive (alter electrical signals produced by the board, but contain no power source). In other words, there are magnetic sensors in the board that react and send a message back to the computer when they are activated by a magnetic pen. These types of board usually support the full range of mouse functions, mouseover, hover effects and right click and are directly related to Graphics Tablets used by professional digital artists and designers. They may accommodate pressure sensing and multiple users touching and pointing on the surface. Electromagnetic touchscreens typically have a resolution of 30,000 x 30,000 DPI.

Other forms of Interactive Whiteboard sensing technology.

  • Capacitive — Just like the electromagnetic type, the capacitive type works with an array of wires behind the board. In this case however the wires interact with fingers touching the screen. The interaction between the different wires (laminated in a patented X- and Y-axis manner) and the tip of the finger is measured and calculated to a (x,y) coordinate.
  • Laser — An infrared laser is located in each upper corner of the whiteboard. The laser beam sweeps across the whiteboard surface—much like a lighthouse sweeps light across the ocean—by using a rotating mirror. Reflectors on the stylus or marker reflect the laser beam back to the source and the (X,Y) position can be triangulated. This technology may be combined with a hard (usually ceramic on steel) surface, which has long life and erases cleanly. Markers and styli are passive, but must have reflective tape to work.
  • Ultrasonic and Infrared — When pressed to the whiteboard surface, the marker or stylus sends out both an ultrasonic sound and an infrared light. Two ultrasonic microphones receive the sound and measure the difference in the sound's arrival time, and triangulate the location of the marker or stylus. This technology allows whiteboards to be made of any material, but requires a suitably adapted active dry-erase marker or stylus.
  • Ultrasonic only These devices have two ultrasonic transmitters in two corners and two receivers in the other two corners. The ultrasonic waves are transmitted by the whiteboard surface. Some little marks in the whiteboard borders create reflecting waves for each ultrasonic transmiter at different and recognizable distances. Touching with a pen or even the finger in the whiteboard causes these point waves to be suppressed, and the receivers communicate the fact to the controller.
  • Optical and Infrared — When pressed to the whiteboard surface, the finger or marker sees the infrared light. Software then manipulates the information to triangulate the location of the marker or stylus. This technology allows whiteboards to be made of any material; with this system no dry-erase marker or stylus is needed. In 2007 Carnegie Mellon University PhD student Johnny Chung Lee demonstrated a low-cost method of this type of whiteboard, using the infrared camera inside a Wii Remote video game controller. Lee provides tutorial videos, and the software required to run the system for free on his website.[12]
  • Frustrated Internal Reflection - Infrared light bounces within a flexible and transparent surface. When the surface is deformed through a finger press the internal reflection is disrupted and the light escapes the surface where it is then sensed by cameras. Image processing software turns the light spots observed by the cameras into mouse or pointer movements.

Potential issues:

Interactive whiteboards have some issues similar to regular whiteboards. Permanent markers, for example, can create problems on some interactive whiteboard surfaces. Punctures, dents and other damage to surfaces are a risk with membrane based devices but do not typically occur in the normal course of classroom use.

[edit] Front and rear projection

Interactive whiteboards are generally available in two forms: front projection and rear projection.

  • Front-projection interactive whiteboards have a video projector in front of the whiteboard. The only disadvantage to these boards is that the presenter must stand in front of the screen and their body will cast a shadow. Presenters quickly learn to compensate for the shadow by slightly extending their arm with or without a stylus.
  • Rear-projection interactive whiteboards locate the projector or emmisive display behind the whiteboard sensing surface so that no shadows occur. Rear-projection boards are also advantageous because the presenter does not have to look into the projector light while speaking to the audience. The disadvantages of these systems are that they are generally more expensive than front-projection boards, are often very large, and cannot be mounted flush on a wall; however, in-wall installations are possible.

Some manufacturers also provide an option to raise and lower the display to accommodate users of different heights.

[edit] Short-Throw Projection Systems and Interactive Whiteboards

Some manufacturers offer short-throw projection systems in which a projector with a special wide angle lens is mounted much closer to the interactive whiteboard surface and projects down at an angle of around 45 degrees. These vastly reduce the shadow effects of traditional front-projection systems and eliminate any chance for a user to see the projector beam. The risk of projector theft, which is problematic for some school districts, is reduced by integrating the projector with the interactive whiteboard.

At least one manufacturer has provided a unified system where the whiteboards, short throw projection system and audio system are all combined into a single unit which can also move up and down and enable young children and those in wheelchairs to access all areas of the board. Reduced installation costs make these very cost effective.

[edit] Calibration

In most cases, the touch surface must be initially calibrated with the display image. This process involves displaying a sequence of dots or crosses on the touch surface and having the user select these dots either with a stylus or their finger. This process is called alignment, calibration, or orientation. Fixed installtions with projectors and boards bolted to roof and wall greatly reduce or eliminate the need to calibrate.

A few interactive whiteboards can automatically detect projected images during a different type of calibration. The technology was developed by Mitsubishi Electric Research Laboratories, Inc and is disclosed in patent 7,001,023. The computer projects a Gray Code sequence of white and black bars on the touch surface and light sensitive sensors behind the touch surface detect the light passing through the touch surface. This sequence allows the computer to align the touch surface with the display; however, it has the disadvantage of having "dead spots" in the resistive touch surface where the light sensors are present. The "dead spots" do not allow touches in that area to be presented to the computer.

[edit] Associated equipment

A variety of accessories is available for interactive whiteboards:

  • Projector — Allows a computer display to be projected onto the whiteboard. 'Short Throw' projectors are available from some manufacturers that mount directly above the board minimising shadow effects.
  • Track — Allows the whiteboard to be placed over a traditional whiteboard or tackboard to provide additional wall space at the front of the room. Some tracks provide power and data to the whiteboard as well.
  • Mobile stand — Allows the interactive whiteboard to be moved between rooms. Many are height adjustable as well.
  • Printer — Allows copies of the whiteboard notes to be made.
  • Slate or tablet — Allows students control of the whiteboard away from the front of the room.
  • Student Response System — Allows students to answer test questions posted on the whiteboard or take part in polls and surveys.
  • Wireless unit — Allows the interactive whiteboard to operate without wires to the computer, e.g. Bluetooth.
  • Remote control — Allows the presenter to control the board from different parts of the room and eliminates on-screen toolbars.


[edit] References

  1. ^ Harnessing Technology Review 2007, BECTA, 2007 p.9
  2. ^ America's Digital School Survey 2008, Greaves Group & Hayes Connection, 2008 p.87
  3. ^ British Educational Communications and Technology Agency (BECTA), “What the Research Says About Interactive Whiteboards,” ICT Research, Coventry, 2003
  4. ^ Evaluation of the DCSF Primary Schools Whiteboard Expansion Project, DCSF and Becta (2007)
  5. ^ Evaluation of the DCSF Primary Schools Whiteboard Expansion Project, DCSF and Becta (2007)
  6. ^ Omar S. López, (2008) The Digital Learning Classroom: Improving English Language Learners’ Academic Success in Mathematics and Reading Through Promethean Activclassroom Technology
  7. ^ Evaluation of the DCSF Primary Schools Whiteboard Expansion Project, DCSF and Becta (2007)
  8. ^ Painter, D Whiting, E and Wolters, B (2005) The Use of an Interactive Whiteboard in promoting interactive teaching and learning
  9. ^ Beauchamp, G and Parkinson, J (2005) Beyond the wow factor: developing interactivity with the interactive whiteboard. School Science Review (86) 316: 97–103.
  10. ^ Glover, D and Miller, D, Averis, D and Door, V. (2005) The interactive whiteboard: a literature survey. Technology, Pedagogy and Education (14) 2: 155–170.
  11. ^ Smith, H.J. , Higgins, S., Wall, K., and Miller, J. (2005) Interactive whiteboards: boon or bandwagon? A critical review of the literature, Journal of Computer Assisted Learning, 21(2), pp.91–101.11
  12. ^ http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~johnny/projects/wii/