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Interactive Whiteboards Come Into Their Own

By: Diane Rapley

6/30/2008

According to the report, many districts begin with pilot IWB programs and then move on to larger-scale implementations. As the size of the implementation grows, IWBs become more entrenched and teachers become more adept. The report found that districts begin to move into more pedagogical areas and more in-depth applications as their IWB program expands, indicating sales opportunities for services, software, and peripheral hardware. In particular, the report identified a strong interest in specific software (such as high school algebra and calculus). Districts will be looking for products that work well with their chosen IWB model.

About ADS 2008

America's Digital Schools
America's Digital Schools 2008: The Six Trends to Watch surveyed over 350 school districts on the key technology factors driving change in our schools today. This highly regarded report by Jeanne Hayes of The Hayes Connection and Tom Greaves of The Greaves Group, the second in the ADS series, provides insights into trends in 1:1 computing, learning-management systems, online assessment, student devices, interactive whiteboards, and internet bandwidth. More information is available at http://ads20008.org.

According to another UK study, the impact on student learning is significantly less when teachers don't understand that IWBs need a new approach to pedagogy (Derek Glover and David Miller, "Running with technology: The pedagogic impact of the large-scale introduction of interactive whiteboards in one secondary school," Technology, Pedagogy and Education, October 2001). Professional-development service providers will want to be aware of the IWB opportunity, especially as the solutions become more sophisticated. ADS 2008 found that training and professional services will be needed on teaching subject-specific software and difficult concepts, as well as integrating strategies for student response.

From a demographic standpoint, the report found many interesting variations from region to region. For example, districts in the Midwest and the South are more likely to use IWBs today and more likely to purchase additional IWBs in the future.

IWBs are set to change the learning experience for many students, opening up new sales opportunities for hardware, software, and services that support and enrich the IWB environment.

Diane Rapley has held senior positions in K-12 marketing for more than 20 years, focusing on brand management, messaging, marketing communications and marketing/sales planning.


Diane Rapley has held senior positions in K-12 marketing for more than 20 years, focusing on brand management, messaging, marketing communications and marketing/sales planning.