IWB Literature Review

J a m e s P e t e r s e nE T E C 6 1 1Dr. Grace LinSpring 2011University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa

Literature Review

Interactive Whiteboards in Teaching and Learning: an evolving classroom environment

Sunday, April 28, 13

James Petersen

interactive whiteboards

A Doctor from 1896...suddenly transported to a modern ER Trauma Center would be lost


James Petersen


A Teacher from 1896...

Suddenly transported to many modern school classrooms would know exactly what to do


James Petersen


This is changing......and a big part of this change is from ICT technologies such asINTERACTIVEWHITEBOARDS


James Petersen


Interactive Whiteboard (IWB)studies

Most early studies of IWB adoption and use focused primarily on one of the two major forces in the classroom; teachers and students.

Teacher studies deal mainly with adoption, use, and changes in pedagogy occurring following the introduction of the IWB to the classroom.

Student studies tend to look at attitude, engagement, and achievement.


James Petersen


Much of the literature from the U.K.

Beginning the 1990s

U.K. Home Office used British Educational Communications and Technology Agency (BECTA) to enhance technology in local authority schools

BECTA also commissioned studies of efficacy of Technology

much of the literature from countries with centralized educational authorities


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Pedagogy...Many studies drew on BECTA findings-

concerned with adoption and infusion of IWB technology and whether teachers who adopted this technology developed new approaches to teaching. (Glover, et al., 2007)

Of particular interest is to determine if teachers are actually developing new ways of teaching or simply using the new technologies to supplant older classroom tools. (Zevenbergen & Lerman, 2008)


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Pedagogy...Stages of adoption of IWBs

Several investigators have noted that there seems to be a step-wise development in the adoption of the new technology:• Stage one: teachers utilize

the IWB as a replacement for a previously used tool

• Stage two: teachers begin to use some of the interactive features not previously available

• Stage three: students utilize the IWB for knowledge construction and communication (Zevenbergen & Lerman, 2008)


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Teacher DevelopmentOne study felt that IWB use was actually a step backward in the sense that it served to solidify the role of the teacher as the center of learning and the classroom since the teacher had control of the tools of learning. (2007)

One of the reasons for this phenomenon is that many teachers do not progress along the continuum of competence and confidence-building and continue to use the IWB as a very expensive chalkboard or overhead projector. (Zevenbergen & Lerman, 2008

Most of the literature points out that the degree to which the IWB is integrated in learning and teaching and the uses to which the tool is put depend largely on the development of teacher skills and confidence.


James Petersen


Students- Attitudes and Behaviors

Studies of student attitude toward IWBs in the classroom generally point out that increased motivation and engagement with classroom learning as being among the main benefits of IWB classroom use. (Yáñez & Coyle, 2010)

Simply having IWB technology in the classroom is not an absolute predictor of enhanced levels of student learning; even when student attitudes toward the classroom are more positive


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Student Achievement Some studies have begun to investigate whether there is a causal link between classroom IWB use and a positive growth in student achievement.

One of the most extensive of these was a 2 yr study by the Marzano Research Laboratory that was sponsored by a major IWB manufacturer; Promethean Ltd.

This quasi-experimental, pretest-postest, non-equivalent group study used a statistical meta-analysis of data that derived from classrooms that utilized the Promethean IWB


James Petersen


Student AchievementThe results of this study suggested that there was a positive and statistically significant correlation between teacher use of the IWB and its “ActivClassroom” system and a higher level of achievement among the treatment groups of students. (Marzano & Haystead, 2010).


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The Classroom as a System

Rather than examining just changes in teaching strategies or student attitudes and outcomes, this theoretical framework seeks to describe and develop an understanding of the impact of IWB technologies on the interactions of the parts that make up the system of the classroom as a cultural entity.

One theoretical framework involves the study of the classroom from a socio-cultural perspective. Vygotsky, Fisher (2006) and Wertsch (1998) described the role of tools in mediating human activity,


James Petersen


Classrooms as Systems...the role of Technology in providing opportunities to create new kinds of activities,

skills gained from using the new tools that create different activities and strategies and not the tools themselves

as teachers became more skillful in the use of the technology, they developed new ways to interact with pupils. In many cases, the teachers observed had adjusted their styles to be more inclusive and cooperative in supporting learning activities. (Lewin, Somekh, & Steadman, 2008).


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Systems Perspective...Another study that utilized a socio-cultural framework for analysis concluded that a major strength of IWBs in the classroom was as an organizational tool that provides an environment for whole-class discussions and exercises.

They found that IWBs provide a more authentic environment for student learning by bringing in examples from the real world through website access and student interaction. (Kearney, & Schuck, 2008).

One researcher found that one students utilized IWBs in collaborative activities, the “vicarious presence” of the teacher in the technology enabled them to connect with, interpret and act upon teacher intentions for the task.


James Petersen


Emerging Area for StudyAn investigator concluded that the IWB can provide an environment conducive to the “creation of a shared dialogic space within which co-constructed knowledge building can take place.” (Warwick, Kershner, & Staarman, 2010).

An emerging area of investigation involves the study of classrooms as dynamic systems of interaction and a complex cultural environment. The introduction of tools such as IWBs can have a significant and profound impact on this environment and bring about a number of inter-connected events that significantly influence the ways in which teachers teach and students learn.


James Petersen


Summary of Findings

Most early studies of IWB adoption and use focused on one of two major forces in the classroom; teachers and students.

Teacher studies dealt mainly with adoption, use, and changes in pedagogy following the introduction of IWBs

Student studies tend to look at attitude, engagement, and achievement.


James Petersen


Summary...An emerging area of investigation involves the study of classrooms as dynamic systems of interaction and a complex cultural environment.

The introduction of tools such as IWBs can have a significant and profound impact on this environment and bring about a number of inter-connected events that significantly influence the ways in which teachers teach and students learn.

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IWB Literature Review

Education

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