My fourth year at university would be the first time that I
actually see the amazing new educational technology that is referred to as the
Interactive White Board. Although I was initially impressed (and surprised) when
a fellow PGCE student swiped her hand on the board and text magically appeared,
I kept thinking to myself ‘what more could this technology actually do?’. If one
can simply write using a finger instead of chalk/marker, and display some
images, is this not just the same technology as a projector combined with a
whiteboard? If so, then is it really a necessary apparatus? Surely this
technology must be very expensive to install.
On the other hand, technology is forever improving and
developing, and as teachers in an educational system moulding the minds of
tomorrow, we should keep up with the times. Children today are given iPads at
the age of two or three, and can use them effectively before they even know how
to read or write. These will be the children in our classrooms one day, and one
has to wonder whether they will still respond to a traditional chalkboard or
whiteboard. Even if the IWB is currently not doing much more than its manual
counterparts, it may still just be in its ‘awkward phase’ or developmental stage.
Given the opportunity, and time for innovation to take place, it will surely,
as all technology does, develop into a tool that does much more than we may
currently be able to imagine.
I actually had the chance to use the IWB myself for the
first time today. Although I have not been given any instruction in its use, I managed
to give a simple PowerPoint presentation using it, and it was relatively simple
to use. However, for my purposes today, it was rather unnecessary, and I ended
up using the computer to cue the next slide half the time.
Thus, I think, the Interactive White Board has its place. It
should definitely be used and should be developed further for more complex and
interactive use in the future, perhaps in ways that require more active learner
involvement. In the South African context, however, we should first focus on
getting each and every learner a proper desk to sit at, and getting textbooks
delivered, for example, before we spend a lot of money on a tool that is not a
necessity.
