The IWB: a real educational potential, but many challenges to overcome

In a context where, for almost five years, interactive whiteboards have been implemented on a massive scale in most schools in Quebec, the Canada Research Chair in Technologies in Education has carried out a study aimed at identifying the uses as well as the advantages and challenges of its use.

“99,2% of students prefer the interactive whiteboard to the blackboard. Why? Because we are in 2016! "
- Canada Research Chair in ICT and Education

A total of 11,683 students (from the 4^e year of primary to 5^e secondary school), as well as 1,131 teachers who took part to this research.

It first allowed to present the main uses of the IWB in a school context. It then discussed its many benefits, as perceived by teachers and students. Finally, we have addressed the question of the main challenges encountered by teachers and students in the use of this technology.

As the team mentions in the introduction of the report, “far from questioning the capital importance of integrating technologies in education, this research rather highlighted that certain tools, such as the interactive whiteboard, are possibly more complex and more time-consuming to integrate than others. Indeed, our results illustrate how teachers seem to encounter technical problems with the use of the interactive whiteboard. However, as the results of the study show, the interactive whiteboard has real educational potential. "

Here are some of the results. To find out more, consult the highlights of the study.

Do teachers use the TBI?

48.2 % of the teachers surveyed use the TBI “always” or “often”, 39.3 % use it “sometimes” or rarely, and only 12.6 % never use it.

Do the students handle the TBI?

4.0 % of teachers surveyed report letting their students use the IWB “always” or “often”, 23.4% let them use it “sometimes”, and 72.6 % rarely or never let them use it.

What are the main uses made by teachers?

• 51,6%: presentation using multimedia software
• 19.3 %: Internet search
• 10.8%: video presentation

Is the TBI more popular than the blackboard?

99.2% of students prefer TBI to blackboard. 73,6% of teachers prefer TBI to blackboard.

Benefits according to teachers

• 23.5%: Internet access in the classroom
• 19,1%: visual support for teaching
• 12,2%: watch videos

Benefits according to students

• 29,2%: Internet access
• 18.8%: visual aid for teaching
• 11.6%: student motivation

Disadvantages according to teachers

• 70.6%: technical problems
• 17.3%: time consuming
• 9.6%: screen too small

Disadvantages according to students

• 33,5%: technical problems
• 25,4%: screen too small
• 19.0%: lack of mastery of the TBI by the teacher

The results of the study revealed that the interactive whiteboard has real educational potential. For example, this research has shown that the more students manipulate the IWB, the more they perceive that it has a positive impact on their academic results, on their motivation at school, on their concentration in class, and even on their general satisfaction with school. "This is very promising, but it is still necessary that more than 4.0 % teachers risk letting the students handle this tool," reads the report.

A list of 12 recommendations is presented at the end of the study, including:

1. Encourage more teachers to use the IWB on a regular basis.
2. Set up specific training courses to bring a greater number of teachers to use the interactive functions of the TBI.
3. Set up specific training courses to bring a greater number of teachers to have their students handle the IWB.
4. Recognize the investment in time required by teachers to master such a technological tool.

All the information here: http://tbi.crifpe.ca