1. Matching Professional development
Efforts to meet the needs of
Interactive Whiteboard users
EDC 385G: ANALYSIS OF RESEARCH IN
INSTRUCTIONAL TECHNOLOGY
DR. MIN LIU
SPRING 2010
MICHELLE READ
THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN

2. Why?
 IWBs are rapidly becoming commonplace in today’s
schools.
 Expected 1 million sales this year.
 Originally built for business, now predominantly in
education.
 UK, US, and Mexico hold 70% of these units globally.
 Research coming from
UK, US, Australia, Canada, Germany

3. What is a IWB?
“Interactive Whiteboards, or IWBs, are
systems, which include a touch-screen surface, a
projector and a computer. This triangulation
creates interactivity between the projected image
and computer, so that the computer can be
controlled from the board rather than the lectern or
desk.”

4. Types of IWB
 Pre-wired board connected to projector and
computer.
 Bar-like device which produces an invisible infrared
grid on any ordinary whiteboard.
 Newest types leave out the board and/or device,
producing an invisible infrared directly from the
projector onto ANY flat surface.

5. Who makes them?
 Promethean
 Smartboard
 Mimio
 Vizio
 Hitachi
 Epson
 Boxlight

6. Interactivity
 Drag/drop objects & text
 Control all applications
 Capture and print handwritten notes
 Annotate over/highlight other documents/Internet
 Video and audio record movements
Essentially anything one can do at the computer, can
be done at the board away from behind the lectern.

7. Benefits & drawbacks
 Increase student motivation and engagement
 Learning through kinesthetic movement
 Learn by doing
------------------------
 Lack of student interaction
 Propensity towards teacher-centered instruction

8. Controlling pedagogy
Technology tools are chosen by teachers which
accommodate an already preferred teaching
method.

9. Professional Development
 How can we guide teachers towards using the IWB
in a more student-centered, constructivist or socio-
constructivist manner?
 PD tends to be:
 Static
 Finite
 short and sweet with no follow-up (time & support)
 Focuses on functional how-to of new technologies
A new way of professional development delivery
is needed.

10. Glover & Miller (2007) ICT PD
 Describes three types of PD models:
 Individualist
 Incrementalist
 innovatory
interactive culture
* Innovatory methods
with extra time and
support over extended
innovatory
periods of time and a transitory culture
incrementalist
focus on both technical Individualist
features and pedagogical
theory produced more
traditional culture
student-centered
activities around ICT in
general. 0 5 10 15
# of classrooms exhibiting student-centered activities

11. Research Questions
 What are best practices associated with the use of
Interactive Whiteboards in the classroom?
 What is needed for practitioners to develop their integrative
uses of the IWB that move beyond simple
blackboard/whiteboard replacement?
 How can IWB professional development be designed to
meet the needs of today’s classroom teacher in regards to
both technical and pedagogical needs, while providing
structured time and support for practice and development?
 Does professional development which specifically includes
both extended time and support in addition to targeted
discussion around pedagogy and technical training, make
an overall difference in how teachers use the IWB in their
classrooms?

12. Theoretical Framework
 Constructivism--knowledge constructed through
experience
 Socio-constructivism—doing and discussing
 Andragogy—adult learning theory

13. Method
 Design-based research
 Attempts to bridge theory and practice
 Uses both quantitative and qualitative data for measuring both local
impact & generalizability
 Quantitative: surveys
 Pre
 Post (immediately following, 3 months later, 6 months later)
 Qualitative: interviews, focus groups, video-taped observations (pre &
post)
 General analysis for guiding change in PD as needed.
 Participants are voluntary K12 teachers with regular
access to IWBs.

14. Implications
 Happy stakeholders!
 Potential for other IT related PD
 Potentially more student-centered teaching methods
seen in classrooms