Interactive Whiteboards in the classroom

Interactive Whiteboards (IWB) are a relatively new technology in the classroom although they have been used as a business presentation tool since the early 1990s. By exploring the current literature around IWB use in classrooms and documenting my own learning experiences by keeping a detailed daily reflections log, I delve into how a teacher like me who was new to technology could implement the use of an IWB into the daily literacy activities and routines in the context of a primary classroom. I initially considered the benefits and limitations as expressed in the literature that both informed and guided some of the choices I made with regards to installing and using an IWB in my grade two class. Documenting my learning journey in a daily reflection log rendered some worthwhile observation and insights about my own learning experience that may prove useful to new IWB users. Examining the professional development opportunities afforded for helping a new user of the IWB, at the district and school levels as well as online, emphasized the value of collaboration between teachers seeking to use the technology. It also revealed the lack of guidance for school districts implementing this technology in schools with regards to professional development programs for new teacher users although IWB use is quite widespread in places such as the United Kingdom and Australia. Classroom layout and management tips along with lesson plans and ideas for interactivity are also key considerations if teachers are to truly realize the potential for bettering student achievement by using an IWB. Teachers are constantly seeking for ways to improve their practice and help their students meet learning goals more effectively. IWBs are one way that may provide teachers with the means to bring some of the twenty-first century literacy skills to their classes, but they require a commitment to revamping pedagogy to use technology in an educationally sound manner.Education, Faculty ofLanguage and Literacy Education (LLED), Department ofUnreviewedGraduat