Interactive White Board FAQs

ACE has committed funds for 10 Interactive White Boards (IWBs), how will they be allocated? 

To date, most of the IWBs were purchased by each school's PTO groups. This year, the Andover Public School system has decided that every classroom in the district should have an IWB by 2014. ACE is helping the APS kickstart this effort. The ACE IWB purchases have been directed to the middle schools and the high schools. Teachers who want them sooner rather than later will have to submit a grant request to the school system.

Will they be obsolete soon?

An IWB is an interactive projection system. It is compatible with just about any computing device with a video connection. Andover teachers are currently using their IWBs with Windows PCs, Macs, iPhones, and iPads. They will be compatible with future computing platforms as well. 

Is there research to show that they improve student learning? 

Yes, many studies have been conducted and published. You can read many of them here:

http://smarttech.com/us/Resources/Research+and+data

Does the curriculum change with IWBs?

No- the curriculum does not change because an IWB is introduced into the classroom however the availability of real-time video and interactive lesson plans provides an enhanced tool to teach the curriculum. Teachers have reminded us that IWBs do not replace books, paper and pencils- IWBs are used to complement traditional learning tools when appropriate. Teachers have found that updating curricula is much faster and easier than paper-based curricula. 

What are the benefits for teachers and students?

Here are some key benefits that ACE has seen:

*Complex concepts can be shown in an animated, interactive manner. An Andover teacher told us how students are much quicker at comprehending complex geometry problems when they can see the angles and shapes physically changing while solving a proof.

*All IWB lesson plans can be made available to students for viewing later. For instance, a student can re-watch the teacher solving a math problem from earlier that day in the classroom. 

*Teachers across Andover and across the country post and share interactive lesson plans online, reducing the time required to create and update lesson plans. One Andover teacher told us how the ability to quickly update her Middle East history lesson with current news video and other interactive content helps students make the connection between the classroom and the real world.

*Clickers (remote controls) allow teachers to assess student comprehension by issuing test questions on the IWB. Students enter their answers on their remotes and the teacher can instantly see which students understand the topics, and which students might need one-on-one help before moving on to the next topic. See how the clickers work here.