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Over the last few years, interactive whiteboards have become more common in the teaching fields. Use of the whiteboards appears to be on an exponential increase but do they make any difference in the classroom? Interactive whiteboards are large displays that are connected to a computer and a user controls what the board displays using the computer. They can be wall mounted whiteboards or they can also be supported by a floor stand. The whiteboards have several accessories that a presenter and audience can use to interact with what it is showing. Many teachers have adopted the use of these whiteboards with open arms whenever they can be made available. Their effect on student achievement compared to traditional boards has been determined through research. A study conducted on the whiteboards showed that there is a 16 percentile improvement in student performance when the boards are used. The whiteboards still have shortcomings compared to standard wall mounted whiteboards such as inability of some students to keep up with the pace at which information on the board is changing. Teachers who have changed from using traditional whiteboards have seen the profound effect that the interactive whiteboards have had on students. Teachers have changed their teaching styles to get students involved in the learning process and this makes it easier to arouse the interest of students and engage their participation even on difficult subjects. Interactive whiteboards have obvious advantages in subjects requiring more visual presentation of information such as arts and crafts, biology, architecture, and others. The use of interactive whiteboards in teaching still needs to become a mainstream activity partly due to prohibitive prices and a learning curve that many teachers are not ready to deal with. According to researchers, teachers that can be able to effectively use whiteboards for teaching are the ones that have used them for at least two years. Most other teachers would be better off if they used normal wall mounted whiteboards for their lessons. According to some, it does not matter if glass whiteboards, interactive whiteboards, or standard whiteboards are used to teach; a good teacher is able to use multiple media to deliver information and engage students' participation while focusing on the content and not how it is presented or the technology. The versatility of an interactive whiteboard is however difficult to beat with traditional presentation methods hence the case for their adoption in schools and other institutions. Interactive wall mounted whiteboards are technological pieces of equipment and they can easily overwhelm even the best of teachers. The ability of a teacher to break down lessons into manageable bits of information before organizing and preparing digital flipcharts is the factor that determines if the whiteboard can be used effectively in a classroom environment. There is an ideal amount of information that should be contained in a single page of a flip chart. Too much or too little information will disrupt the learning process and it may cause some students to be left behind. In conclusion, interactive whiteboards are extremely helpful when teaching but the teacher has to get trained on how to best use the technology in teaching. Are you looking for more information regarding wall mount whiteboards? Visit http://www.adapta.com.au/whiteboards/ today!
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