A worthwhile investment? The Interactive Whiteboard and the teaching of mathematics

Abstract

There is increasing evidence that the interactive whiteboard contributes to understanding and application in the teaching of mathematics. At the same time there has been some comment that the technology may be a passing feature and that people are tending to invest without considering the implications of training and associated software purchase (both specially designed interactive whiteboard software and generic mathematical software including wordprocessors, spreadsheet, graph plotters and geometry packages). Understanding of the nature of interactivity and the development of pedagogy to support this points to a need for long-term changes in both teaching and learning if the technology is to be worthwhile. This paper outlines evidence pointing to the effectiveness, efficiency and value for money of investment in interactive whiteboard technology and pedagogy with illustrations from a widespread investigation of use in secondary mathematics teaching.