An interactive whiteboard is based on the traditional whiteboard, but it can act as an input device for a computer, coupled with a projector. Things you write and do on the whiteboard can be detected by the computer it is connected to, and when you combine that with the ability to project an image on it, you end up with a huge interactive computer display that can be used in the classroom as an aid to lecturing, presentations, demonstrations, and more.
Although the first interactive whiteboard was released in 1991, only in the last several years have whiteboards become a must-have tool in K-12 classrooms. New emphasis on developing 21st century skills for students, the requirement for educator proficiency in technology, and research documenting increased learning with the use of interactive whiteboards has spurred its adoption.
Fundamentally, an infrared interactive whiteboard combines a dry erase whiteboard with an LCD projector and is usually mounted on a wall or floor stand. Powered by easy-to-use software, the whiteboard becomes a computer screen viewable by an entire classroom. The projector projects the content from a computer onto the surface of the board while the teacher controls the content either with a pointer or a touch of the hand instead of a keyboard and mouse. The combination of software with the projector results in much more than simply a projected image.
Anything that can be done on a computer monitor can be replicated on the capacitive interactive whiteboard. A teacher can create engaging lessons that focus on one task such as a matching activity where students use either their fingers or a pen to match items. Another teacher might integrate multiple items into a lesson plan such as websites, photos, and music that students can interact with, respond to verbally or even write comments on the board itself. Image size and placement can change with a simple touch to the screen. This technology makes the one-computer classroom a workable instructional model. Imagine taking a class on a photo safari to Africa complete with embedded videos, animal sounds and mapping software.
Research has repeatedly demonstrated that students learn better when they are fully engaged and that multisensory, hands-on learning is the best way to engage them. Interactive Displays facilitate multisensory learning whether it is a collaboration exercise for math problem solving or a Google Earth tour of the Amazon rainforest.