Effective practice in technologyenhanced learning: interactive whiteboards - Teaching with Technologies: The Essential Guide - page 56

attention, and to help teachers in explaining difficult concepts (Higgins et al. 2005;
Somekh et al. 2005). 'There is consensus on the contribution of this tool to three aspects
of educational practice: the presentation of information and resources, the power of
visualisation in the interpretation of concepts and models, the facilitation of interaction
and organization of activities with a whole-class focus' (Koenraad 2008: 18).
However, technology cannot, in and of itself, bring about change. That requires
agency from teachers and learners. The educational added value is derived from the
pedagogical framing of the use of the interactive whiteboards by teachers, situated in
classroom practice. Somekh et al. (2007) have illustrated positive results if adequate
training is provided and teachers are allowed sufficient time to integrate interactive
whiteboards into their pedagogic practice. However, as Koenraad (2008: 18) rightly
asserts: 'there is still too little empirical, qualitative, longitudinal and subject-specific
research available for firm conclusions'. This affirms the need for further research.
As Somekh et al. (2007: 7) argue: 'any distinctive contribution that interactive white-
boards can make to pupil learning will be a long-term process dependent on on-going
exploration of what the technology can best be used for.'
Further reading
Higgins, S., Beauchamp, G. and Miller, D. (2007) Reviewing the literature on interactive
whiteboards, Learning, Media and Technology , 32(3): 213-35.
Mercer, N., Hennessy, S. and Warwick, P. (2010) Using interactive whiteboards to orches-
trate classroom dialogue, Technology, Pedagogy and Education (themed issue on interactive
whole class technologies) , 19(2): 195-209.
Somekh, B. et al. (2007) Evaluation of the Primary Schools Whiteboard Expansion Project ,
London: DCSF.
Useful websites
http://dialogueiwb.educ.cam.ac.uk
The University of Cambridge interactive whiteboard group has a number of researchers
who publish on using this technology to support classroom dialogue. The website has
lesson materials and video footage to support dialogic teaching with the interactive
whiteboard. The resources on the website may serve to stimulate discussion, develop-
ment and trialling of dialogic approaches.