Interactive whiteboards (IWB) are a new and fascinating way to incorporate technology into the classroom. It is essentially a huge screen that coordinates with the computer and projects everything to be seen but also allow teachers to draw, write, or create games that students can play with the stylus. The concept is to keep things interactive and continue to work and learn together as a class. Several IWB companies have been around for awhile now, some of the most popular are Promethean, SMART, and Mimio.
There are all sorts of things like highlighting, annotating, dragging and dropping, importing pictures, and using student response systems that you can use on your IWB. Student response systems, sometimes known as voting devices, “were associated with a 26-percentile gain in achievement” (O’Bannon 5). In addition, “the use of graphics and videos to share information from the Internet was associated with a 26-percentile gain in achievement” (O’Bannon 5).
However, there are still limitations that can hinder the use of Interactive whiteboards in the classroom. When teachers are not properly trained to use IWBs, it can be a waste of money and can create additional challenges rather than avoiding such. “Furthermore, when technical issues occur, teacher confidence is decreased, causing student frustration” (O’Bannon 7). When planning any lesson using technology, it is always important to plan a backup activity if technology fails. This way, frustration is minimal and all class time is still used to it’s fullest capacity. 
In conclusion, the importance of technology in the classroom can be both a positive and negative. The teacher’s ability and comfort level with technology and IWBs can really make or break a lesson but with the right tools and training, Interactive Whiteboards are unbelievable resources and fun ways to keep kids involved and attentive during a lesson.
