The Interactive Whiteboards, Pedagogy and Pupil Performance ...

some on sites linked to the DfES or other educational agencies. Not all papers
describe their research methodology in any depth, the quantity of data collected or
how they were analysed. A few consist largely of personal testimony from individual
users (Smith, 1999; Bell, 2002). For the purposes of this review the literature will be
considered in two parts: research that focuses on the potential of IWBs as a
technology; and research that tracks its use in specific settings.
The potential of the technology
Advocates of the technology identify the following positive features of IWBs:
Teaching
The facility of the interactive whiteboard is well adapted to whole class teaching
(Glover and Miller, 2001) and encourages an interactive approach in that setting
(Ball, 2003). IWBs make it easier to incorporate and use a range of multimedia
resources in lessons including: written text; pictures; video; sound; diagrams; online
websites (Levy, 2002). They can quicken the pace of lessons through the use of
pre-stored materials, which reduce the need to write on the board (Ball, 2003; Miller,
2003). When connected to an intranet they encourage resource sharing amongst
staff, which can reduce teacher workload (Kennewell, 2004). IWBs are easy to use
and are more likely to find favour with teachers who otherwise struggle to incorporate
technology into their classrooms (Kemeny, 2004, Smith, 2001). The high production
values of the resources are attractive to both teachers and children (Smith, 1999;
Ball, 2003; Kennewell, 2004).
Learning
IWBs are well able to support a range of different learning styles, including: visual,
auditory and kinaesthetic (by physical movement) (Graham, 2003; Ball, 2003). The
interactive software available for use on IWBs enables teachers to model abstract
ideas and concepts in new ways so that the pupils can respond to the activities and
deepen their understanding (Kemeny, 2004; Miller 2003; Richardson, 2002). The
facility to save and then re-use materials, which have been created or annotated in
lesson, time can reinforce and extend learning over a sequence of lessons (Glover
and Miller, 2002).
Drawbacks
Drawbacks identified tend to be of a practical or logistical nature: IWBs can be more
expensive to purchase than other technologies which might share much of the same
affordance (Twining et al, 2005); they may prove difficult to maintain and are difficult
to substitute for when out of use; there are difficulties in placing them at the right
height for use by both children and adults (Smith et al, 2005); the mobile versions
are time-consuming to install (Brown, 2004; Becta, 2004b).
The terms in which both the potential of the technology (and its drawbacks) are
described are generally consistent across the available body of work. These
features are then summarised and endorsed in the government literature devoted to
the technology and made available on official websites (DfES, 2004; Becta, 2004a).
Promotional material about IWBs which suppliers provide refers to the benefits of the
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