Tetrads, Interviews, Multimedia

What exactly does an interactive whiteboard enhance? It provides the perfect opportunity to address multiple learning styles. Of course, this alone would be enough to take notice but this technology provides an opportunity for the student to take ownership of their learning. Interactive whiteboards enable students to emerge themselves into the learning experience and at the same time removes the lack of engagement which has been a stumbling block in education.

We are going forward, but we need to wait just a minute and retrace our tracks. What technology did interactive whiteboards make obsolete?  Interactive whiteboards will replace math manipulatives, composition note books, globes, and hard cover books.

Interactive whiteboards are radically different then most tools from the past. It serves as a one-stop tool to access material to understand and present content. It brings to mind a live presentation of improvisation. You just do not know what you are going to get. It reverses the show and tell presentations.

Replacing this technology would be virtual reality technology which allows multiple users to assess, collaborate, and manipulate various tools in real time. For example, videos could be viewed and altered at the same time.

The potential of interactive whiteboards can be found at the following link.

http://www.shambles.net/pages/staff/IWBcontent/

The role of a futurist

My choice for a technology tool which provides a great bang for both student and teacher is TurningPoint. There are several components embedded in the technology which promotes a new learning environment each day. Society is promoting independent thinkers and this tool when used properly provides a rich and engaging learning experience  

The problem associated with this technology is the limited amount of state standards available for QuestionPoint. QuestionPoint is a resource available through TurningPoint which allows educators to design assessments from a test question bank. Most vendors seldom provide questions written above level two complexity, but at the very least they could be used as a quick review. An option to allow school submission of test questions would be an excellent option.

Rogers (2003) states effective matching an innovation with an organization's need is key to whether the new idea is sustained over time. It seems as though everyday a new an improved tool hits cyberspace. It is important the emerging technology is not a one trick pony so as to avoid the possibility of potential supporters rejecting the potential because the new technology is not advancing the existing technology. There are two benefits I especially like about the tool. First, the system is fully supportive in powerpoint. Interactive slides with charts, pictures, or question prompts can be seamlessly inserted to enhance a presentation. Second, there is a component called TurningPoint Anywhere which provides the capability to create an anonymous on the spot questionnaire.  For instance, during video presentations I can open a poll and get instant feedback on the video to gauge the attention span and comprehension of my students.

The societal need this tool provides is it allows the educator to teach whole group, but still have an individual snapshot of her students. The accommodations gained from the use of this technology encourage equal access to the information by all students. Formal assessment and re-delivery of content can be accomplished in a less obtrusive manner.

The technology could be better if a more comprehensive set of questions were available for educators to browse through. The questions should require students to critically analyze the information and move beyond the garden variety multiple choice selections our students are exposed to.

Information about the impact of TurningPoint resources can be found at the link

http://www.turningtechnologies.com/studentresponsesystems/researchcasestudies/

Rogers, E. M. (2003). Diffusion of innovations (5th ed.). New York, NY: Free Press.