Customer Reviews

The Interactive Whiteboard Revolution: Teaching With Iwbs

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I read this book because I wanted to be convinced that Interactive Whiteboards are as good as everybody makes out. Unfortunately, I wasn't. I often wondered while reading this book if the authors were being paid my the makers of interactive whiteboards to make them look good. It was so extremely one-sided that most points made became irrelevant. But the thing that mostly put me off was the patronising tone that existed throughout the book. For example, after a quote about how IWBs are advantageous but only as long as teachers understand the nature of interactivity, the authors childishly write, 'See? It is not about the hardware'. They even imply that using an IWB will automatically make a teacher better, as if it's some magic solution to create great teaching.
Most of the book is based on anecdotal evidence provided by starry-eyed teachers who are already converts to IWBs. There is a brief reference a couple of studies which only give the impression that the authors are desperately trying to legitimise their information.
If you want to know about how to use IWBs, I suggest you find a good book on teaching in the 21st Century (and there are a lot out there), and figure out the best way you can present your information to the class, with or without an IWB.