Interactive whiteboards in 1:1 classrooms increase student collaboration
SEATTLE, Washington --- October 29, 2008 --- SMART Technologies announces the release of its newest white paper, “Interactive Whiteboards in 1:1 Learning Environments: Defining public and private learning spaces in the classroom.” The paper differentiates products that support individual (private) learning, such as PDAs, student laptops and ultra-mobile PCs, and products that support group (public) learning, such as interactive whiteboards. One-to-one learning environments can effectively engage 21st-century students in the learning process and promote consistent access to a personal computing device for each student. The white paper indicates that introducing interactive whiteboards into one-to-one learning environments increases the likelihood of student collaboration. With more and more learning theory focused on the benefits of student collaboration, interactive whiteboards and personal computing devices address the need for private and public learning spaces in one-to-one settings.
“Interactive Whiteboards in 1:1 Learning Environments: Defining public and private learning spaces in the classroom” points to research into the effects on interaction among students using personal computing devices alone and in combination with shared displays. When using personal computing devices alone, students became more self-directed and engaged in their learning, but also tended to interact less with classmates. When a shared display was included in the technology mix, student interaction increased because the display created a natural focal point for whole-class discussions through which students could share their work and learn from each other. The white paper is available at http://www2.smarttech.com/st/en-US/Resourcelibrary/.
“Today’s learners are more tech-savvy than any preceding generation, and their learning environment must reflect the way they process information,” says Nancy Knowlton, SMART’s CEO. “This white paper outlines how personal computers and interactive whiteboards can work together to increase learning and collaboration in one-to-one environments.”
