I’ve often wondered if I’m the only one who can’t see the value (in educational terms, or also in value for money terms) in an Interactive Whiteboard. Sure they can do some cool things, but is there any great benefit over a standard digital projector?
You can still create an interactive learning environment with a standard projector – students can use the teachers computer, or whatever is projecting the image.
Then, only recently this was brought to my attention: Build your own interactive whiteboard, where Johnny Chung Lee from Carnegie Melon University in the USA builds an interactive whiteboard with a Nintendo Wiimote and an Infra-red Led light source. A quick check of ebay reveals that you can find a Wiimote for less than $50US, and an IR LED for next to nothing. That makes the several thousand dollar MINIMUM ask for an IWB seem absolutely ridiculous. Paricularly when you can freely download all required software etc.
Do people agree with me? Can anyone categorically prove me wrong? I’d love to hear from both sides of the argument.
