Coding4Fun

Defining an Interactive Whiteboard

When introduced to schools in 1801, the chalkboard was lauded as one of the most powerful and important educational tools ever created. It provides a lecturer with the ability to quickly and easily present visual material to a large audience simply by drawing it on an erasable, reusable wall. Two centuries later, the chalkboard is an icon representing teaching throughout the world. As technology and manufacturing capabilities improved, the chalkboard has evolved through various forms. However, the fundamental purpose remains the same. The modern whiteboard provides a hypo-allergenic, dust-free, clean-erasing, and high-clarity writing surface. Whiteboards are a staple of any modern office environment and many classrooms. However, like paper, the whiteboard is a passive surface. The written material is static. It cannot be easily moved, copied, saved, or recalled at a later date. Once drawn, the information stays on the surface. Once erased, everything is lost.

An interactive whiteboard, sometimes called a digital whiteboard, is an attempt to combine the benefits of digital information such as cut, copy, paste, save, open, and send with all of the physical affordances and benefits of a real whiteboard for presenting, sharing, and drawing visual information. Instead of using markers to leave ink on the surface, touch-sensing technology detects the location of the stylus and a computer displays virtual ink simulating the experience of drawing. Because ...