Teaching and learning with technology....the interactive whiteboard

The beginning of the school year has been a whirlwind as usual, so here it is October and I am finally getting a chance to reflect on my new technology for this year.

Smartboard 
My classroom in the first in our building to have an interactive whiteboard installed.  We have held off on this piece of technology, not sure if it would directly impact student learning given our unique learning environment. 

I have to say it is an amazing piece of technology.  I have the latest model and its like a giant iPad!  I love that I can set up a page for each class first thing in the morning with the agenda for that class and what homework will be.  I used to have do to this in between each class.   It is nice to not have to erase the board immediately in the middle of the lesson to keep writing, I simply get to go to a new page.   Additionally, if it is a writing brainstorm, word list for Tutorial, or a word problem we are working on in math, I can save it right where we left off for the next day. 

The interactive lessons are wonderful for my students.  It gets them out of their seats and they want to interact with the board. 

But is it really a cost effective teaching tool?  I am not sure on that yet.  Yes my students are very engaged, but I also found ways to engage them and get them moving without such a high cost.  Manipulatives and file folder games can cover kinesthetic learning in most of my classes.  A ball, a dart gun or a basketball hoop in just as interactive as moving items on an interactive board.  There are the gigantic post-it note paper that can hold brainstorms and math problems until the next day.  

The board is also a distraction in its novelty.  The students want to touch it, they want to draw on it, they want to see what it can do, when they are supposed to be focusing on the words I'm saying, what work is in front of them, or even what I am writing on the board.  I will be curious when this wears off.

I do look forward to spending the year working with the board and seeing what I can create.  Also I will be working with staff to utilize the board, in their hopes to also have an interactive board installed in their rooms.