Mal Lee

The IWB Developments in their Holistic Context - in Schools and Education Authorities, Historically and Geographically

Mal Lee Broulee, Australia

The Interactive Whiteboard Revolution 1

The second revolutionary instructional technology

200 plus years after the first

The Teaching Board

Harbinger of a fundamental change in teaching

We’re not there yet but .......

The Interactive Whiteboard Revolution 2

Finally a digital instructional technology acceptable to all

Facilitating the digital shift - profound historic implicationsCatalytic impact

upon development of digital schools

Shift from traditional to digital operational mode - with associated implications

The Interactive Whiteboard Revolution 3

A work in progress - yet at the beginning of change

A small but crucial part of the total educative process

The Macro Imperative

Necessity of researching the use of classroom digital instructional technology in its macro context - historically and globally, within the wider school community and education authority

The vital and growing interrelatedness of the influences

The Presentation’s Foundations

Three recent ACER Press (Australia) publications

• Lee M and Gaffney M, eds, 2008, Leading a Digital School

• Lee M and Winzenried A, 2009, The Use of Instructional Technology in Schools - Lessons to be Learned

• Betcher C and Lee M, 2009, The Interactive Whiteboard Revolution - A teacher’s guide to IWBs

The Presentation’s Foundations

One other in the pipeline

• Lee M and Finger G, eds, 2010 release, The Home School Nexus and the development of networked School Communities

• Conference paper - simply amplifies, and provides supporting references for this presentation

Key Nomenclature 1Instructional Technology

“any device available to teachers for use in instructing students in a more efficient and stimulating manner than the sole use of the teachers voice” (Cuban, 1986)

Digital Technology

Used in preference to ICT, which as explored in Lee and Winzenried, is now dated, and does not highlight the core digital element

Key Nomenclature 2

Digital Takeoff

The rapid surge in the everyday use of digital instructional technologies by a critical mass of the teachers in a school

Digital Schools

Those schools where the teaching materials, and the administration and communication systems are predominantly digital

Key Nomenclature 3

Digital Toolkit

The suite of ever-evolving digital technologies - software and hardware - teachers can use in their teaching

Historical Context - Findings from C20

Teacher use of electronic powered instructional technology throughout the C20 was miniscule - and remains so in the majority of classrooms in the developed and developing world today

If teachers don’t use technology..........

Findings from C20 -1

Only two comprehensive studies undertaken of teacher usage of instructional technology

Larry Cuban - Teachers and Machines, 1986

Lee and Winzenried - The Use of Instructional Technology in Schools, 2009

Teachers as the gatekeepers of the classroom were largely excluded..........

Findings from C20 -2Teachers were blamed for the failure to use each of the ‘revolutionary’ instructional technologies from the 1920’s onwards

All major instructional technologies developed by private industry - to make a profit

Profound impact of the major technology companies - on the choice of instructional technology

Findings from C20 -3

Focus on the technology - not teaching

Implementation strategies consistently ineffectual

All instructional technology will move through a common, finite life cycle

Instructional technology of C20 - with one major exception - was designed for the general consumer or office markets. Teachers had to make do

The one exception - the IWB

Findings from C20 -4

All new technology will be used initially to replicate the ways of old

Time is needed for new ways to emerge (Naiksbitt 1984)

Miniscule recurrent funding

Unintended deleterious impact of school-based management (SBM) particularly in mid-sized and small schools

The Pathfinding Schools 1

‘Overnight’ achieved total teacher and student use of IWBs and related technology

Digital take off

Significant student and parent acceptance and excitement

For the first time teachers clamoured for an instructional technology

Impact of ever rising teacher and student expectations

The Pathfinding Schools 2

Impact of critical mass of IWBs and teachers using them

Catalytic influence on emergence of digital schools

Evident globally

Key Historic Phases

1995 - 2002 ‘Ramping Up’

2003 - 2009 ‘Digital Take Off’

1995 - 2002 Ramping Up 1

Educational potential of the digital and ‘Net apparent to prescient leaders

National productivity, vision of digital future and implementation of comprehensive school, education authority and national strategies

Schools - 1995 - ‘telecommunication deserts’

Initial investment in school network infrastructure

1995 - 2002 Ramping Up 2

Surge in domestic use of all manner of digital technologies - ‘Net Generation’ acquiring ICT competencies in home

Pioneering education authorities begin to exert control over technology corporation

Embryonic digital classroom technologies evolve

2003 - 2009 Digital Take Off - of the proactive 1

‘Triple Convergence’ - Friedman - Confluence of key technological developments

Networks in place

Maturation and affordability of key digital classroom technologies - IWB, data projectors

Maturation and affordability of ‘digital toolkit’

Web 2.0 evolves

2003 - 2009 Digital Take Off - of the proactive 2

High level recognition of the impact of quality teachers - and importance of teacher acceptance of technology

Pathfinding school and education authority leadership

Significant supplementary funding

Youth embrace the use of digital in their lives

Evolution of IWBs 1

First Smart Technologies IWB sold 1991

Initial Smart and Promethean IWBs sold to universities

Built upon teaching board operational principles

1998 - Smart Notes 2.0 released

Dependence on affordable, efficient data projectors for front projection IWBs

Relative maturation and affordability achieved around 2002 -2003

Evolution of IWBs 2Contrast between ‘teaching’ and ‘presentation’ boards

Sustained commitment by ‘teaching board’ providers to education

Industry ‘shake-out’

Emergence of IWBs as classroom digital integrators - from mid 2000s

Evolution of digital teaching hubs - using ever expanding digital toolkit

Emergence of global IWB teaching software industry - driven by Uk investment

Historic Growth of IWBs

IWBs of Late

Market dominance of quality teaching boards

Proven longevity, reliability of IWB technology - 10 year plus lifespan

Low cost of ownership increasingly evident

Contrast between ‘license free’ IWB software and upgrades and PC software

Benefits of strong market competition

Continued dominance of front projection IWBs - with emerging alternatives

IWBs of Late

Shift to short throw data projectors - approx 50% by 2012

Regional variability in teacher acceptance of IWB company ‘add ons’

Significance of company IMM teaching resource banks

Proactive – Reactive Scenario 1995 - 2009

Apparently global, with schools, education authorities and nations

In reality – points along a continuum – each attribute

Many reactive schools, education authorities and developed nations still in mid 90s

Difficulty – if not near impossibility – of bridging the divide

Educative Power of Domestic Digital Technology

The level of digital instructional technology in the average home has always exceeded that in the average classroom

The home – school digital difference has continued to grow since the mid 90s, and will continue into the future

The young across the world have embraced digital technologies into their lives

The young are developing their digital competencies primarily in the home

Educative Power of Domestic Digital Technology

Parents strongly supportive of the use of digital technology in the home

Home and the mobile technology provide the young 24/7/365 use of the technology

Smart phones/handheld PCs fast providing globally ‘ubiquitous’ computing

Classroom use of Smartphones/handheld PCs banned in the vast majority of schools globally

Educative Power of Domestic Digital Technology

Parents and students increasingly embraced collaborative and networked mode

Educational bureaucracies retaining hierarchical mode

Educative Power of Domestic Digital Technology

‘It’s when a technology becomes normal, then ubiquitous, and finally so pervasive as to be invisible, that the really profound changes happen, and for young people today, our new social tools have passed normal and are heading to ubiquitous, and invisible is coming (Shirky, 2008, p105)’

Historical Context - Reflection

Questions/Comments

Observations requiring clarification or substantiation

Where do you see need for more research?

Geographical Context

Industry data courtesy Colin Messenger, Futuresource

Regional sales of IWBs

Percentage of nations’ classrooms with IWBs

Projected sales of IWBs globally to 2012

Significant DevelopmentsUK and Mexico - national government involvement

US, Aust, NZ – no national government involvement

4% takeoff

Global spread and diversity

Low SE Asia figures

Low Canadian and European sales

30 plus nations at tender stage

Research and Global ContextPerceived inclination for researchers to extrapolate globally from own local context

Strongly apparent in US instructional technology research for decades - increasingly evident in UK research

Marked inclination not to seek out, or to acknowledge significant developments elsewhere in world

Significance of national, very often regional context

Where the development transcends all national boundaries

School Context - Solution

Simultaneous, multi-faceted, and sustained addressing of a suite of nine human and technological variables

Focus on enhancing teaching

Human change paramount

Solutions context specific

Onus on each school

Relative ease of achieving total teacher usage at school level

The Nine Variables

Teacher Acceptance

Working with the givens

Teacher training and development support

Nature and availability of technology

Appropriate content and software

Infrastructure

Finance

School and Education Authority Leadership

Implementation

Teacher Acceptance

Invariably disenfranchised

Gatekeepers to the classroom

Educational value

Assists their teaching

Comfortable to use

Working with the givens

Teach classes – not individuals

Manage classes

Teach within classrooms – with limitations

Crowded curriculum

Limited teaching time

Use of tools within classroom

Teacher training and teacher development support

Fundamental importance

Nature

Expectations

Normalised into all operations

Resourced

Sustained

Nature and availability of the technology

Assists teaching – does not oblige change

Integration with teaching

Operates within givens

Comfortable and reliable

Enhances efficiency

Affordable

History of ‘making do’

Continuing shortcomings

Appropriate content/software

Current situation

Confluence of ‘recent’ developments

Availability of quality ‘IWB’ IMM teaching applications

UK stimulated global ‘IWB’ IMM teaching software

IWB industry resource banks

Proactive – reactive ‘Net access continuum

Infrastructure

Centrality

Importance of total class broadband access

Reliability and 100% ‘uptime’

Future proofed

Appropriate support

Digital integration

Finance

Commitment

Pathfinders – including low SES

Re-prioritising

Total cost of ownership

Paper-based mode of funding

Appropriate networked model of funding required

Leadership

Fundamental importance

Historic shortcomings

Inadequate development

Architects of digital school

Taking prime responsibility

Implementation

Historic pattern

Deleterious impact of discrete ICT plans

Importance of holistic, integrated whole school development strategy and planning

On-going refinement, measurement and evaluation

A 10th variable? – Information Services and Management

May not be critical, but vital

Apparent in all case studies

Growing importance

Centrality to lesson collaboration, asset management and enhanced efficiency

Additional Reasons for IWB Acceptance

Graduated teacher take up

Builds on the known

Ability to be securely installed in every teaching room, K-12

Excitement and attraction in use

Responsiveness to on-going change and enhancement

Facility to use with full spectrum of teaching situations – from individual to large group

Scant cost to classroom teacher

IWB Impact – at school level 1

Rapid teacher, student and parent acceptance – and excitement when implemented wisely

Student attraction

Enhanced student attendance, and student behaviour

Digital integrator

Ever rising teacher and student expectations

Paper to digital shift

IWB Impact – at school level 2

Enhanced teacher collaboration

Enhanced teacher efficiency

Catalytic impact of a critical mass of digital users on shift to digital schooling

Whole school normalisation of the digital

Impact on Student Attainment 1You know as well as me

Plethora of factors at play

Growing challenge of digital integration

Well covered by Balanskat, Blamire & Kefala (2006)

Enhanced student attainment within basic skills tests in low attaining schools

Challenge of upper quartile/high SES

Probably increased coverage of teaching program

Impact on Student Attainment 2

Marzano Claim

The School Context – Reflecton

Questions/Comments

Where do you see the need for more research?

Laud the achievement of IWBsCelebrate the progress made – so recently and rapidly

Compliment the teachers’ embracing digital technology

Recognise the historic/revolutionary change to digital teaching materials

Highlight the advanced teacher efficiency and productivity emanating from their use

Celebrate youth’s digital competency

Laud the attainments of pathfinder schools and education authority leaders

Laud the achievement of IWBs

Recognise we are at the dawn of the 2nd great instructional technology

Laud the achievement of IWBs

Appreciate the educational and historical significance of this Becta conclusion;

This sharp rise in the use of ICT resources in the curriculum has been driven to a large extent by the adoption of interactive whiteboards (IWBs) and related technologies. Interactive whiteboards are a popular technology, in heavy demand by schools and practitioners. They offer transparent benefits to learning and teaching. That is, it is easy for institutions and teachers to recognise how IWBs enrich and enhance learning and teaching – something which may not always be so immediately transparent to practitioners in the case of other technologies’ (Becta, 2007 p66)

Contact Details

Mal Lee

mallee@mac.comSkype: malcolmrlee

+61 2 44 717 947

PO Box 5010BrouleeAustralia 2537

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