A study of teachers’ integration of interactive whiteboards into four Australian primary school classrooms

Abstract

Interactive whiteboards (IWBs) have become increasingly available in Australian primary schools. However, little is known about how they are being integrated by teachers into their teaching practices. This paper reports on a study of the introduction of IWBs into an Australian public primary school. Data were collected for one day per week over two school terms, involving four classroom teachers. Data collected included a log of time allocation, lesson observations and a series of interviews with the teachers. The study found that participants used IWBs to a varying extent over the course of a teaching week, with lessons that integrated the use of IWBs tending to focus on literacy and numeracy. The technology was readily incorporated into the classroom environment by teachers and considered easy to use. Teachers adopted a range of pedagogical approaches when using the IWBs and these approaches were consistent with those they usually employed in their teaching.

Keywords:

• interactive whiteboards
• K‐12
• primary schools
• pedagogical approaches
• technology integration

Acknowledgements

The authors wish to thank Claire Krnavek, Jacqueline Millard and Martin Olmos, all of whom provide research assistance for this project. We would also like to acknowledge Louise Thake and Marie Bolton for their support throughout the project.