Do interactive whiteboards lead to achievement gains? Does any specific technology? Whiteboards impressed me as little more than glorified slates back when I'd first learned of them--nice tools for presenting lessons with computer resources using annotative capabilities--but over the years I haven't given them much more further thought.

However, upon reading a recent article in the Washington Post (McCrummen, 2010) on the millions of dollars schools are spending to purchase interactive whiteboards and other technologies in their education reform efforts, I became intrigued by vendor claims that such products promise to improve student performance. But just what kind of performance does this mean? Let's examine some truths and consequences on interactive whiteboards, principally in regard to key questions for integrating technology into instruction and expectations for a technology to be effective.

Truth 1: Another Slate
The truth is that the interactive whiteboard (IWB) is the newest advancement in a whole line of slates introduced over the last few centuries, all seen as tools for educational reform. Educators are told that their "schools must embrace the technologies that are the media of modern life," as Stephanie McCrummen (2010) pointed out. However, new tools in the evolution of educational technology have often been met by resistance to change. You might appreciate some interesting quotes noted in Carolyn Campbell's slideshare. Historically, children transitioned from writing on prepared bark to writing on hand-held slates. But critics cried, "What if the slates broke? We're losing the art of preparing bark!" Then blackboards for broad classroom displays were introduced and green boards, the latter of which was touted as better than blackboards for reducing eye-strain. Whiteboards requiring use of dry erase markers became the next best thing because they eliminated health problems due to chalk dusk and were cleaner to use.