Annotated+Bibliography

1. Beeland, Jr., William D. (2002) ."Student Engagement, Visual Learning and Technology: Can Interactive Whiteboards Help?, 1-7.

This article discusses a research project conducted on the use of interactive whiteboards in the classroom. Ten teachers signed up to use an interactive whiteboard located in their school's media center. Immediately after the lesson, students and teachers were given surveys to measure the effectiveness and engagement provided by the use of this new technology. There were questions that were answered by a scale and also open-ended questions. Overall, the results were very positive. Students commonly responded with answers indicating that they were engaged throughout the entire lesson and that it was much easier to pay attention and stay focused. Teachers exclaimed that smart boards made it easy and fun to add videos and sound clips to their lessons. The only major complaints dealt with physical inconveniences such as wires on the floor, shadows of your hand and arm while trying to write, and if the projector is accidentally moved you it is difficult to get it back in order.

This article is appropriate for my inquiry question because it discusses students' actual reactions to the use of interactive whiteboards in the classroom. The student who was most likely to enjoy the use of the interactive whiteboard and the student who was least likely to enjoy it were both surveyed and both had positive remarks. The teachers also recorded their reactions to the interactive whiteboard lesson. Several stated that they could automatically see increased engagement and motivation with the use of this technology. The article also discussed the available options to support three types of learners: visual, auditory, and tactile.

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2. SMART Technology Inc. (2006). Interactive Whiteboards and Learning. //Improving student learning outcomes and streamlining lesson plans,// 1-12.

This article discusses the positive effects that interactive whiteboards have had in classrooms around the world such as the United States, Australia, and the United Kingdom. It discusses how interactive whiteboards can be effective for a wide range of students with varying disabilities. It provides ideas for everything from students <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;">with learning disabilities to students with hearing/visual impairments. It also offers ideas for all of the different types of learning styles. For example, interactive <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;">whiteboards provide opportunities for tactile/kinesthetic learners because it allows them to move around and actually touch the screen. The article concludes that <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;">working with interactive whiteboards produce positive results for both teachers and students. Students are more engaged and motivated and their participation <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;">increases. Teachers are able to teach more interesting lessons with more variety.

<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;">This article appropriately supports my inquiry question because it directly deals with motivating all types of learners. The learning styles section is particularly <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;">relateable because many students may be reluctant to read because information is not being presented to them in their preferred learning style. Interactive whiteboards <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;">provide a variety of options and tools for not only presenting information, but also for practice and review.

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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;">3. Katy Fitzgerald. (2008). Do Interactive Whiteboards Improve the Motivation and Attitudes of Reluctant Readers? 1-8

<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;">This article discusses the opinions and questions a teacher had about reluctant readers in her classroom. She expressed extreme interest in using the interactive <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;">smart board as more than just a fancy white board. Fitzgerald began with giving each of the students a survey that discussed their attitudes about reading and asked <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;">them to assess their own capabilities. She then continued to provide engaging instruction through the use of the interactive white board. After working with the <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;">students this way for awhile, not only did she find the results she was looking for, but she also learned how to effectively use the white board by providing supplements <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;">and actively monitoring her students' progress. Fitzgerald concluded that

<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;">This article directly corresponds with my inquiry question. Katy Fitzgerald conducted a research study that asked her students to self evaluate their feelings and <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;">opinions on reading. This study focused solely on the reluctant/low achieving readers in Fitzgerald's class. She found that having additional support in addition to <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;">activities presented on the interactive white board not only improved her students' motivation but also helped to improve their test scores.

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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;">4. Kent, P & Holdway, M. (n.d.). Interactive Whiteboards, Productive Pedagogies and Literacy Teaching in a Primary Context. 1-10.

<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;">This article measured the success of introducing and interactive white board into the classroom. Not only did the teacher measure progress from formal standardized <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;">tests, but he also took into account informal observations made by teachers and the students' parents. Kent and Holdway state that technlogy in the classroom has <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;">its obvious benefits but that having an effective teachers is essential. The article discusses the importance of promting higher order thinking and providing the <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;">opportunity for students to engage in conversation. It gives examples on how to use interactive white board activities to enhance the lesson such as, phonics and <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;">reading blending activities for beginning readers. Also, teachers can use interactive white boards to help students draw connections to the real world, and again <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;">example activities are explained. Ultimately Kent and Holdway conclude that we have made advances in "e-teaching" and "e-learning" but it is still a work in progress.

<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;">This article was very helpful because it was more critical of the use of interactive white boards. The activity descriptions provided were insightful and helpful in pointing <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;">out how teachers can keep students engaged in the lesson. I like that it took into account opinions made by both testing and observations. It also discusses the <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;">benefits of engaging students in conversations. Learning needs to be never ending, constant questioning is essential.

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