This article reviews the literature concerning the introduction of interactive whiteboards (IWBs) in educational settings. It identifies common themes to emerge from a burgeoning and diverse literature, which includes reports and summaries available on the Internet. Although the literature reviewed is overwhelmingly positive about the impact and the potential of IWBs, it is primarily based on the views of teachers and pupils. There is insufficient evidence to identify the actual impact of such technologies upon learning either in terms of classroom interaction or upon attainment and achievement. This article examines this issue in light of varying conceptions of interactivity and research into the effects of learning with verbal and visual information.

Students involved in the interactive whiteboard (IWB) evaluation, sponsored by the Centre for British Teachers (CfBT), were interviewed in regard to their perceptions about IWBs. Twelve group interviews (72 students) were conducted between January and Easter 2004 with Year 6 students (between 10 and 11 years of age) in six Local Education Authority (LEA) areas located in the North and South of England. Students were very enthusiastic about particular aspects of IWBs, such as their versatility in the classroom, multimedia capabilities and the fun and enjoyment they brought to learning. Students also highlighted, however, technical problems, teacher and students' information and communication technology skills and students' lack of access to the technology as negative aspects.

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The study investigates the effect of e‐learning, blended learning and classroom learning on students’ achievement. Two experimental groups together with a control group from Umm Al‐Qura University in Saudi Arabia were identified randomly. To assess students’ achievement in the different groups, pre‐ and post‐achievement tests were used. The results of the study (N = 148) show that there was a statistically significant difference between the three methods in terms of students’ achievement favouring the blended learning method (n = 55) with a substantial effect size of 1.34 (Hedges’ g). No significant difference was found between the e‐learning (n = 43) and traditional learning groups (n = 50) in terms of students’ achievement and with a negligible effect size of 0.02.

The study set out to investigate the impact of interactive whiteboards (IWBs) on teacher-pupil interaction at Key Stage 2 in the teaching of literacy and numeracy. As part of the National Literacy and Numeracy Strategies, IWBs have been made widely available as a pedagogic tool for promoting interactive whole class teaching. In order to investigate their impact, the project looked specifically at the interactive styles used by a national sample of primary teachers. A total of 184 lessons were observed over a two-year period. Using a computerised observation schedule, teachers were observed in literacy and numeracy lessons, with and without an IWB. The findings suggest that IWBs appear to be having some impact on the discourse moves used in whole class teaching, but this impact is not as extensive as that claimed by the advocates of IWBs. Lessons which used IWBs had a faster pace and less time was spent on group work. The implications of the findings for classroom pedagogy, teachers' professional development and future research priorities are considered.

Kate Wall is a research associate in the Centre for Learning and Teaching at Newcastle University. She has a particular interest in gathering pupils' views of learning and their thinking about learning in different contexts, in particular, how ICT can facilitate pupil reflection and how metacognitive talk can be initiated. AbstractThis study is one element of a government-sponsored evaluation into the introduction of interactive whiteboards (IWBs) to Years 5 and 6 in English primary schools. This element of the research aimed to gather information regarding pupil views of IWBs and the impact these tools can have on teaching and learning. To extend current literature, the method targeted pupils' views of how IWBs can impact on metacognition: thinking about learning. Using a template that has been developed by the Centre for Learning and Teaching at Newcastle University, pupils were encouraged to talk about learning in different contexts: this methodology and its rationale are described. The results show that overall comments from the pupils are positive, with the resulting themes encompassing how the IWB can facilitate and initiate learning and impact on preferred approaches to learning. The pupils describe how different elements of software and hardware can motivate, aid concentration, and keep their attention. On the negative side, pupils candidly describe their frustration when there are technical difficulties, their desire to use the board themselves and their perceptions of teacher and pupil effects. As IWBs are becoming more and more prevalent in schools, we discuss implications and make recommendations for teachers and manufacturers.

This article reviews the research and evidence about multi-touch tables to provide an analysis of their key design features and capabilities and how these might relate to their use in educational settings to support collaborative learning. A typology of design features is proposed as a synthesis of the hardware and physical characteristics of the tables so that the longevity of these factors and the associated analysis can be better preserved, particularly in relation to the range of ways in which they may be used collaboratively in classrooms. The variability of features relating to software is also analysed and key pedagogic issues identified. The aim that underpins this review is to relate the design of the technical features with key pedagogic issues concerning the use of digital technologies in classrooms, so as to provide a more robust basis for their integration in classrooms in terms of their potential to support or to improve learning.

A sound foundation? What we know about the impact of environments on learning and the implications for Building Schools for the Future, Oxford Review of Education, 33:1, 47-70, This paper reports on a literature review conducted in the UK for the Design Council and CfBT which looked at the evidence of the impact of environments on learning in schools. We have reviewed the available evidence regarding different facets of the physical environment and provided an analysis based on different areas of effect, including the extent to which different facets interact (positively and negatively) with one another. Our conclusions suggest that, although the research often indicates the parameters of an effective environment, there is an overall lack of empirical evidence about the impact of individual elements of the physical environment which might inform school design at a practical level to support student achievement. However, at a secondary level of analysis, there are indications that environmental change can be part of a catalytic process of school development and improvement. The implications of these findings for Building Schools for the Future will be discussed.