IWB

An interactive whiteboard (IWB) is a large display surface that connects to a computer and projector or is built as a touchscreen. It allows touch or pen input to manipulate on-screen content, annotate, and save or share notes. The system typically projects or displays the computer screen onto the board and tracks user input.

IWBs are widely used in classrooms and meeting rooms to present digital content, annotate slides, and collaborate in real time. Features often include screen annotation, file import, media playback, and options to record or export lessons and integrate with learning management systems.

Historically emerging in the late 1990s, IWBs gained widespread educational use in the 2000s. They come in projector-based varieties and all-in-one interactive displays, which embed the sensing hardware and computer. Input methods include infrared touch, styluses, or capacitive touch.

Benefits include increased engagement, immediacy of feedback, and opportunities for collaborative activities. Drawbacks include initial cost, ongoing maintenance and calibration, potential technical issues, and reliance on training to realize benefits.

Research on learning outcomes is mixed and context-dependent. Successful adoption relies on reliable hardware, appropriate software, teacher training, and alignment with curriculum goals, rather than technology alone.