The International Centre for Advanced Technology (CITA) of Ruipérez Sánchez Germain Foundation, based in Peñaranda de Bracamonte (Salamanca), is involved in a project called Smart Research on interactive whiteboard (experts and known as IDPs) in classrooms , which runs until 2010 and which also involved 25 schools in Spain and Portugal. Leading this initiative is Pere Marqués Graells, professor of Educational Technology at the Autonomous University of Barcelona and Director of Teaching and Research Group Multimedia, and one of Spain’s leading experts in digital whiteboard.

“The PDI is an instrument that projected onto a white board all the information a computer can be connected to the internet, where everything is, so that creates the opportunities to share information and learn,” he says. In his view, the use of whiteboards requires little technical training, since “what is projected on a screen,” but also “with a pointer become touch screens and pen mode, which is known as ink digital, we can write up to include notes, for example, a picture of a piece of architecture. “

Despite this apparent simplicity, the CITA project and 25 schools aims to assess the implementation of this educational tool in the 25 centers that provide almost all IDPs in their classrooms. The idea is gradually to train teachers, implement new methodologies, overcome the problems which arise and achieve after two years that all teachers are excited and master the tool, “says Marquis.

“In my group we have over five years doing research. Teachers like this technology because it is easy and convenient, and believes that students are more motivated, “he says. Thanks to her, “are those students who project to the class work they have done and these views and participate more.”

Academic performance

However, this favorable response does not seem to be reflected in academic performance. “90% of teachers believe their students learn more, but then most do not get better grades. Given this disparity of data, the debate is what kind of activities being evaluated, “said the specialist, pointing to the possibility of change to change the criteria and the ways in examining knowledge.

So great is the revolution of new technologies? “Speaking of new technologies in general is dangerous because working with the PDI is very different than any other type of activity at the computer, which is a powerful tool.” In any case, offer “the ability to copy, paste, compile information of the moment” and, according to studies on information processing, thus further stimulates the right hemisphere, because it works more the image, and has different impact on learning, “he explains. So, your group will present new research next year with 20 centers, which include not only IDPs but also computer on the desk, “to see what can be done with both.”

In any case, “technology always leads to changes in the way of working. The board ended the lecture, the book released to the student of the transience of the word, and each tool can introduce new activities to facilitate learning. Before the digital whiteboard, blackboard and the book and have allowed the student to go at their own pace and not at the pace of the speaker, “says the expert.

Intermediate

Currently, there are two types of digital whiteboard, the interactive and what is not.Between 5 and 10% of classrooms have one, a figure that is “under the United Kingdom and ahead of Italy,” said the biologist, who believes that Spain is still at a level of the challenges intermedio.Uno is creating content for this new technology. “There are publishers who are making efforts, we must move forward in this line, create platforms for content and search of resources to facilitate the work of the teacher”