Interactive Whiteboards and iPads in the Classroom

With the emergence of iPad’s in today’s classroom, a lot of talk is going around that this means the death of Interactive Whiteboards. Nothing can be further from the truth. In reality, these two platforms offer two very different benefits to enhancing the classroom experience.

In a study done by Futuresource Consulting, the penetration of Interactive Whiteboards in U.S. classrooms is estimated at 46% in 2011, 54 % in 2012, and 58% in 2013. In 2009, an estimated 2 million Interactive Whiteboards was predicted to be sold worldwide. This number would triple over the next 5 years to more than 7 million. Futuresource went on to predict that by the end of 2013, 1 out of every 5 classrooms worldwide will have an Interactive Whiteboard.

To compare, a recent study by Gartner Inc. revealed that iPad tablet sales are expected to reach 49 million for 2011 and a high of approximately 138 million in 2015. In 2011, the number of tablets sold total approximately 69 million. In 2012, the estimated total market share is 108 million, and an estimated 294 million for 2015. Apple estimated themselves that 400,000 iPads were being used in PK-8 classrooms at the end of 2010. If the school purchases parallel with the projected iPad sales, this reflects 1.3 million iPads by the start of 2012 and 3.7 million by the end of 2015.

Based on these numbers, it’s easy to come to the conclusion that iPad and tablets are making the Interactive Whiteboard obsolete. What you don’t realize is that every child in a classroom would get one iPad or tablet in their hands each. Compare this to just one Interactive Whiteboard per classroom; these numbers are put into perspective.

The truth is, while both platforms are innovative for the educational market, both have very different purposes. Take the Interactive Whiteboard. This platform is ideal for teacher-lead instruction. It encourages student interaction with each other as well as with the content on the board. Students are encouraged to get out of their seat to interact with the material displayed on the board. In many ways, this platform serves a much more interactive-based classroom, when students become excited about the lesson plan.

With iPads and Tablets, you are taking the benefits of the Interactive Whiteboard and placing it directly in each student’s hands. Tablets are ideal for independent learning, student group work, and homework. With the tablet, students get the benefit of independent learning. They become captivated with the content that is now at their fingertips. The downside that students don’t get from a tablet that they do from Interactive Whiteboards is the interaction they get with their peers.

In conclusion, Interactive Whiteboards and iPads and tablets serve two very different purposes in the classroom; however, neither form of technology will replace the other. In fact, it would be more plausible to believe that the two will eventually merge and be used in collaboration with each other for further differentiated learning.