1. The Use of Interactive White Boards in Foreign Language Learning 1
Running Head: THE USE OF INTERACTIVE WHITEBOARDS
The Use of Interactive White Boards in Foreign Language Learning
Hussein Hassan
Brandman University
2. The Use of Interactive White Boards in Foreign Language Learning 2
Abstract
This paper is intended to provide a literature review of the use of the interactive whiteboards in
foreign language learning. I tried to cover the use of interactive whiteboards within different
contexts and from different perspectives. The literature includes international studies such as
Spanish, British, and Turkish as well as American studies. The objective of this paper and the
prospective research is to shed a light on the variable factors that affect the use of interactive
whiteboards in language classrooms. The variables stressed in this paper are: students’
motivation, students’ performance, teacher’s competency, and the technology’s efficiency. The
implications of such literature review points out the factors which affect how students and
teachers perceive the use of IWB in language classroom.
3. The Use of Interactive White Boards in Foreign Language Learning 3
Introduction
In the Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center, all classrooms are equipped with
interactive whiteboards (IWBs). All foreign language instructors have to utilize the Smart board
technology in teaching foreign languages. The use of IWB is widespread in all levels of
schooling in America and Europe. Language instructors utilize this technology to create class
activities that are interactive and multi-sensory. Moreover, most of the current curricula in the
Defense Language Institute (DLI) such as the Arabic basic course curricula are based on utilizing
the IWBs. However, having the technology available in foreign language learning does not
necessarily yield better results than using traditional teaching tools such as overhead projectors
and whiteboards. Moreover, there are many variables which could affect the effectiveness and
the efficiency of using interactive whiteboards in foreign language learning. The literature
review sheds light on these variables and supports the hypotheses that IWBs are just a teaching
tool and that there are other factors need to be present in order to fully utilize this technology
effectively and efficiently. I am interested in finding out if the literature supports any
effectiveness and efficiency of using the interactive whiteboards in foreign language acquisition.
My research topic is the use of interactive whiteboards in foreign language learning, the research
hypothesis is that using IWB has positive impact on students’ foreign language learning if the
technology is utilized effectively and efficiently.
The use of interactive whiteboard and student’s motivation and participation
Coyle, Yañez, & Verdú (2010) analyzed the impact of the interactive whiteboards (IWB) on the
language use of a primary school teacher and a group of English language pupils and non-native
speakers in an English language immersion classroom in Spain. The study showed that the non-
4. The Use of Interactive White Boards in Foreign Language Learning 4
native speaker students have interacted with the IWB even more than the native speaker students.
The students showed enthusiasm to explore the IWB and they seem more focus on the task in
hand. However, the study concluded that in order to utilize the IWB effectively, teachers need to
embed more interactive opportunities to help non-native speakers students interact verbally with
their English native speakers and with the teacher and not only with the IWB.
In this British study of integrating information and communications technology (ICT) into
teaching (Gray, Pilkington, Hagger-Vaughan, & Tomkins, 2007), teachers expressed positive
remarks when asked about the increased focus of the students on the content and how they liked
using the IWB. However, some teachers thought the technology lacked more kinesthetic agility
which students need due to the limited numbers of students who can use the IWB at a time.
Another teacher in the study expressed her concern on how the interactive games were more
appealing to the boys than the girls in class. Despite this concern, students seemed to have
increased their target language use when they were interacting with the IWB. The enthusiasm to
use IWB was not inclusive to some students. Rather, it attracted the students who were usually
reluctant to participate in class activities as one teacher noted.
Lopez (2008) conducted a quantitative/ qualitative study which analyzed the findings of the first
year evaluation of a school’s district digital learning classroom project. The school district
integrated the use of interactive white board in math and English classes. The objective of the
project is to foster English language learners’ performance compared to regular students. The
appealing characteristics of the IWB seem to help with students’ behavior as well. In this study
(López, 2009) analyzes the findings of the first year evaluation of a school’s district digital
learning classroom project to foster English language learners’ performance. The school district
integrated the use of interactive white board in math and English classes. The study showed that
5. The Use of Interactive White Boards in Foreign Language Learning 5
students’ engagement and motivation had lead to improvement in English language learners’
behavior as one teacher noted.
In a Turkish study which aimed at assessing the effects of using interactive whiteboards (IWBs)
in English as second language classrooms (Mathews-Aydinli & Elaziz, 2010), the majority of the
students showed that this technology has helped them be more motivated to learn because IWB
helped student focus and concentrate on the lesson and because it made the lesson easy to
understand. This sentiment was shared by the majority of the teachers who were surveyed in the
same study, 72% of the teachers agreed that the use of IWB in their classes made their students
more motivated.
In a research article by Tozcu, A. (2008), 75 DLI foreign language instructors participated in a
study which aimed at analyzing the use of IWBs in foreign language classes. This study focuses
on the use of interactive whiteboard in teaching non-roman scripts. All foreign language teachers
agreed on the importance of the use of IWB in engaging students in the learning process. This
engagement led to more motivation and consequently to more students’ participation in class,
they added. (Tozcu, 2008).
The use of interactive whiteboard and student’s achievement
The inherent visual effects of the IWB make it easier for the students to visualize concepts
otherwise hard to contextualize. On the other hand, this technology promotes the use of target
language and also it shows the students their errors instantly which helped the students learn
from their mistakes. (Coyle, et al, 2010) In this study, the students learned more by interacting
with the IWB and with each other.
6. The Use of Interactive White Boards in Foreign Language Learning 6
In contrasting student’s achievements in mathematics and reading, (López, 2009) found that
English Language learners (ELL) have increased their performances in both subjects due to the
use of IWB in the classroom. However, in his notes (López, 2009) cautions that such positive
outcomes of the digital learning classroom for the English language learners is not a “silver
bullet” that could help the ELL students improve their performance.
The results of using IWBs may not be visible in the short term. It might take more time for the
students as well as the teachers to fully feel comfortable in using it effectively in a way that
yields positive impact on students’ learning. Mathews-Aydinli & Elaziz, (2010) stressed that
despite the overall positive feelings the students felt about using the IWB in the classroom, only
59% reported that there is a difference between using the IWB and the regular whiteboard. The
study showed that the more the students use the IWB, the more they recognize its unique
characteristics. In another study, (Tozcu, 2008) showed that all foreign language instructors who
participated in the study have reported improved retention and better performance by the
students in recognizing the different forms of the non-roman scripts. The study reported that the
DLI students spent two weeks to master the written systems of these languages which is
considered a relatively short time given the complexity of the written systems. The versatility of
the visual effects of the IWB and the interactive nature of the touch-screen helped students learn
the scripts as well as help them concentrate on the task in hand with less distraction.
Efficiency of the interactive whiteboard
Gray, et al, (2007) noted that despite the positive feelings of confidence the teachers in this case
study have reported, the researchers showed concern of the extra hours three out of four teachers
had to invest in preparing digital materials for their classes. The other issue was the constant
7. The Use of Interactive White Boards in Foreign Language Learning 7
changing in technology makes it harder for teachers to use learning materials for long time; they
might have to constantly update their materials to keep up with the technology.
In a Turkish study (Mathews-Aydinli & Elaziz, 2010), all teachers showed positive attitude
toward using the IWB in their English classes. The reasons for these positive attitudes come from
the efficiency the IWB provides in reviewing previous lessons, and explaining as well as the
multi-sensory materials which could be used in the class. The characteristic of the IWB which
sets it aside from regular projector or computer is the ability to save the class input on the
whiteboard for future classes as well as the availability of ready-to-use lesson plans and lesson
activities for language classes. Such characteristics lead 63% of the Turkish teachers to believe
that the IWB made them more efficient teachers. However, the same concern of time allocated to
prepare IWB lessons seems to be a concern for 32% of the teachers who reported that they had to
prepare more to use the IWB in their teaching. Such characteristics were confirmed in limiting
teacher preparation for classes (Tozcu, 2008). All teachers in this study confirmed that the use of
IWB in teaching the non-Latin scripts helped them in better manage the class time, use the same
teaching materials for future classes which lead to less preparation time. However, the teachers
stressed the disadvantage of this technology, as noted in the Turkish study (Mathews-Aydinli &
Elaziz, 2010) which allows only one student at time to utilize it.
Teacher’s competency in using the interactive whiteboard
Any tool is as good as the one who uses it. Such generalization is true for the use of the IWB in
classroom teaching and learning. In their conclusion of their research (Coyle, et.al, 2010)
stressed the importance of teacher’s competency in using the IWB effectively in order to utilize
its potential. The technological competency is just one part of effective and efficient use of the
8. The Use of Interactive White Boards in Foreign Language Learning 8
IWB in language learning, the other important component is the interactive skills teachers ought
to have in order to fully engage the students in meaningful language learning. Therefore, (Coyle,
et.al 2010) stressed the importance of training the faculty not only on how to use the IWB but
also on how to be effective language teachers by using communicative and constructivist
approach in teaching.
The results of the study show that a teacher’s lack of competency in the software used in the
class led one of the teachers to control most of the interaction with IWB. The researchers
concluded that the use of the IWB had potential to improve communication skills for non-native
pupils in English class. However, this potential depends on how teacher used the interactive
whiteboard to enhance interaction. It also depends on the teacher competency in both the
technology and language acquisition.
However, in a qualitative study conducted by Gray, et al, (2007), the researchers reported that
the teachers did not consider the training as an essential component in their effective use of the
IWB. Instead, the teachers learned best by experimenting, exploring the software, and sharing
with each other. The researcher suggested that it is better to respect the individual needs of each
teacher regarding their training needs. However, some teachers think that technical competency
in using the IWB is an important factor in successful learning. In the Turkish study, 63% of the
teachers reported that such training is necessary for them to feel competent in using the IWB
(Mathews-Aydinli & Elaziz, 2010)
The research literature showed positive feedback from both the students and the teachers. The
studies also stressed on the importance of embedding the use of technology in general and the
IWB in particular in meaningful pedagogical frameworks such as to use the IWB in foreign
9. The Use of Interactive White Boards in Foreign Language Learning 9
language classrooms in interpersonal, intrapersonal, and creative manner. The literature however
seems lacking enough resources on the use of IWB in foreign language learning therefore I
included research that focused on second language acquisitions as well as English language
learning for non-English speakers. In order to utilize the interactive whiteboard in foreign
language learning, teachers have to utilize it the technology within a bigger pedagogical
methodology. On the other hand, student’s voices need to be heard as well as the teachers. Most
of the studies focused on the teachers’ attitudes and thoughts about the technology but fewer
considered the students’ voices and whether their performances were improved. To listen to
students’ concerns and thoughts, teachers need to communicate effectively with their students
when applying new technologies or teaching methods. In an interpretive qualitative research,
Schmid, (2006) investigates the effects of using interactive whiteboards in foreign language
learning from the perspective of the critical theory of technology. To overcome the challenges
which emerge from using new technology in the language classroom, Schmid suggested that
both the teacher and the students need to engage in effective communication in order to tackle
such challenges and transform the learning process. Further studies need to focus on the use of
interactive whiteboard in foreign language learning with quantitative and qualitative methods to
measure students’ performances and focus on how the technology is being utilized along within
the curriculum.
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References
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Gray, C., Pilkington, R., Hagger-Vaughan, L., & Tomkins, S. (2007). Integrating ICT into
classroom practice in modern foreign language teaching in England: making room for
teachers' voices. European Journal of Teacher Education, 30(4), 407-429.
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López, O. S. (2010). The Digital Learning Classroom: Improving English Language Learners’
academic success in mathematics and reading using interactive whiteboard technology.
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