Students today are digital natives. They grow up immersed in technology long before they set foot in the classroom. They are connected to the entire world through television, the internet, and a myriad of personal devices in electronic and digital format. Classrooms equipped for the 21st Century demand curriculums that integrate technology resulting in high standards, high expectations, and high results. With this in mind, teachers must acknowledge how students learn today and find every possible way to teach children and improve learning.
Using mixed method design investigation, the researcher examined the effect of interactive technologies, specifically interactive whiteboards (IWBs), on student scale scores in the classroom and on the instructional methods of teachers. The sources of data included large-scale standardized test scores for 13861 students in grades three, four, and five, covering two academic years, were analyzed to investigate whether the interactive whiteboard made a difference on student achievement in math and reading. Teacher focus groups were used to gather information from 44 teachers on whether interactive whiteboards had an effect on their instructional methods.
Results of the analysis of covariance indicated statistically significant differences in Math and Reading in grades three and five in classrooms that used IWBs for instruction. There was not a significant difference in either subject in grade four. From these results, the researcher concluded classrooms that used an IWB may have improved the achievement levels of students in Reading and Math. In addition, teachers in classrooms that regularly used an interactive whiteboard for instruction participated in focus groups to determine whether interactive whiteboards influenced their instructional methods. Focus group summaries indicated teachers unanimously agreed that use of the IWB made a difference in their instructional methods. IWBs allow for increased student engagement and make instruction more exciting. The results of the study will lay the groundwork for standardized technology integration in academic classrooms for 21st Century instruction in a rural county school system in the Southeast
