Wiping the Board Invaluable teaching tool or visually pleasing gimmick? Robert Legg looks at whether interactive whiteboards will ever really catch on The text message, they said, was a fad that would never catch on. The internal combustion engine was dismissed as the work of an idiot. And when Bridget Driscoll became the UK 's first road fatality in 1896, her inquest sternly cautioned, ‘this must never happen again.' How things change: in this country alone we sent 36bn texts last year, whilst our 24mn petrol-driven cars caused upwards of 3,000 road deaths.

It all goes to show that an invention's long-term significance is hard – often impossible – to predict. Condemning a new idea as a passing trend and publicly predicting its demise, therefore, is a sure-fire way of giving future generations a bit of a chuckle.

When the interactive whiteboard first appeared, teachers were queuing up to scoff. ‘Too complicated', ‘Too expensive!' ‘A gimmick!' they said. But a few years down the line the sleek form and sympathetic lines of this burgeoning technology can be seen gracing the walls of many music departments. Technology is striding forward; the days of the dry-wipe marker are numbered; and the chalkboard has bitten the dust.

The DfES, always an enthusiastic cheerleader for new technologies, produced a guide – Use of Interactive Whiteboards in Music – back in 2004.

It describes a typical classroom setup involving a computer, projector, speakers and the board itself. ‘Interactivity' comes into play because the surface of the board is touch-sensitive. This allows the user to control the computer by touch, in the same way that a desktop PC can be controlled by the mouse. Some boards require special pens, whilst others can be ‘written on' using a finger.

The most significant way that a board can be used in music is to liven up the plenary part of a lesson. Ideas that were once scribbled in marker pen or described aloud can be presented clearly on the board, in full colour, engaging the interest of pupils of all ages. And by combining the technology with sequencing or music notation software it is possible to create a class composition up on the board, where everyone can see it take shape.
Unlike a conventional whiteboard, which must be wiped clean at the end of each lesson, information written onto the interactive board can be saved for future use.

This makes it easy to revise the learning objectives of previous lessons by calling up whatever information you need. Interactive boards, however, are not simply designed to display and record staff notation or text. They work best when written information is enriched with pictures, sounds and video. Using these media helps create a more lively learning experience and advances pupils' understanding of the subject.

Hannah Pearson, a teacher in a Yorkshire comprehensive, has used her board for three years. She described the benefit of using it in a lesson which introduced the musical characteristics of the Baroque period. ‘It really brought the subject to life,' she enthuses. ‘I was able to include graphics showing what a harpsichord looked like and even clips of one being played. The subject matter seems more real and I'm convinced the whole experience is much more exciting for the pupils than the old method of chalk and talk.'

Research confirms Pearson's view. A number of studies completed over the last five years have shown that lessons presented using a board are generally more enjoyable, increasing pupil interest and motivation. The need for note-taking is often reduced and, as one study showed, pupils are able ‘to cope with more complex concepts as a result of clearer, more efficient and more dynamic presentation.'

Benefits are also to be found for the music teacher him or herself. The opportunity to save or print work directly from the board cuts down on time spent writing things out again. Effective sharing of whiteboard resources between colleagues should also reduce teachers' workload.

Like all emerging technologies, however, the interactive whiteboard is not without its detractors. At up to £2,000 each, critics say that the boards are prohibitively expensive. Nor does it help that schools must find hard cash for these purchases, since they are unable to use their generous allocation of eLearning Credits to buy computer hardware.

Another batch of widely voiced criticisms relate to the projectors that must be used in conjunction with the boards. Cheaper models are often not very bright, making it necessary to close curtains or blinds in order to see the projected image. Given the frequency with which the boards are intended to be used, this means both teachers and pupils could spend a lot of time in the dark. In order to use the board properly you need to stand between the projector and screen, inevitably casting annoying shadows on the working surface of the device. Turning around to face the class, meanwhile, can result in being unexpectedly dazzled by the light from the projector. And when the bulb blows, it'll cost up to £500 to replace.

Reliability is also a real and genuine concern and cautionary tales abound of lessons brought to a standstill by crashed computers, blown bulbs or power cuts. The trials and tribulations associated with projectors, though, are not insurmountable and with practice you can learn to avoid their worst pitfalls. According to some interactive whiteboard users, the real problem comes when an obsession with presentation begins to edge out content.