An interactive whiteboard is a piece of hardware that looks
much like a standard whiteboard but it connects to a computer and a projector
in the classroom to make a very powerful tool. When connected, the interactive
whiteboard becomes a giant, touch-sensitive version of the computer screen.
Instead of using the mouse, you can control your computer through the
interactive whiteboard screen just by touching it with a special pen (or, on
some types of boards, with your finger). Anything that can be accessed from
your computer can be accessed and displayed on the interactive whiteboard, for
example Word documents, PowerPoint presentations, photographs, websites or
online materials.
Using special software included with the interactive whiteboard, you can also
interact with images and text projected on the board: rearranging them,
changing their size, colour, etc. This offers a much more interactive
experience than using a standard whiteboard or using a data projector alone.
