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Hardware and software do not help our students learn in the absence of a teacher. It is completely up to the teacher whether or not an IWB is used effectively in the classroom.

When the students came to the board and were able to physically touch the content, the hardware barrier between the student and the content was blurred, and the students seemed to be controlling the content directly versus controlling the content via the mouse.

Teachers go through phases in their use of interactive whiteboards. I

These play to a primitive impulse to respond to immediate opportunities and threats. The stimulation provokes excitement — a dopamine squirt — that researchers say can be addictive. In its absence, people feel bored.

Ultimately the importance of technology or its absence pales in comparison to the importance of a teacher's attitude, effort, and success. More opinionated academics and nonacademics alike need to view teachers in action and see whether they connect with their students and get the job done. Some of these wonderful and successful teachers will have beautifully planned and integrated technological endeavors, and some will have a whiteboard, chalkboard, or a circle of desks in the center of the room.

Critical thinking, creativity, communication, and collaboration can all happen in the absence of the digital element. It is when we recognize through our instructional preparations that a real need for these technology tools becomes necessary, instead of merely nice.

To be clear–learning can happen in the absence of technology. Integrated poorly, technology can subdue, distract, stifle, and obscure the kind of personal interactions between learner, content, peer, and performance that lead to learning results.