International Journal of Education and Development using ICT

International Journal of Education and Development using ICT > Vol. 9, No. 1 (2013)

Interactive whiteboard for primary schools in Mauritius: An effective tool or just another trend?

Goonesh Kumar Asvin Bahadur, University of Mauritius, Mauritius
Deorani Oogarah, Primary School, Mauritius

Abstract
Mauritius is among the few African countries where the interactive whiteboard has been implemented in all primary schools. This has been possible thanks to the Sankoré project, an initiative of Franco-British Summit and the Government of Mauritius. The interactive whiteboard is an important tool in the classroom as it changes the mode of instruction. Many researches were carried out in many countries to investigate the effectiveness of the interactive whiteboard. This research is based on a feasibility study to determine teachers’ and learners’ perceptions of the potential benefits and drawbacks of using interactive whiteboards in their teaching and learning environments. In this research project, an educational learning tool was designed and mounted using XERTE which is an Open Source Authoring tool, to test whether interactive whiteboard can improve learning in schools. Additionally a survey was carried out among primary school teachers to gather information on the interactive whiteboard. The outcome showed that using the interactive whiteboard does not necessarily mean getting better results in assessments. Yet pupils showed better engagement and enjoyment during the lessons. The survey revealed that few teachers were actually using the digital board. It is still unclear whether these teachers are making effective use of the interactive whiteboard or not. The survey also concluded that most teachers agreed that the interactive whiteboard was an effective tool as it benefited to all types of learners.

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