Schools in the Digital Age: teachers’ training role in the innovative use of the Interactive Whiteboard

Abstract

This paper deals with a case study research (IWB@Trento) conducted in an Italiansecondary school, situated in the Trento’s Province that makes good use of InteractiveWhiteboard (IWB) for the teaching/learning process. We explored in detailhow teachers use the Interactive Whiteboard (IWB) during Greek and Latin classrooms.In the paper we stress that usually schools use to spend their budget intechnologies and they do not implement an appropriate human resources’ trainingpolicy, therefore they run the risk of underestimating the pedagogical skills offeredby the new equipment and limiting the desired positive changes of the teaching/learning methods. In our research it seems to emerge the fundamental need ofinvesting in the teachers’ training, to increase the IWB’s positive contribution tothe teaching/learning process and to help students’ learning, participation and motivation.Otherwise, it will be possible to run the risk of reducing the IWB to apassive instrument, i.e. anything more than a projector connected to a computer.The essential role of teachers’ training is due, also, to the fact that digital nativesgeneration has got ways of communication and learning styles that are differentfrom their teachers.