The Knight on a White Board

With all the emerging technology available today, it seems there is a great push to incorporate these tools into the classroom learning process. Studies claim that use of technology such as whiteboards (Smartboard, Promethean, Luidia and so on) can raise students anywhere from 10-30+ percentile points through their use.
What must be stressed is that this new way of interactive learning cannot replace the value of the teacher. Simply because a teacher enters a room and turns on the whiteboard does not make him/her the teacher of the year. As with any tool for learning from the past, the lessons must be assembled in a student friendly way. There is little argument that the writing of lines is a less than adequate teaching method because it does not engage the student. Likewise, simply running through videos, charts or using praise generating activities on a whiteboard still does not engage the student.
The teacher must put time, thought, creativity and skill into the preparation and presentation of the lessons. As throughout the history of teaching, the information must be explained, explored and examined. No matter what new technology comes our way, the effectiveness of the lessons still rest on the responsibility of the teacher.