Dear Apple, I want a giant iPad.
I teach in an elementary school, and I have a Promethean ActivBoard. After three years of working with it, I've decided I don't like it. Smartboards are no better. Both use a digital projector to display on the unit from the outside. You have to block the projection when you write on it, and when you turn around, you have to avoid blinding yourself as you look past the projector. Further, I am not at all impressed with the software suite. It is clunky and not intuitive. Not to mention the glitches that I face on a daily basis drive me nuts. On top of all of that, I have to run the thing through my computer.
I want a giant iPad. Backlit, touch-screen, Apple support, and dozens of apps. Something like 4 foot by 5 foot would be awesome. Current research by Robert Marzano (et al.) supports the extensive use of interactive whiteboards as a part of daily instruction to increase student motivation, interest, and engagement. In addition to increased student interest, having an Apple Interactive Whiteboard would expose students to technology that is actually being used in the real world, not just in schools.
