Electronic whiteboard in kindergarten: opportunities and requirements

Whiteboards have proven valuable for informal note-taking and sketching. Different electronic and also interactive whiteboards are becoming available for children and their teachers at all school levels. We describe the first experiences of children at a day care centre when using an electronic whiteboard for creative letter recognition in small groups. Though the usability of the tool used in this task was not optimal for smooth drawing together, the constraints the tool posed for the children's group work were also a motive for fruitful dialogue and new learning opportunities. Based on our observations of the groups, we outline opportunities as well as requirements for interactive whiteboards to empower children's collaborative learning at the kindergarten level.