Are interactive whiteboards a Good Thing?

samdutton writes: "Interactive whiteboards are now installed in almost all primary and secondary schools in the UK — and that probably goes for many other countries as well.

Teachers and kids seem to love them — but are interactive whiteboards really better than blackboards, non-interactive whiteboards and 'Big Book' learning? Given the high cost of purchase, installation, maintenance and replacement — do they give value for money?

...and is it OK that (in rich countries, at least) more and more of life, including school, is now a televisual experience?"