Smart boards (interactive whiteboards) are an important educational tool that helped many teachers keep remote students engaged through active learning during the pandemic. Now, they continue to be an important technology to serve in-person, hybrid and remote classrooms. They even help sales teams connect with customers all over the world and make presentations of all kinds more powerful.
As students returned to classrooms, the need for smart boards didn’t go away. In fact, this type of smart technology might be more essential than ever. How does a smart board work and what are the benefits?
Article at a glance:
What Is a Smart Board?
Smart boards — sometimes called interactive whiteboards or electronic whiteboards — are large display devices that are often wall mounted or attached to mobile carts. The devices allow users to interact, collaborate and manipulate data by touching the board or with a simple mouse click.
A smart board is an interactive tool for teachers and students that allows users to edit and annotate directly on the screen with a stylus or their finger. Users also have the capability to communicate, edit and interact with devices such as smartphones, tablets, Chromebooks, and computer screens.
Smart Board Benefits for Educators and Students
Imagine capturing all the content on a traditional blackboard, dry-erase board or paper flip chart and digitizing it so it can be sent to the entire classroom or other teachers. Or, what if students — whether remote or in the classroom — could answer questions, draw their ideas or write out calculations that their classmates and teacher can see? Then, the information can be instantly saved and stored.
Smart boards help students with different learning styles. Visual learners love the sharp display and interactive functions, and auditory learners can listen to multimedia content. Those who are more hands-on can write with their finger or a stylus, and the functionality allows teachers to address an entire group or focus on one-on-one learning.
Interactive tools help students learn and keep them engaged. These are just a few of the major benefits of smart board technology for educational environments. Many of these benefits also translate to the corporate world.
How Does a Smart Board Work?
Like old-fashioned, dry-erase whiteboards, smart boards are used to share messages, capture information and facilitate brainstorming and team collaboration. They have the same basic conventional features, but leverage PC technology and connect to the internet to dramatically increase the range of functions.
Their large digital flat displays make the devices easy to use and interact with, using capacitive touch with up to 20 points of contact. Handwriting and character recognition are generally included, along with a stylus, digital pen, and sometimes keyboards depending upon the user environment. They can use multi-media like PowerPoint presentations and different software apps to give end users specialized learning tools to engage students or colleagues.
For video conferencing, the newest devices integrate with Microsoft Teams, Zoom, Skype and Google apps. Remote students or workers can now collaborate and meet from anywhere. Onboard speakers are generally included, but the smart boards can also be equipped with optional audio output to enhance user experiences. You can even tie multiple units together to form a cohesive video messaging system or video wall — the ultimate digital projector.
The displays may include an optional full functioning PC controller. In addition, smart boards use many different types of inputs including USB, HDMI, DisplayPort Input, VGA, DVI-D, or direct connection to any network resource along with wireless functionality.
Considerations When Buying a Smart Board
Smart Board Size and Resolution
Choose the correct size for your room or application; the optimum viewing size and angle are important to reduce neck and eye strain. The most popular sizes range from 32 inches to 86 inches, but the environment determines which size is best. A classroom may require a board from 75 to 86 inches, while a smaller meeting room may only need a 55-inch board.
Smart Board Software
Software apps are an important aspect. If PC based, Windows and the Microsoft Suite are very versatile and extremely functional. Cloud services, educational or other industry-specific software that enhance functionality, connectivity, storage or performance are important items to consider. Be sure to research the software you need for your equipment, as software is crucial for providing superior functionality.
Smart Board Costs
The larger the smart board unit, the higher the acquisition cost. Consider the room and audience for your display before deciding. Resolution of 4k or better works well for nearly all education and business collaboration needs. A 55-inch board can be had for under $1,000, while a 98-inch board can cost more than $10,000.
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Make sure you know what software you will need for your interactive whiteboard, as it can equal or even exceed the price of the actual display board. Specialized applications and programs can cost from $0 to over $600 per instance depending on the app. Cloud services or other software that enhances connectivity, storage or performance can cost between $150 and $1,500 per month.
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Accessories and other extras for your smart board also add to the cost of your interactive display solution. Pens, pen trays and erasers can range from $25 to over $200. Wall mounts and rolling stands can range from $250 to well over $1,500. Extra cameras or camera upgrades can cost from $100 to $250 depending on resolution and features.
What is the Best Smart Board?
Ask your Gordon Flesch Company (GFC) Account Executive about the models offered and which are the best solution for your needs and investment (GFC offers Ricoh Interactive White Boards because we believe them to be reliable and perform exceptionally well for the investment). Also consider leasing vs. buying as this technology will change over a 60-month period. GFC Leasing offers an array of flexible financing options to help you keep your technology up to the latest standards.
Our experienced team will help you find the correct device for your needs that will last for many years. GFC helps guide clients from research and acquisition through installation and configuration.
If you’d like to learn more about the latest in interactive whiteboard technology, talk to the technology experts at Gordon Flesch Company. We have a range of interactive smart board options and technology analysts who will make sure your new whiteboards easily integrate and enhance your existing presentation technology.
What is a smart board used for? North Carolina-based fourth-grade teacher Riley Higgins is using a smart board in the classroom to build 21st-century learners. The language arts and social studies teacher recently asked her students, ages 9 and 10, to research a city in their state and create a multimedia project they then shared on their smart boards. The project makes kids excited to learn, and using an interactive whiteboard, she said, makes learning “fun.” These types of interactive projects recently helped her win the Teacher of the Week award from a local television station.
This is just an example of the many advantages of interactive whiteboards over normal blackboards or whiteboards. The technology, which is becoming more widely adopted in schools across the country, has also been proven to help students stay engaged with their schoolwork.
Today, tools that help teachers capture and keep students’ attention are invaluable. A 2022 study by Gallup found that digital tools are strongly associated with better student outcomes including ease of learning from home and expectations for learning progress. A Harvard Business Review article asserts that lack of student engagement is one of the biggest issues educators face today. Another study shows that student engagement — specifically low student engagement — is the issue most in the way of students reaching grade level, as 68% of teachers agreed.
Smart boards — also called interactive whiteboards or e-boards — improve the learning experience while making teachers’ lives better. They allow teachers and students to learn collaboratively, share files, access online resources and use educational software.
Here are five of the top uses of smart boards in teaching and learning, and how they can benefit every student.
1. Boost student engagement
Today’s K-12 students are digital natives, and researchers say they learn better because of it.
One study found that smart boards improve good teaching and increase clarity among teachers and students. With smart boards, like Samsung Interactive Displays, teachers can create more dynamic lessons by writing or typing on screen, calling attention to certain topics with highlights, circles, arrows or zooming in, and sharing multimedia content such as videos, webpages, presentations and images. The smart board can even be divided into multiple sections so more than one student can work on it at once. In fact, using Split Screen Mode, teachers and students can see two windows at once.
2. Accommodate different learning styles
Whether a child is a visual learner, an auditory learner or a kinesthetic (hands-on) learner, an interactive whiteboard can benefit them. Visual learners can view the 4K UHD screen — such as the one on Samsung Interactive Displays — while auditory learners can listen to multimedia content, and hands-on learners can write on the board with a stylus, or even their finger. Educators can use the smart board for teaching small groups, organized by learning style, or one on one with individual students. Plus, since Samsung Interactive Displays support powerful screen sharing, teachers and students can participate using smart wireless sharing from multiple devices.
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3. Save, share and send lessons
When students are out sick, K-12 teachers typically spend time creating work packets for them to catch up. With a smart board, this process is easier since teachers can screenshot their lessons and instantly save and share them with students and colleagues as needed. Or, they can record the entire lesson with the recording feature. The content options are limitless: Teachers can save their notes so they can pick up where they left off, or they can create review materials for students to bring home to study. This is especially beneficial for students who are trailing their peers, as they no longer have to take notes in real time while struggling to keep pace with the lesson. If they miss something, they can easily refer back to it on their own time.
At the beginning of the day, smart board startup is easy — just turn it on, and go. And at the end of the day, teachers can turn off the board without needing to erase anything or take physical notes on what they covered.
4. Make the classroom work for everyone
Sometimes, there’s a need for remote learning. Smart boards make it easier for teachers to include remote students via videoconference technology. There’s no need to set up any special cameras. Students at home can see everything the teacher is doing and interact with their peers, too. This not only enables hybrid learning but encourages it. You can also benefit by using intelligent apps for class, such as Boxlight’s MimioConnect educational software specifically designed to help students meet their educational goals.
5. Help students succeed
A study in the Universal Journal of Educational Research proved that students who learned via an interactive whiteboard did significantly better on standardized tests than those who did not use the technology. The same study points out that permanence in learning is increased through visual materials, paintings, symbols and screen designs. Another study linked achievement on the Ohio Achievement Reading Tests to the use of interactive whiteboards, across all grade levels. And since the newest Samsung Interactive Displays feature Android 11 OS, it’s easier and more comfortable for teachers to unlock unlimited learning potential via a familiar user experience.
Given all the ways interactive smart boards enhance the learning experience, school districts that invest in smart boards are investing in their students.
You can find the right classroom display for your students’ needs — and for your budget — by exploring Samsung’s full lineup of versatile interactive displays. And discover how simple, scalable and secure display solutions can empower educators to take control of the curriculum in this free guide.
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