The classroom can be a goldmine for interactive technologies like interactive whiteboards in the classroom that can keep students and employees engaged, make it easier to collaborate, and save your school on technology costs.
When used correctly, interactive whiteboards and displays can bring a considerable return on investment in both educational and corporate office settings.
According to Paul Hickey, vice president of CleverTouch’s U.S. business, collaboration and ease of use apply to both educational and corporate settings.
An engaging classroom tool with fewer distractions
Technology administrators would see the biggest ROI from interactive whiteboards in the classroom when considering the level of engagement.
According to Hickey, the technology is helping teachers to adopt new teaching methods that don’t require them to stand in the front of the room.
“They’re able to move around the room and share their screen on up to 50 other screens and on the panel,” he said.
A math teacher walking around the room with an equation on their tablet can hand their tablet to a student and their answer will appear on the screen, eliminating the need for students to walk to the front of the room.
“It keeps the kids more engaged and their more on their toes knowing their screen can appear on the board at any moment,” Hickey said.
Unlike a lot of projectors, interactive panels don’t require teachers to turn the lights off. They’re also more reliable than projectors and don’t require changing burnt-out bulbs.
In addition to helping students, interactive panels can also help take some of the burden off of the instructor, eliminating the need to turn their back on the class to write something in front of the class. Instead, they can monitor the class while writing on the board via a tablet or other device.
Collaboration in the office
It’s rare that new office technology doesn’t have some sort of collaborative function to it, and interactive whiteboards and panels fit that mold.
In offices, the return on investment of interactive displays is all about collaboration, Hickey said.
Teams can use the technology to brainstorm across individual devices, or even use the device with Zoom, Skype, Microsoft Teams and other unified communications and collaboration platforms.
The technology is typically easy to use and can easily replace static media used in boardrooms or conference rooms.
“A CEO that uses the board for a team meeting can walk up and know exactly what to press to start presenting,” Hickey said.
Ease of use & versatility
Interactive whiteboards and displays are becoming more advanced from about a decade ago, when a lot of the devices required customized software and buying into an ecosystem.
However, most new boards are free from licensing fees.
“The boards are designed to allow someone unfamiliar with the technology to walk up and intuitively know what to do,” Hickey said.
Whiteboarding apps allow you to start taking notes, but teachers or presenters can also open a browser to access the internet to access cloud accounts, watch a video, or write in a word processing document.
Read Next: Tips for Buying Interactive Whiteboards
Now, most boards are also coming equipped with a multitude of different functions that eliminate the need for other technologies, Hickey said.
A digital signage app could allow the panel to become an emergency messaging medium or show the morning announcements.
If you’re searching for an easy-to-use engaging instruction tool that will help your class or team collaborate, look no further than interactive whiteboards.
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