In an age where interactive whiteboard and projection systems have become commonplace in the classroom, the advancing technological revolution is driving this arena to new heights.
It’s important your interactive whiteboard helps students achieve learning goals by promoting critical thinking and keeping students engaged in lessons. The only problem is choosing the right one for you and your students. It’s no easy task, as there’s plenty of hype and jargon to be navigated. Luckily we’ve done the work for you, so here are our top tips for buying the best interactive whiteboards for your classroom.
Collaborative Learning – Q NEX Group Learning Solution 1011. Size and Design
Flat panel interactive whiteboards which are suitable for most classroom sizes range from 55” to 98”, with the most popular sizes being in the range 65” to 84”. The size of the room should dictate the size of your screen. The basic rule is that the screen should be large enough to allow the students at the back of the class to be able to easily read a 20pt font.
Their weights range from 38Kg to over 100Kg in some cases so the logistics for installation and feasibility of wall and room mounting positions needs to be carefully considered for safety reasons.
Besides the size, one must check for the availability of multi-touch points and active projection dimension the other important attribute is the resolution that the whiteboard offers. The Operating system of the whiteboard must be selected with attention to detail.
2. Resolution is Key
The resolution defines the sharpness and clarity of any visual panel and is the number of pixels (individual points of color) contained within the screen. The resolution is defined as the number of pixels in the horizontal axis X the number in the vertical axis. The higher the resolution, the sharper and crisper the image.
In today’s environment, nothing less than standard High Definition 1080P (1920×1080) should be considered. Some interactive whiteboards are now also available in Ultra High Definition which is referred to in the industry as 4K (3840×2160). For example, our IQ Board Interactive Whiteboards Series are all 4K resolution.
3. Lifespan
It’s always worth knowing the expected lifespan of the interactive panels you are considering along with the warranty terms of each device.
Our advice to anyone looking to purchase interactive panels would be to dismiss any vendor offering less than a 3-year warranty.
4. Touch Function
One of the main reasons to buy an interactive whiteboard is, of course, to touch and tap the screen while making use of recognized gestures to perform daily tasks on the device.
You’ll need at least two touch points to ‘pinch’ or ‘zoom’ an image if using the interactive panel on your own. However, invite students to engage and collaborate at the front of the class and suddenly you need many more interactive touch points per screen.
Most interactive touch screens are available with 6 or 10 simultaneous touch points. Our advice would be to only consider interactive screens with 6 or more touchpoints.
5. The driving force.
What you need to be clear on is how you intend to use your interactive panel, what classroom software you need to be working with, and what PC, laptop, or integrated blade-style PC you will need to guarantee that performance. Alongside this consideration, you also need to select an interactive panel that offers you adequate input and output connections.
Reputable interactive panel manufacturers will offer 2 or more HDMI inputs, a VGA input, Component, AV, and PC audio inputs as a minimum. On top of this, you should expect at least one USB 2.0 port and one USB 3.0 port with possible connectivity of such devices along the front of the screen for easy access.
6. Networking
All interactive screens that boast integrated Android or Windows players should come with an Ethernet network interface (LAN- RJ45 Connection) or with embedded Wi-Fi capability.
7. The Sound
Most reputable interactive panels should include some form of integrated speaker system although in some cases, these speakers are deemed unsuitable for a large classroom environment. It is common to find only 2 x 10-watt speakers in most interactive panels which in most cases are rear-facing.
However, facing speakers are present. These do make a significant improvement in volume and sound quality compared to screens with rear-facing speakers. However, additional sound bars are readily available, are low cost, and integrate nicely underneath most manufacturers’ interactive panels, further improving the sound quality and potential volume levels achievable within the classroom environment.
8. Software
The interactive whiteboard is equipped with software. It can be called a software interactive whiteboard. Software for the IWB is designed to deliver different teaching-learning experiences. Software supporting touch and stylus pen is used for interactive discussions within the group, forming a digital narrative, lessons for specific topics of different subjects, real-time lessons, and presentations. The interactive whiteboard can provide enough variety to accommodate the different learning styles of the pupils in the class.
9. Multi-student Participation
If you’re looking to facilitate more collaboration and interaction between students in your classroom, you’ll want to look into purchasing an interactive whiteboard that allows multiple students to interact with the projected media. Multi-student participation allows for group work and presentations, broadening lesson plans and increasing student engagement.
Here are some other articles that we think might interest you:
Unleashing Creativity in Presentations with 100-Inch Interactive Flat Panels
Q-NEX enhances collaborative learning through maximized teacher-student interaction
Interactive Flat Panels in Distance Learning: Bridging the Gap Between Students and Teachers
As smartboards become increasingly popular, more and more customers are using Armer smartboards. However, we've noticed that many customers are unsure about how to choose the right size of smartboard for their company's meeting room application. So, in this issue, we'll focus on how to correctly select the size of Armer smartboard.
The size of the meeting room and your choice of smartboard size are closely related. Currently, common smartboard sizes include 55, 65, and 75 inches, all of which can generally meet the needs of meeting rooms of different sizes.
Consider the size of the room where you plan to install the smartboard. If the room is relatively small, choosing a smaller-sized smartboard may be more suitable to ensure that all participants can clearly see the screen content. For larger meeting rooms or classrooms, you may need a larger-sized smartboard to meet the participants' needs.
The intended use of the smartboard is also crucial. If you plan to use it for educational purposes, such as classroom teaching, then choosing a size large enough for students to easily read and understand the content is crucial. For business purposes, consider whether the smartboard will be used for presentations, meetings, or team collaboration.
For small meeting rooms ranging from 5㎡-15㎡ , we recommend Armer A1 55-inch and A2 55-inch smartboards. These are suitable for meetings with 1-5 participants, making them ideal for organizing small team meetings within your company. With these smartboards, your meetings become simpler, more efficient, and more convenient.
For medium-sized meeting rooms ranging from 20㎡-35㎡, we recommend the Armer R1 65-inch smartboard. It's suitable for meetings with 5-10 participants, making it perfect for daily or weekly team meetings, as well as monthly or yearly summary meetings. With this smartboard, you can freely arrange various types of meetings, enhancing work efficiency.
For larger meeting rooms measuring 30㎡-50㎡ or more, we recommend the Armer M1 75-inch smartboard. It's suitable for meetings with 15-30 participants, making it ideal for cross-departmental or cross-team meetings between companies. It's also suitable for conducting single-topic training meetings within your organization, enhancing communication and collaboration between teams.
In the context of future smart business office scenarios, agile smart collaboration capabilities are increasingly important for companies. Armer smartboards help enterprise-level customers quickly set up meeting scenarios, efficiently collaborate throughout the entire meeting process, and fully utilize the best features of smartboards, creating a new ecosystem of efficient collaborative intelligent meetings.