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Regular Whiteboards are more effective as a visual displays and learning tools than Virtual Whiteboards. Several factors, like product lifetime, price, learning conditions and instructor adaptability.
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Specialists observed classrooms to see if teachers were implementing the interactive whiteboards with fidelity. Now, many of those interactive whiteboards are being torn out and classrooms are re-installing physical whiteboards because dry erase markers are fast, efficient, and flexible.” -Innovative teacher and author, John Spencer
Good old fashioned whiteboards are making a comeback. Teachers and Education Specialists find that the value and potential that a simple whiteboard can have in a classroom exudes that of any virtual whiteboard. Sure, virtual whiteboards can display learning materials like diagrams easily and allow for interactive drawing and writing with calibrated styluses. But so can a projector and whiteboard, for less than half the price, much faster, and without sacrificing a student’s learning. And on top of that, there are so many ways to turn your regular old whiteboard into a “virtual whiteboard,” without spending your whole budget. You can use beacons or screencasting devices that work with any phone, tablet or laptop. We’ll explain more below! But first, here are the specifics you need to know about before making this big decision.
There are numerous studies including these (1, 2,) that prove handwriting forces the brain to slow down and think about the meaning of the words being written which then improves comprehension and memory retention. The key here is that handwriting, or in this case, writing on a dry erase board involves more senses and motor neurons, than writing on a virtual whiteboard. The physical mechanics, not to mention smells, sounds, textures and sights are memory influencers you won’t get with a virtual whiteboard. Feeling the irregularity of the ink coming off on the writing surface is a stimulant and point of focus that helps “chunk” information into long-term memory.
Innovative teacher and author, John Spencer tends to agree.
It’s proven that high resolution images hold one’s attention span significantly longer than a low-resolution image. The touch resolution on a SMART board is a reported 4000 x 4000, which is 16 megapixels. The human eye can see up to 576 megapixels. That’s a resolution compression of 36 times. We’ve degraded this picture resolution by 36 times so you can understand the difference.
Stylus Pen Lag Interrupts and Distracts from Learning
The lag between the pen touch down and a mark actually showing up on the screen is what can be considered an obstacle to creative “flow” described as “the mental state of being completely present and fully immersed in a task,” by Scientific Director at the Imagination Institute Scott Barry Kaufman. Flow is extremely important to creativity. In the flow state, one feels high levels of self-esteem and lower anxiety. The distracting lag between pen touch down and the virtual mark appearing hinders the ability to be creative and find “flow.” More importantly, it steals attention away from the meaning of what’s being written.
Legibility Practice Goes Out the Window
Many virtual whiteboards commonly purchased at schools, including the SMART board, have a built in feature that actually smooths out the student’s writing automatically improving their legibility. The SMART board’s feature is called SMART Ink™ which sounds like a benefit, but for elementary school students learning to read and write, it could actually hinder their legibility progress and only lead to frustration.
Price
A virtual whiteboard like the SMART board is more than 10 times the price of a regular whiteboard.
Virtual Whiteboard
Regular Whiteboard
Price
$3,599.00
$355.95 $302.56 15% off
Size
4.25’ Tall
5’ Tall
Speed
It takes at least 60 seconds to boot up a computer and connect to the SMART board. Calibration can take another 1-3 minutes. Taking the cap off of a marker takes less than 3 seconds.
Durability
Virtual Whiteboards contain software and hardware that require periodic updating and eventually need replacing. Our regular whiteboards are made in the USA and can last for decades depending on use. Many of our products even have a 50 year warranty and are guaranteed to endure at least 20,000 wipes.
Magnetic Receptivity
Virtual Whiteboard Displays for Classrooms, such as the SMART board, are not magnetic. We couldn’t find any other Virtual Classroom Displays that have a magnetic receptive surface. This means the user can’t post anything on paper, like school events or due dates, unless you use tape, which can leave residue.
Conclusion
We are not ignoring the collaborative capabilities of a virtual whiteboard, such as a SMART Board. It might be just the tool you’re looking for. What we can say is, everything you can do with an interactive touch screen board you can also do with a simple projector and low-gloss whiteboard, while saving upwards of $3,000 per set-up. You can even save your notes with an app called Cam Scanner. Visit our blog here to get the tea on setting up your projector and whiteboard with simple and easy instructions and resources to help boost your productivity.
Or you can try other resources that aid in casting your mobile devices to any projector.
It would be “SMART” to check out our state-of-the-art whiteboards here and start collaborating with ease.
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.
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.
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.
Simple, scalable and secure display solutions empower educators to take control of curriculum. Download Now
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.
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.
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.