How to Use a Smart board | Smart board use in the Classroom – A Complete Guide

For years, a blackboard was the only prop available for teachers to teach in a classroom. Then came the whiteboard with colored pens. With time, and how it often happens technological advancements percolate and are reflected in education and learning (and rightfully so), a lot of improvements have been made in classroom teaching in schools and institutions. A Smart board for teaching in a classroom is one such technological improvement. While teachers matter as much as they did earlier, Smart boards in teaching aid teachers in explaining concepts visually while enabling interactive learning content, making the classroom experience relatively better, both for the teachers and students.

What is a Smart Board?

A Smart Board, also known as an interactive whiteboard, is a technology tool that combines a traditional whiteboard with modern interactive capabilities. It typically consists of a large touch-sensitive display surface, which can be used as a computer screen. Users can interact with the board using their fingers or a stylus, allowing them to control various applications, navigate the internet, and consume digital content in real time.

Watch the Video to Find Out Why Smart Boards Are One of the New Age Smart Class Solutions for Schools

Some Smart Board features include:

• Recording a session
• Creating and saving notes for later
• Polls
• Going live with the Class online to reach students at various locations remotely
• Annotations, to explain various topics better
• Collaboration by allowing multiple people to use the smart board at the same time
• Zooming in (expanding) and Zooming out (reducing) content on screen

Smart Boards often come with specialized software that provides additional features, such as the ability to save and share content, create interactive lessons or presentations, and integrate with other digital tools. The goal is to enhance collaboration, engagement, and interactivity in various settings.

Smart boards with e-learning content or Smartboards with digital content such as Smartboard with iPrep digital content by iDream Education are excellent solutions that enable lesson planning, conducting classes, quizzes, revision and more. 

Use of Smart Boards in teaching

Given the differences between Smart Boards and Interactive Flat Panels (IFPs), here are some distinct use cases for each device in education and professional settings:

Uses of Smart Boards

1. Basic Interactive Teaching in Classrooms

Teachers use Smart Boards to write notes, solve problems, and highlight key points by interacting with the screen using pens or their fingers. Lessons can include interactive elements like dragging objects or annotating text. Do note the word ‘basic’ here. The reason is that, often misinterpreted as Interactive Flat panels, the level of interactivity offered by Smart Boards is less than that offered by Interactive Flat panels. You will be able to understand the difference better once you read through this section.

Benefit: this enhances student engagement through interactivity, making lessons more dynamic than using traditional whiteboards.

2. Digital Note-Taking and Saving Content

How it’s used: Teachers can write on the board during lessons and save the notes or content digitally. This can then be distributed to students via email or other digital platforms.

Benefit: this eliminates the need to manually copy down board notes, saving time and ensuring students have access to accurate material.

3. Interactive Problem Solving

How it’s used: In math and science classes, teachers can use the board to solve problems interactively, with students coming up to the board to collaborate on solutions. Here is a video of a student using a smartboard to solve a math problem. 

Benefit: this encourages student participation and allows for immediate feedback.

4. Integration with External Projectors

How it’s used: Smart Boards can work with projectors to display content from computers, making it useful for showing PowerPoint presentations, videos, or other learning materials.

Benefit: this makes them Cost-effective for schools that already have projector setups and want to introduce some interactivity without a major overhaul of their technology infrastructure.

5. Simple Gamified Learning Activities

How it’s used: Teachers can use interactive tools to turn lessons into games where students drag and drop items or select answers, helping with subjects like language learning or geography.

 Benefit: this makes learning fun and engaging, particularly for younger students.

6. Teacher-Led Demonstrations

How it’s used: Smart Boards allow teachers to lead lessons while annotating or drawing diagrams, such as in science experiments or history timelines.

Benefit: this helps create a richer and more meaningful experience during the lecture format where teachers can visually break down complex topics in real time.

7. Interactive Storytelling

 How it’s used: In elementary schools, Smart Boards can be used for interactive storytelling where students participate by dragging characters or elements into the narrative.

Benefit: Fosters creativity and involvement in the learning process, especially for younger students.

Vis a vis Smart boards, below are some of the uses of Interactive Flat panels. After going through this, you will be able to understand the advantages of Interactive Flat panels over smart boards. 

1. High-Resolution Visual Learning

How it’s used: IFPs are used in classrooms to present multimedia-rich lessons, including videos, images, and presentations in high-definition or 4K quality. This is particularly beneficial for subjects like art, history, or biology, where detailed visuals are crucial.

Benefit: The experience is immersive with Crystal-clear visuals and vibrant colors enhance students’ understanding and engagement, particularly for complex visual subjects.

2. Collaborative Group Work

How it’s used: IFPs allow multiple users to interact simultaneously, supporting multi-touch gestures like pinch-to-zoom or rotating objects. Students can work in groups, brainstorming, or creating presentations together on the screen.

Benefit: This encourages collaboration and allows for group projects to be done directly on the panel, making teamwork more interactive.

3. Distance and Hybrid Learning

How it’s used: IFPs can connect to video conferencing tools like Zoom, Google Meet, or Microsoft Teams, making them ideal for classrooms or businesses where hybrid learning or meetings are common.

Benefit: this facilitates seamless remote learning or communication with external participants, making the device versatile for modern educational and professional needs.

4. Advanced Interactive Quizzes and Polling

How it’s used: Teachers create interactive quizzes, polls, or surveys directly on the IFP, with real-time student participation. Students can respond via touch or connected devices, and results are displayed instantly.

Benefit: Engages students more dynamically and provides immediate feedback, making it easier for teachers to assess student understanding.

5. STEM and STEAM Education

How it’s used: IFPs are used for interactive learning in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) and STEAM (with Arts) subjects. The panels can run educational software, simulations, and tools that allow for hands-on learning, such as coding exercises or physics simulations.

Benefit: Enables immersive learning experiences in technical subjects, helping students grasp complex concepts through interactive exploration.

6. Corporate Presentations and Meetings

How it’s used: In corporate environments, IFPs are used in boardrooms for presentations, video conferencing, and collaborative work. Users can annotate directly on presentations, share screens, or edit documents in real time.

Benefit: Facilitates interactive and dynamic meetings, improving communication and decision-making during brainstorming sessions.

7. Touchscreen-enabled Lesson Delivery

How it’s used: Teachers or presenters use the touchscreen capabilities of IFPs to deliver lessons or presentations using digital tools, software, and apps. For instance, a science teacher might use a simulation app to demonstrate the solar system or chemical reactions.

Benefit: Integrates modern educational apps and software, giving educators a versatile tool for teaching different subjects through interactive and immersive means.

8. Interactive Workshops and Training Sessions

How it’s used: IFPs are used in both educational and corporate settings for interactive training sessions. Trainers can use the screen to explain processes, invite participants to collaborate, and share documents.

Benefit: Encourages participation, making training sessions more engaging and effective through hands-on learning.

9. Virtual Whiteboarding in Remote Collaboration

How it’s used: IFPs are ideal for virtual whiteboarding during remote meetings or online classes, where participants can draw, annotate, and brainstorm in real-time from different locations.

Benefit: Enhances remote collaboration and learning, giving remote participants the feeling of being physically present in the room.

10. Integrated Learning Management Systems (LMS)

How it’s used: IFPs can seamlessly integrate with Learning Management Systems (LMS) like Google Classroom, allowing teachers to pull assignments, lesson plans, and grades directly onto the screen. 

Benefit: Streamlines class management, making it easier for educators to access and present course material, monitor student progress, and provide feedback.

Summary:

Smart Boards: Best suited for classrooms that need basic interactivity, note-taking, and cost-effective ways to engage students using projectors and external hardware. They’re a great fit for elementary to middle school settings where interactive activities and digital note-taking are essential.

Interactive Flat Panels (IFPs): Offer advanced interactivity, better display quality, and superior touch responsiveness, making them ideal for modern classrooms, STEM subjects, corporate environments, and hybrid learning scenarios. They cater to both education and business settings requiring high-resolution visuals, collaborative functionality, and integration with modern apps and software.

Each device has its place depending on the level of interactivity, image quality, and technology available in the environment, but IFPs are generally more versatile and suited for future-proofing classrooms and workplaces.

At iDream Education, we provide content for Smart Boards as well as Interactive Flat Panels. In fact many schools use Smart Boards across India, but it is important to note that Interactive Flat Panels are fast catching up to Smart Boards for teaching.

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