Another term is right here, and there’s no better time to take your classrooms into the 21st Century by replacing that dusty, chalk-stained blackboard with an interactive whiteboard solution. Currently, in Nigeria, we have a lot of brands to choose from, but not all of them provide value to the buyer. This article seeks to provide a buying guide on Interactive Whiteboards (IWB) for School Owners, School Administrators, and Educators.
Interactive whiteboards are becoming more and more popular and are well established in schools, corporate organisations (used for meeting and presentation in boardrooms) throughout Nigeria and across Africa. This technology is being used as a replacement for media/video systems and the traditional whiteboard.
Anything that can be done on a computer monitor can be reproduced on an interactive whiteboard. For example, an instructor can create engaging lessons that focus on one task, such as a matching activity where students use either their fingers or a pen to match items. Another instructor might integrate multiple items into a lesson, such as websites, photos, and music, where students respond to using interactive gestures, respond to verbally or even write feedback and comments on the board itself. This technology makes the one-computer classroom a workable instructional model.
Reports from instructors using a major brand, Eduboard Interactive Whiteboard (LEAD INTERACTIVE BOARD) show that increased student engagement is the number one benefit to teaching with these tools. The technology allows teachers to integrate multiple information streams into a coherent lesson individualized for their students and they provide an extraordinary opportunity to create classroom environments where students with different learning styles can engage and learn from each other.
Finding the best interactive whiteboard for your school or organization can be a difficult thing to do. You have to evaluate what features are important to your school and the value you want to derive from the interactive whiteboard. It’s important that the interactive whiteboard you purchase helps students achieve learning goals by promoting critical thinking and keeping students engaged in lessons.
This article will look at some of the features you need to consider before choosing an interactive whiteboard for your school.
- Interactivity
An interactive whiteboard as the name applies MUST be INTERACTIVE, this means that students must be able to participate in collaborative and engaging lessons and classroom activities. Students can move around projected images, highlight important text and make notes and drawings on the media being displayed with just the touch of a finger or pen, thus increasing interactivity in the classroom and improving students’ learning experiences.
If you want to derive and enable 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. This allows for group work and presentations, broadening lesson plans and increasing student engagement.
Eduboard (Lead) Smart Interactive Whiteboard benefits from a keen 10 point multi-touch functionality, offering the ultimate solution for touch screen applications. With this functionality, there can be up to 10 people using the touch facility of the screen at any time to simultaneously write, perform mouse functions, erase and manipulate objects on the interactive whiteboard.
- Multi-Device Connectivity
Most schools are now replacing desktop computers with laptops, tablets and other smart devices. With this scenario, it would be great if you purchase an interactive whiteboard that can connect to more than just a desktop computer. Eduboard (Lead) Interactive Whiteboard can connect to a desktop, laptop, iPad, tablet, smartphone, USB flash drive or any other smart device with a VGA or HDMI cable.
- Size
The size of your interactive whiteboard depends mostly on the size of your classroom or boardroom. Bigger boards like 96 inches are suitable for large classrooms and auditoriums, while small classrooms and conference rooms may require a smaller board of 82 inches. Remember, interactive boards, are measured diagonally, much like television screens.
- Computer Compatibility
Interactive whiteboards require a computer for use except for the Eduboard (Lead) All in One Interactive Whiteboard, so you’ll need to make sure that your computer is compatible with the board you choose. Our interactive boards are compatible with both laptops and PCs, but you should check the system requirements for the board before making a purchase. In most cases, this includes the operating system your computer is running and the available connections you have.
- Durability
Interactive technology in the classroom should have the ability to withstand frequent use. As a result of the daily use of the interactive whiteboard, you may want to consider an interactive whiteboard that is integrated with a very special anti-glare, anti-friction coating, thus ensuring an enjoyable experience when interacting via stylus or finger.
- Saving and Printing
School days are filled with constant interruptions and distractions. Many instructors/ teachers may feel like they don’t have enough time in the day to get through their lesson plans. Purchasing an interactive whiteboard that allows you to save and print students’ work, such as Eduboard (Lead Interactive Board) can help your class conveniently pick up where they left off on a lesson they weren’t able to finish.
With the Lead Interactive Board, every lesson can be recorded and playback or even printed and shared among students. Lecturers/teachers can use this feature to record their notes and lesson activities and be able to build for themselves overtime a resource for future purposes.
- A Reliable Vendor/Partner
Definitely, you would be purchasing your interactive board technology through a vendor. The choice of the right vendor can make all the difference. You have to purchase this technology from sellers who can give you in-depth knowledge and understanding of various solutions and how they will best work with your current technology and curriculum goals. They can also help you to install the board at an affordable rate and also train your staff on these new technologies at no cost at all. Choosing a reliable vendor who understands your goals and unique challenges will put you in the right step for success.
As schools, colleges and businesses continue to adopt interactive presentation technologies, Zuma Marketing Limited – a one-stop company fulfilling all the interactive solutions requirements, is committed to playing an active role in developing and cultivating schools of the future by providing innovative, scalable and affordable smart class solution and interactive whiteboard to the education community in Nigeria and Africa.
We have one of the finest and quality brands of Interactive whiteboard Systems for classrooms and boardrooms. In most cases, it is noticed that teachers are afraid of new technologies but with Zuma Marketing Limited, we are ready to train the teachers and show them the basics and benefits of Lead interactive whiteboard at no cost at all.
An investment in this technology would provide an overall enormous benefit to your educational institution when compared to many alternatives in the market, and there should be no reason why your school, university or organisation cannot benefit from this superior solution.
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