Electronic whiteboard is a less common and slightly outdated term for interactive whiteboards. It refers to large touch-sensitive screens used in classrooms to replace traditional chalkboards and whiteboards. 

When electronic whiteboards were first introduced to schools in the late 90s, they were simple dry erase boards made responsive by interactive projectors. Nowadays, electronic whiteboards are large touchscreens with all the functionalities of a whiteboard already built in.

The best electronic whiteboards on the market also offer internet connectivity, screen sharing, file management, and remote control. These products are more commonly referred to as interactive displays or smart boards and are the top choice for schools looking to improve the way they impart education.

The technology behind electronic whiteboards is fairly simple. Essentially, it is an interactive screen that allows users to control content with their hands or a stylus. The earliest models were standalone screens that required external devices to display content, but the latest electronic whiteboard technology uses built-in computers fitted with proprietary operating systems that can run software like whiteboarding apps and web browsers.

Since electronic whiteboards are powered by touch, they do not require keyboards or mice to be handled. Instead, users can interact with the screen directly, much like they would with their smartphones or tablets. Some of these whiteboards support multiple points of simultaneous touch and include the ability to annotate over anything on the screen, enabling a truly intuitive experience.

Knowing how electronic whiteboards work is only the first step in understanding how they help enhance education.

Electronic whiteboards are flexible tools that can be used in any educational scenario: conducting lessons in classrooms, holding staff meetings or parent-teacher conferences, playing multimedia on movie days, and even accommodating distance learning classes when necessary.

In the classroom, teaching with an electronic whiteboard is a surefire way to increase student engagement and improve learning retention. Simply having lesson materials on a large, bright screen that all students can see from their seats ensures everyone is on the same page. The added elements of interactivity, animation, and audio encourage active participation and keep learners of any style more engaged.

Beyond these benefits, the best electronic whiteboards are also easy to teach with and manage, which make adopting effective education technology a breeze for any school. Some brands, for example, allow admins to manage all electronic whiteboards remotely and provide users with different ways to access them securely.

Overall, electronic boards are great investments for schools looking to upgrade their educational strategy. Below, we outline everything that should be considered in order to make the right choice.

Once you have decided to introduce electronic whiteboards to your school, finding the best fit out of all the options available may seem like a daunting task. But as long as you follow these steps, you can ensure that the choice you make is the right one:

Assess the ways in which school staff give lessons, hold events, and manage teaching equipment. Consider how you would like to improve in these aspects and how an electronic whiteboard could help.

Take some time to browse through the best brands in the market to identify which electronic whiteboard matches most, if not all, of your requirements.

Reach out to an education expert that can provide a thorough evaluation of your adoption plan and get a personalized quote.

For more details on each step, keep reading. Below, we will walk you through some of the most common scenarios to help you identify your school’s pain points and what solution would best suit its needs.

For educators of all subjects and grades, electronic boards are a great way to optimize lesson material creation. They give access to a variety of interactive tools and online resources that help teachers prepare engaging lessons easily, right on the board. If they prefer to put lessons together on their laptops, they can do so knowing the material will display perfectly on the digital whiteboard.

In class, electronic whiteboards remove the need for projectors, chalkboards, TVs, and additional peripherals. An electronic whiteboard combines the different functionalities of all these devices into a single smart board that offers a lot more features for flexible teaching. Naturally, this eliminates the need for ensuing cables and the difficulty that comes with setting up and maintaining different types of technologies.

Most importantly, teaching with electronic whiteboards boosts student engagement and improves learning retention. From displaying lesson materials for the whole class to enabling a wide variety of digital content and interactive activities, the boards are a helpful addition to any classroom.

If your school is struggling in any of these aspects, an electronic whiteboard for teaching would be the perfect solution.

All electronic whiteboards today have a lot of basic functionalities in common, but it is the unique features setting them apart from each other that will determine how much a board helps transform your classroom.

To make teaching easier and streamline lesson material creation, you should look for whiteboards that offer quick and flexible login methods, an intuitive interface, responsive touch, a personalized workspace, customizable shortcuts, and secure access to both cloud storage and local files.

To increase student engagement, the features that make the biggest difference are bright and colorful screens, built-in speakers with subwoofers, powerful whiteboarding software, simultaneous multiple touch support, and wireless screen sharing capabilities.

The best electronic whiteboard is one that can offer all of the above, as it will be a good fit for any teaching style and grade of students. If you’re wondering how big a display you should get for your classes, 75” is the most widely chosen electronic whiteboard size by the average 20-to-30 student classrooms across the country.

For schools that are also in need of hybrid and distance teaching support, the best electronic whiteboards are the ones that allow for flexible and effective setups.

More specifically, you should choose a board that allows you to wirelessly cast laptop, tablet, and smartphone screens, as well as connect peripherals like document cameras and webcams. Look for electronic whiteboards that also allow multiple apps and input sources to be open side-by-side at the same time. This allows educators to see remote students while they are teaching and generally enables far more flexible lessons for both in-person and remote classes.

Another important feature for online teaching is cloud whiteboarding, the ability to have remote students and lecturers join the whiteboarding session from their personal devices. Schools that offer online classes will benefit from solutions that let the whole class whiteboard together in real time from any location.

Electronic board for teaching prices range from $3,000 to $7,500, depending on the brand, model, and size.

Since it is a big and important investment, it is crucial that schools take the time to identify the electronic whiteboard that best matches their educational needs and environment.

One of the best electronic whiteboards for schools is the BenQ Board Pro.

The BenQ Board Pro comes packed with all the features covered in this article. Built with both educators and students in mind, they make highly engaging and effective lessons a possibility for everyone.

To transform your classroom with a BenQ Board, get started here.