At the FETC 2023 show, the biggest names in classroom smart boards are introducing their latest models for schools to purchase this summer. BenQ, SMART, and Promethean all have large booths and expect to be packed with school administrators looking for the best value in connected interactive displays. So, what are the big differences between market leaders when it comes to foundational interactive displays for classrooms in 2023? Here is a breakdown of the new features available on popular essential interactive displays.

Perhaps the biggest difference among market-leading brands like BenQ, SMART, and Promethean is that their every primary classroom display series all have award winning whiteboard software that enables teachers to reuse existing interactive content with the IWB file format. This is a major advantage compared to smaller brands with generic whiteboard software. But in 2023, there are some new breakthrough features that are now available in the most affordable classroom displays. 

Previously, only the best classroom displays prioritized classroom safety by making the glass harder to break, reducing blue light exposure, and using antimicrobial coatings. But even the most affordable interactive displays are available with these technologies in 2023 as products continue to improve.

Antimicrobial screens and pens are available to minimize the risk of germs being spread by screen. Look for certifications from agencies such as SIAA and TV that test different models for effectiveness against various germs, and to make sure there are no harmful toxins in the product.

Until now, nearly every essential smart board was designed around a single teacher, who either used a separate personal computer or stored lessons locally on the display’s storage drive.  As seen this year at FETC, the most essential smart boards enable displays to be efficiently personalized by any teacher in seconds with a simple tap using their standard login password. This allows any display to be customized for each teacher to instantly access lessons stored on their network and cloud drives, allowing them to start teaching faster. 

The cloud collaboration function that has made Microsoft WhiteBoard and Google Jamboard the standard tools for remote collaboration in large companies is now available for schools to enable any student to remotely collaborate using their Chromebooks, iPads, or even smartphones. This is an essential tool for one-on-one or small group coaching or catch-up sessions to help underperforming students outside the classroom, helping close the performance gap between in-class and online learning.

Imagine recording every lesson taught by Albert Einstein with a single tap on the screen. While this is a standard feature in most premium smart boards, now many essential interactive displays have the hardware, software, and networking to make recording a lesson as simple as a two-finger tap.

Changing a setting, updating firmware, or loading new applications on 100 interactive displays can be a nightmare if IT team members have to physically go to each display. For 2023, the best cost-effective classroom smart boards come with sophisticated central management systems that enable IT to manage even thousands of displays on campus with a single tap and without a separate license or subscription. Some of these smart board systems also directly integrate with Microsoft Active Directory or Microsoft Azure to enable IT to easily manage and assign attributes and permissions to staff for each display.

In 2023, an essential classroom smart board has the ability to also double as an integrated campus broadcast system to alert students and faculty in the event of a tornado, fire, lockdown, or just a special morning announcement. The most advanced software allows messages to be sent to specific groups (“all sixth-grade students”) or classrooms for silent student paging via text, signage, or video.

Here are some of the popular essential classroom smart boards shown at FETC 2023. If you are looking at any of these models, we have a helpful comparison table so you can find which ones have the latest features you may want for your classrooms.

Essential-class displays showcased at FETC 2023 represent a substantial breakthrough in premium features, bringing aspects of much more expensive models to the affordable price category. This enables schools to have more flexible hardware platform choice to help them adapt to changing curriculum, teaching styles, and safety concerns.

In addition, schools welcome new innovations such as antimicrobial screens that keep teachers and students safer while also driving improved productivity and new teaching styles to ensure that teachers and students learn safely and effectively when in-class or at home.