At the 2023 FETC 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 expected 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 in 2023?  Here is a breakdown on how the new features available on popular entry level 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 using 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 anti-microbial coatings. But even the most affordable interactive displays are available with these technologies in 2023 as products continue to improve.

While nearly every smartphone today has blue light reduction technology on a 8 inch display, the lack of blue light filters on classroom smart boards have many teachers using blue light reducing glasses to protect their eyes.  Now in 2023, administrators can specify certified blue light protection for low cost smart boards.   This means that schools can protect their teachers from high levels of blue light when spending over 1000 hours a year in close proximity to a large LCD display.   

In addition, antimicrobial screens and pens are now available to minimize the risk of germs being spread on the screen.  Look for certifications from agencies such as SIAA and TUV who test different models for effectiveness against different germs, and to make sure there are no harmful toxins.  

Until now, nearly every low cost 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 and TCEA, the most essential smart boards now enable the displays to be efficiently personalized in by any teacher in seconds with a simple tap using their standard login password. This allows any display on campus to be customized for each teacher to instantly access to lessons stored on their network and cloud drives, allowing them to start teaching faster. 

The cloud collaboration capability 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 smart phones. 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 being able to record 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.

In 2023, schools can now have lower cost smart boards directly integrate with Microsoft Active Directory, Microsoft Azure, or Google Workspace to enable IT managers to easily manage and assign attributes and permissions to staff for the display.

These centralized device management systems enables IT managers to upload apps, firmware, or change the settings on thousands classroom displays without physically going to them. The best smart boards shown at FETC and TCEA do this without requiring any annual subscriptions.  

In 2023, a low cost 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 at FETC in 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 in 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 – without a significant increase in price.   

In addition, schools are 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.