To become truly 21st-century educational institutions, schools need to undergo a digital transformation and take advantage of new teaching tools like interactive smart boards. But the challenge is choosing the one that meets student and teacher needs like ease of use, interactive learning, integrated software, safety, and cloud access. Here are five ways that an interactive smart board can accelerate digital transformation in your school.

One challenge school IT staff face is actually getting teachers and students to use smart boards. New technology can be intimidating and some smart boards require hours of training. Meanwhile, teachers may be worried about getting stuck during lessons or appearing incompetent in front of students.

Thankfully, BenQ smart boards are built to be easy to use. The smart board has intuitive features like dual pens that let teachers write in two different colors, and other features that close the gap between technology and ease of use. Features like the built-in Floating Tool lets teachers write on top of any app, video, website, document, or image. It’s compatible with any operating system — Windows, Mac, or Chrome — so teachers can take notes over anything displayed on the screen and then save them to the cloud.

One school that benefited from BenQ’s intuitive smart boards is Ipswich Girls' Grammar School in Queensland (IGGS). They had been using dated classroom technology like projectors. These legacy solutions were hindering lessons rather than helping them.

After adding BenQ smart boards to its classrooms, student engagement increased by 50 percent simply because teachers and students enjoyed using the devices so much.

The days of staring at textbooks and memorizing facts are long gone. Students learn best when they learn together, and in a hands-on way. BenQ’s touch screen smart boards bring teachers interactive features like a collaborative whiteboard, wireless screen sharing, and an interactive display. 

EZWrite takes student collaboration to the next level by allowing students to change or add to their classmates’ work in real time from their own devices. With co-creation mode, multiple students can write on the board simultaneously. And by reducing the distance between the touch point and the point displayed on the screen, BenQ has removed the need for a stylus, making it easier than ever for students to work together.

Smart boards are great for learning in class and at home, since the collaborative whiteboard can also be accessed remotely. With EZWrite Live, students can access and participate in whiteboards and lectures from their own personal devices.

Anyone who’s participated in online learning knows how difficult it can be to stay focused. This is especially true for younger learners. However, the smart board’s integrated video conferencing with interactive capabilities recreates the classroom experience, keeping students engaged.

The collaborative whiteboard is also the perfect platform for business scenarios, even long-distance ones. EZWrite digital whiteboarding encourages focus and inspiration with features like brainstorming tools and sticky notes, making it easy to share ideas and information without the hassle of technology getting in the way.

After a school adopts new digital technology, maintenance is the next challenge. Thankfully, BenQ smart boards’ integrated software does all of the heavy lifting by allowing multiple displays to be remotely managed with local network and serial ports. This integration saves precious time, automatically keeping all units running in prime shape.

Additionally, BenQ’s over-the-air (OTA) technology keeps your display drivers up-to-date by installing the latest firmware onto smart boards through the internet. Just by turning on the display, the smart system can automatically detect any needed updates and initiate start upgrading with a few simple steps. 

Lately, health is being pushed to the front of conversations about education. BenQ designs touch screen smart boards with health considerations in mind. 

BenQ Pro series boards feature built-in air quality sensors that monitor CO2 and PM2.5 levels in the classroom and alerts users when those levels get too high and begin making people drowsy. Poor indoor air quality hurts academic performance, but air quality monitoring allows teachers to regulate air flow in crowded classrooms.

A healthy learning environment also means reducing the transmission of germs. That’s why all BenQ smart boards have a TÜV-certified Germ Resistant Screen covered with a multilayer coating of a non-toxic, durable nano-ionic silver agent that kills 99.9% of common germs after contact. The antibacterial screens protect teachers and students from bacteria that build up from daily use.

Lastly, BenQ touch screen smart boards are the world’s first to offer flicker-free technology that reduces eye strain caused by staring at screens all day. Anti-glare screens also make sure displayed content is clear in any environment. 

BenQ’s smart boards also automatically activate a Low Blue Light feature if they detect user movement too close to the screen.

Cloud functionality is another concern of educators. BenQ’s touch screen smart boards feature Account Management Systems (AMS) that let teachers automatically load their accounts and access personal cloud storage (like Google Drive, OneDrive, and Dropbox). Teachers can also customize and save their account preferences.

The AMS lets teachers use near field communication (NFC) cards to access all their files and personal settings immediately without even entering a password, saving teachers prep time. Instead of fumbling with email and thumb drives, teachers can walk in and start class directly with the smart board.

IT staff can also use the AMS to easily manage various user logins and data access.

With a user-friendly design, interactive features, integrated software, health technology, and easy cloud access, BenQ touch screen smart boards are the all-in-one solution to a healthier, faster, and more engaging classroom. 

While touch-screens, the cloud, and collaboration in realtime has become normal at work, education is now having its moment for digital transformation. Schools that wait are doing a disservice to faculty and students. BenQ interactive whiteboards are here to help keep students on their toes in the classroom rather than dozing off or getting distracted.  Click this link to talk to an expert about transforming your classroom.