Over the past few generations, the time children spend playing has shrunk dramatically. A team of sociologists at the University of Michigan found that children’s playtime decreased by a staggering 25 percent from 1981 to 1997. This is a huge problem, since science confirms what common sense already teaches: children need to play. According to the Association for Childhood Education International (ACEI), play is a way for children to develop essential neural structures and practice basic life skills. For this reason, teachers need to bring play into the classroom to make sure children play as much as they need to each day. To do this effectively, teachers need interactive teaching tools and methods.

Interactive whiteboards make it easier for teachers to engage young learners by making class time fun and dynamic. According to researchers at the Institute of Informatics and Telecommunications in Athens, “interactive whiteboards indicate positive effects on students’ learning and instructors' teaching, promoting whole class teaching. [...] Research has shown that interactive whiteboards are able to keep students involved and foster their attention in every aspect of the curriculum, much easier than without it.”

The BenQ Board is an interactive display for education designed to make classroom teaching seamless, organized, and above all, playful. Here are some of the distinctive features of the BenQ Board and some ways teachers can apply them:

These features include a low-blue-light and flicker-free display, built-in air quality sensors and an air ionizer, and a germ-resistant touchscreen and pen. The Eyesafe-certified display protects children from excessive blue light exposure, which research shows can negatively impact our eye health and sleep patterns. The air ionizer removes harmful particles from the surrounding air when the air quality sensors detect dangerous levels of CO₂ and PM₂.₅. The antibacterial tools are coated with a nano-ionic silver formula that kills 99.9 percent of common germs upon contact--so fewer kids will have to miss class on account of a preventable cold or flu.

The app is decked out with versatile size and color options for writing in pen and highlighter with the remote control, as well as the option to input text via either typing or handwriting. To erase content, simply run your hand over the board, strike through objects, or go with the third option of clearing the whole page at once. EZWrite is also equipped with digital sticky notes, a range of templates for different topics, and a complete set of math tools. When it comes to early childhood education, the app is especially helpful for sharing dynamic visuals that hold the kids’ attention throughout school hours. The app’s intuitive design makes it easy for young learners to participate by writing or drawing on the board themselves.

The Team Post function, for example, splits EZWrite into three areas so children can work side by side. Using this function, teachers can organize fun problem-solving activities like three-way races to solve math problems. At the preschool level, EZWrite can serve as a communal doodle board during break time, enabling children to exercise their imaginations and learn how to work together.

The UI allows users to display multiple apps at once, meaning teachers can scrawl on the virtual whiteboard, put up notes, and share facts online at the same time. It also grants access to a wealth of resources via online connectivity and educational apps. For example, teachers can take advantage of games or activities like Just Dance or Kahoot! to engage children in active learning or help them release energy when they’re finding it hard to sit still in class (and any preschool teacher can tell you how important that is!).

Teachers can use this feature to seamlessly present slides, videos, or multimedia reading books on a large display rather than a too-small computer monitor. With the guidance of teachers, young learners can use InstaShare to begin sharing images or sites they find online with their classmates.

Features like EZWrite and InstaShare allow preschool teachers to get the best out of interactive display technology—efficiency, versatility, multimodal presentation, and interactivity. As the study discussed above notes, these qualities of interactive displays improve children’s focus and motivation as well as the pace and flow of teaching.

The BenQ Board thus makes early childhood education more focused and more fun at the same time, all while protecting children from health risks like blue light exposure thanks to ClassroomCare®. Moreover, the board is designed to give play a prominent place in early childhood education—a place it needs and deserves.

> BenQ Early Childhood Education Solution