When it comes to interactive whiteboards for education, there are plenty of available brands and models – Sharp, ViewSonic, SMART, Promethean, Newline, just to name a few. With so many manufacturers and so many different models to choose from, it’s nearly impossible to know where to start. If you read this article, the choices should become a bit more clear.
It’s no secret that interactive displays (also referred to as interactive whiteboards) have become increasingly popular over the last year, especially in response to the global pandemic and how these tools can be utilized for remote and hybrid learning.
Generally speaking, most of these interactive displays are very similar. The display screens are similar, the touch capabilities are similar, the input connections are similar, and the audio features are similar. What are the primary vectors of differentiation? The answer is the software that comes with or is available for a particular manufacturer and model.
When it comes right down to it, it’s the interactive whiteboard software that makes each manufacturer and model different. Each manufacturer has its own software — SMART has the SMART Learning Suite, Promethean has ActivInspire, etc. When evaluating interactive whiteboard features and capabilities here are some of the most popular and most-requested:
Cost – While some interactive whiteboard seems like it is free, you still have to buy the “professional” version of the software to get the full feature set. The SMART Learning Suite offers a free version of the software with up to 50MB of lesson storage (which isn’t very much space at all…), but to unlock unlimited storage, you must purchase the learning plans which cost $49 per teacher per year. So it’s not really free after all.
Integration – It’s also important to know which standard computer operating systems your white board will integrate with such as MacOS, Windows, Android, Unix, and iOS. A good illustration of this would be whether or not the smart board is certified for Google for Education.
Remote learning was a “nice to have” and not a “have to have” before the global pandemic.
Since then, students have had to adjust their lifestyle to ensure that while playing their part in controlling the spread of COVID, some semblance of normalcy is maintained at home. Shutdowns have also forced school districts and other educational entities to implement other channels to engage their students.
Distance learning has become the norm for many students and their families (“Alexa, please home school my children!”) We’ve created a solution for remote learning and our top choice is the amazing Sharp AQUOS Board.
The Sharp 4K AQUOS BOARD is an interactive white board designed with a hybrid digital touchscreen and pen input capabilities. The Aquos features a very responsive 4K Ultra-HD touchscreen with Capacitive Touch technology. Although there are plenty of different interactive white boards to choose from, the Sharp Aquos board is a cut above the rest. Here’s why:
Like other interactive boards, the Sharp AQUOS is very portable and flexible. It can be used in any space and can be mounted or used on a rolling base for maximum portability from classroom to classroom.
The Aquos board has one of the best palm touch features for a digital whiteboard. It incorporates infrared dual-touch technology to ensure accuracy, providing unmatched touch precision. The user-friendly and feature-filled pen software makes it easy for children to use. It has an easy launch and the settings can be easily customized.
The Sharp Aquos digital smart board allows multiple users to write on the screen at once. It also displays a menu for each touch pen up to four simultaneous pen users. Individual pen settings like color and line thickness can be set for each pen. This feature makes it ideal for interactive learning with teacher and students or parent and children using the same device.
The display quality of the Sharp Aquos 4k whiteboard board is really top notch. This whiteboard comes with a large display, up to 80 inches measured diagonally, and uses Sharp’s exclusive V2A photo-alignment technology. This allows for bright saturated color images, which children are drawn to. The Sharp Aquos smartboard is also specifically designed to provide consistent and uniform brightness across the entire panel, providing clear and legible text and images under just about any lighting conditions. And even though the Sharp Aquos 4k board uses LED display technology, it is significantly brighter than a comparable plasma display.
The SHARP Display Connect1 software provides fast, reliable, and flexible communications.. The SHARP Display Connect software enables the AQUOS Board to connect with several wireless devices simultaneously. It can seamlessly connect to 50 devices without issue.
Using a normal wireless router, the Sharp Aquos board can connect to your tablet, smart phone, PC and laptop, printer or copier. It changes the way we can interact with the device as you can see AQUOS Board screen content on all of your connected devices at once in real-time. You can also connect multiple Aquos boards on the same network for seamless viewing across multiple Sharp Aquos displays.
With multi-screen display, you can also wirelessly share files with connected devices. You can also scan and print directly from your AQUOS Board to typical office printers and copiers. Images can also be scanned from an MFP and be directly imported into the Sharp Aquos smartboard. Anything you can see on screen including pen drawings and annotations can be saved to a PC or sent directly to a printer or copier for output.
With its impressive performance, convenience and flexibility, the Sharp AQUOS 4k interactive whiteboard can effortlessly facilitate any type of remote learning technology.
Don't let forced remote learning rob your child of a quality educational experience. Enjoy distance learning with the Sharp AQUOS interactive whiteboard. For more information, click here to connect to one of our educational technology experts today!