Pros and Cons of Interactive Whiteboard for Education

Pros and Cons of Interactive Whiteboard for Education explained:

Basically Interactive whiteboard were developed for use in offices, but they are now being employed in educational settings as well. Since interactive whiteboards are relatively new and untested teaching tools, many educational administrators are concerned about introducing them into their schools.

Interactive whiteboard is large white display screens connected to computers, phones, tablets, etc., allowing students and teachers to draw or write on display. They essentially link a computer to a touch-sensitive screen and a display, meaning that they cause humans to act as input devices that control the functions of the computer using a pen, finger, or other objects on the screen.

Although interactive whiteboard may help educators communicate with their classes in new and novel ways, they also have downsides that may impede the learning process and cause frustration for teachers and students.

Pros  of Interactive Whiteboards in the Education

There are so many benefits that come with using an interactive whiteboard in the classroom. The move for more facilities to use interactive whiteboards is not purely just to start relying on technology for classroom learning interactive whiteboards have proven to be extremely effective in the classroom.

1. Encourage Student Engagement:

Interactive whiteboards  Provide more interactive and engaging learning experience. School students tend to have relatively low attention spans smart boards offer a myriad of opportunities to keep students engaged through interactive features.

2. Makes the Learning Process More Enjoyable:

On top of offering an engaging experience, smart boards also make the learning and classes more enjoyable. The digital Pros and Cons of interactive whiteboards mean that teachers can use online educational games, question and answering sessions, group problem solving and learning exercises to make the lesson more fun for the students. We should change our study method as soon as possible.

3. Makes Review or Revision of Lessons More Convenient:

An important benefit of using interactive whiteboards in the classroom is that it allows students to save lessons for later playback or review. Interactive whiteboard Pros and Cons allow the teacher to share screen, text, audio and video files with students in real-time.

Students can also record full lessons and share them with friends who couldn’t attend classes. Recorded lessons also provide a more convenient reference point during revision, making grasping important points easier. That will result in better understanding, quicker learning and improved performance.

4. Makes It Easier for the Teacher to Structure Lessons

With help of interactive whiteboards, a teacher can easily formulate and plan for the lesson beforehand. They can schedule specific learning tasks like labeling parts of a picture and matching words with their respective meanings.

Students can understand how to handle naming tasks quite profoundly as the images are displayed before them. While on the hand, teachers will have an easier time delivering what they have on their lesson plan.

5. Internet Connectivity:

As interactive whiteboards are connected to the internet, teachers can access unlimited resources for their lessons. Smartboards are online, allowing educators to rely on various sources for content, videos, games, programs and lessons.

Being connected to the internet also means that lesson time is significantly enhanced, as teachers do not have to spend time writing, reading and working from a book or physical resource.

6. Accommodates Different Learning Styles:

An interactive whiteboard accommodates various learning styles, whereas traditional education tools are often quite limiting. With an interactive whiteboard, primary school students can learn in a way that best fits them.

A smartboard provides access to tools and materials for audio, visual, and kinetic learners to get the most out of each classroom lesson.

7. Makes Lesson Revision More Convenient:

At the end of each class, it’s important to review and revise all the points for students to reiterate their learning’s. Interactive whiteboards make lesson revisions much more convenient than re-writing summaries of each important point.

Teachers can easily summaries each lesson, ensuring the students are left with an increased understanding of the lesson.

8. Reduces Classroom Costs:

Where traditional whiteboards and chalkboards rely on additional tools like dry markers, erasers, chalk and other whiteboard accessories, interactive whiteboards do not need any of these tools. Classroom costs are significantly reduced, as students do not need to rely on materials to experience the lesson.

Interactive whiteboards also rely less on physical resources for teaching, as everything is online. Rather than wasting money on printing paper, classrooms are moving to a digitized learning experience, reducing classroom costs.

Cons of Interactive Whiteboard for Education

1. Length of Time Required for Lesson Preparation:

Interactive whiteboards might help teachers convey information and explain concepts innovatively. However, designing and preparing lessons with these devices is extremely time-consuming because teachers need to research, evaluate, interpret, install, and maneuver the software programs that allow the devices to be used.

For this reason and other reasons discussed below, many teachers still prefer to use traditional textbooks, whiteboard walls, or other media for classroom instruction.

2. Insufficient Training Can Lead to Problems:

Teachers who lack adequate training have difficulty using electronic whiteboards, which can be extremely confusing and troublesome to operate. This may cause frustration because the teachers don’t use the equipment to its full potential and might lower their self-esteem if they embarrass themselves while wrestling with the devices.

Classrooms must be consistently positive environments where students feel confident in their teacher’s knowledge and abilities while working cooperatively and respectfully. So, if a teacher appears to have problems operating an interactive whiteboard, student morale, classroom atmosphere, and respect for the teacher may decline, and the learning process may suffer.

3. Student Height Limitations

Child and Adult students with short stature have trouble reaching an interactive whiteboard’s top portion. Teachers use stools and ladders to help in these situations, but this poses the risk of injury from falls. Educators may also try to lower the electronic board’s level, but this potentially leads to less viewable room on the electronic board for performing tasks

Students who sit in the back of the classroom might struggle to view the interactive whiteboard over the heads of students in front. In the other hand, interactive whiteboards are much smaller than wall-length chalkboards or full whiteboard walls, so teachers cannot post weekly tasks or homework assignments on the boards for long periods.

4. Problems with Lighting and Display:

For students and teachers to use interactive whiteboards effectively, the lighting in a classroom has to be just right because some students may experience glare from sunlight or interior lights reflecting on the screen.

Whiteboards are hard to see when sunlight hits them, so they have to be positioned correctly, with effective blinds in the classroom or meeting area where the boards are used. Some students might also have trouble reading diagrams, images, or fonts smaller than formal writing on a chalkboard, traditional whiteboard, or whiteboard wall.

If the power goes out or the computer’s battery gets low, teachers might temporarily lose the displayed subject matter. Also, damaged interactive whiteboard screens make it difficult to display and read the content effectively. In such cases, repairing or replacing the boards is exorbitant, so buying the devices can be prohibitive for many schools.

5. Problems Caused by Students with Remote Access:

When using interactive whiteboards, some teachers encourage classroom discussion and permit remote data entry by allowing students to interact freely on the board with their personal computers. Although this practice may initially seem beneficial to students’ learning, it typically generates mixed signals, on-screen nonsense, and an overload of inputs.

6. High Cost of Purchase, Installation, Training, and Maintenance:

In addition, with electronic whiteboards, it’s necessary to pay for accessories, installation, and training to ensure that those using the devices are competent.

Electronic whiteboards are only as effective as their users; if proper training and accurate knowledge are lacking, the devices become useless. Periodic training updates are essential to gaining the greatest benefit from interactive whiteboards, which also adds to their cost.

Regular troubleshooting, technical support, and maintenance, especially for advanced types of interactive whiteboards, also incur high costs. These factors adding to the high price tag of interactive whiteboards mainly affect schools with limited budgets, small businesses, and non-profit groups.

7. Distortion of Data:

One benefit of interactive whiteboards is that they allow for simultaneous data entry from various points. However, this advantage can quickly become a drawback if a board distorts or jumbles information from multiple input devices simultaneously. Such an incident can become quite messy, and the data presented might lose meaning.

8. Resistance from Older Teachers:

Old school teachers are often uncomfortable using high-tech devices in the classroom, and the interactive whiteboard is no exception. Some find the devices too complex, while others complain about changing their long-established instructional styles when required.

Not only must these teachers learn how to operate the devices, but they also need to integrate them into their teaching strategies productively. This process requires a significant amount of time and effort that many older teachers are reluctant to devote.

Conclusion:

Although interactive whiteboards are among the most cutting-edge technological tools available to schools and businesses in recent years, they have considerable limitations that may negatively impact learning and effective data exchange.

Also, since interactive whiteboards can be quite costly in terms of money, efficiency, and time spent in training, potential buyers need to do in-depth research before purchasing the devices for use in classrooms or offices. Interactive whiteboard-painted walls pose none of these problems and are much more cost-effective and eco-friendly to apply and use.