Interactive boards: why teachers hate and love these

Interactive whiteboards are edtech innovations capable of replacing the blackboard as well as out-dated classroom projector equipment. The interactive whiteboards are touch screens or a giant touchpad for a computer. Teachers are using them everywhere to successfully integrate audio visual and 3D aided teaching into the daily curriculum. But there are some drawbacks too. We are going to weigh the pro and cons below.   

Advantages of interactive boards in classes 
The greatest advantage is probably being able to implement smart technology to create a blended and personalized learning environment, which is welcomed by students, both in the online and hybrid classes. The result of this includes:  

• Improved student-teacher collaboration and interaction, especially in internet-based teaching scenarios. This works to facilitate distance learning programmes as well  
• Going paperless is an advantage for everyone. It saves costs, is better for the environment and also saves space  
• Encourages teachers to use audio visual aids, presentations, multimedia and 3D elements to create a better learning experience. Students have less chance of getting bored, and their performance usually improves and their attention span increases. 
• Being able to integrate web and mobile platforms in daily teaching is a great advantage for teachers as well as students. In India, a lot of students who were unable to afford quality teaching at par with international standards earlier due to high school fees, can now avail online courses, opening up career avenues that they were not able to dream of before  

Disadvantages of interactive boards in classes 
Perhaps the biggest disadvantage of using a smart board in the classroom is its cost. Smart whiteboards are still very expensive by Indian standards, and not readily available everywhere in the country. Some other problems are:  

• Interactive boards may turn out to be high maintenance. They require continuous power and internet, good network connectivity at the teacher’s and the student’s end, and this makes them impractical in many non-Metro locations  
• Repair costs are high and service centres are still tough to find  
• Software difficulties can frustrate teachers as incompatible formats and malfunctioning apps can clog up teaching  
• Not all teachers are tech savvy, nor are all students. An interactive board may end up slowing down lesson delivery and lowering learning quality instead of raising standards