In today’s digital landscape, more and more educational institutions and workplaces are embracing technology that helps to enhance learning and collaboration. For this reason, one specific tool has been becoming increasingly popular and is making its way into classrooms and conference rooms all over the world – the interactive whiteboard. Specifically, ViewSonic interactive whiteboards for education offer incredible value and are revolutionizing how people teach, learn, and collaborate. But what can interactive whiteboards really do?
Combining the power of a traditional whiteboard with cutting-edge interactive features, ViewSonic interactive whiteboards are changing the game for both educators and professionals. Offering basic features that you see across manufacturers, ViewSonic interactive whiteboards also offer advanced features and capabilities that make them an indispensable tool for modern-day teaching, learning, and collaboration. Let’s take a look at the basic vs. advanced features of interactive whiteboards and see what they can really do.
Basic Features of ViewSonic Interactive Whiteboards for Education
Just like most interactive whiteboards that are available today, ViewSonic interactive whiteboards offer basic features for users.
1. Android Operating System
Most interactive whiteboards come with a built-in Android Operating system, which means when you power on your display you have access to basic but limited features such as browsing the web, digital whiteboarding annotation features, and some casting capabilities. However, to get the most out of your interactive whiteboard experience, I don’t recommend operating out of the Android OS of the display (we’ll get into this a little later in this blog).
2. Multi-Touch Capability
Most interactive displays support multi-touch functionality, which means that multiple users can interact with the board simultaneously. What will vary amongst different displays is the amount of touch points supported.
3. Basic Annotation and Integration with Digital Content
Users can write, draw, and annotate content on the whiteboard using their finger or a stylus. Additionally, users can import and manipulate various types of digital content such as presentations, images, and documents directly on the whiteboard.
4. Connectivity Options
Most interactive whiteboards typically offer connectivity options such as USB, HDMI, and Wi-Fi to enable seamless integration with external devices.
Advanced Features of ViewSonic Interactive Whiteboards for Education
Now that we’ve covered the basic features, let’s take a look at more advanced features/capabilities that the ViewSonic interactive whiteboards offer, showcasing their tremendous value and what they can really do for educators and professionals.
As I mentioned previously, I don’t recommend operating out of the Android OS side of your display if you want to get the most out of it. If you think this makes sense because you can access the Google Play Store and run your favorite apps, this isn’t the case. Almost all Android OS on interactive whiteboards do not have access to the Google Play Store because the licensing is incredibly expensive. Alternatively, there may be a customized app store with limited resources.
Instead, our recommendation is to make your ViewSonic interactive whiteboard an extension of the device(s) you’re currently using, whether that be a Windows/Mac/Chrome/iOS device. Or alternatively, you can utilize a Windows Slot-In PC and turn your ViewSonic interactive whiteboard into a giant Windows 11 device and give you instant access to powerful performance and advanced capabilities, especially through the ViewSonic myViewBoard Software Suite.
ViewSonic’s myViewBoard software suite is the back-bone of the advanced features you can unlock with a ViewSonic interactive whiteboard including:
myViewBoard Whiteboard
myViewBoard Whiteboard lets teachers teach their way. Whiteboard offers the natural approach of adaptable lessons gives the ability to prepare and present engaging material that inspires students to participate with access to all the tools they need including:
Magic Box: easily add existing teaching materials, digital media, interactive elements, and even pop quizzes either in a lesson plan or real-time in the class.
Gamification: Teachers can easily gamify their lessons with built-in gaming features like 3D dice Or lessons can include a pre-made activity from ViewSonic Originals, which is an ever-growing library of interactive media, lesson plans, and teachable content.
Inclusive Lessons: Whiteboard can engage auditory, visual, and tactile learners through the seamless delivery of a wide variety of media and hands-on interactivity.
Immersive Reader: Through partnership with Microsoft, Whiteboard offers the Immersive Reader tool, a powerful text reader developed for its assistive capabilities for students with reading comprehension issues.
Smallboards: Exclusively on ViewSonic interactive whiteboards, Whiteboard can split into up to six Smallboard workspaces for students to independently create and share together.
myViewBoard Classroom
A device-agnostic tool that works on any standard browser, myViewBoard Classroom is a robust solution to connect teachers with up to 60 students for better engagement in in-class lessons, distance learning, or hybrid learning through tools like:
Teacher Dashboard: Streamline everything from taking attendance and facilitating collaboration to keeping students on task or sharing lesson materials all from the Teacher Dashboard.
Huddles: Even students that are not physically present, can chat, interact with their group’s live canvas, and even present their work to the class. Meanwhile, teachers can switch between presenter view and joining Huddles at the touch of a button.
Natural Lesson Delivery: Classroom allows teachers to search web images, videos, and other content then add them directly to the teacher canvas. And for distance learning or hybrid learning, a two-way voice communication between teachers and students creates a more natural online learning environment.
Google Classroom Compatibility: Classroom integrates easily with Google Classroom to manage classes efficiently with one of the world’s most common student management platforms along with other powerful tools.
Interactive Tools: Teachers can drop sticky notes, animated widgets, 3D models, and more directly onto the canvas to keep students focused, on task, and engaged in lessons.
myViewBoard Manager
myViewBoard Manager makes managing your displays a breeze. IT teams can troubleshoot, optimize, and control all the displays connected to your network through a single streamlined web dashboard that’s securely accessible from any device. Gain access to benefits such as:
Centralized Control: Manager lets system administrators change hardware settings, manage software or send out push notifications to displays on their network from just one intuitive interface.
Remote Access: As a web-based dashboard, Manager gives fully functional remote access from any browser anytime.
Device Metric and Insight Reports: A single source of information to measure and optimize everything from tool usage and system uptime to software versions and power savings for each device on the network.
Better Security and Date Protection: Networks require a proactive approach toward data security. Alongside being GDPR compliant, Manager’s development team continuously innovates and update our software to keep your school’s data safe.
Manager Advanced: The premium version of the web-based myViewBoard Manager tool, it includes all standard features that help you set up, manage, and maintain devices, plus the following enhancements:
- Schedule/automate tasks such as powering devices off, rebooting them, updating firmware, and more.
- Remotely send presentations, lessons, and various file types to all your devices with the click of a button.
- Back up device configurations so you can have peace of mind to restore to previously saved device settings.
- Broadcast multimedia to devices to keep teachers and students informed across campus on the day’s essential information.
Get Started with ViewSonic Interactive Whiteboards for Education
We’ve only just scratched the surface of how ViewSonic interactive whiteboards for education can revolutionize teaching and learning in today’s modern classrooms. While we’ve touched on basic interactive whiteboarding features and taken a look at the advanced capabilities of ViewSonic interactive whiteboards, the sky is the limit for the potential of these interactive teaching tools to foster collaboration and enhancing teaching/learning.
Interested in learning more about what ViewSonic interactive whiteboards for education can really do in your classrooms? Schedule a demo with Parmetech today to experience the power and potential of these interactive displays. As an Elite ViewSonic partner, our team of experts can help show you the top features and capabilities that will help transform your learning environment, help you to you choose the ViewSonic ViewBoards for Education that will best fit your needs, and provide training and support to ensure a seamless experience. Give us a call at (800) 727-6383, send us an email at info@parmetech.com, or connect with us online to get started.
