Through advances over the last 15 years,  interactive whiteboards have take on a new dimension. Ultra short throw projectors have almost, although not completely, eliminated shadows.

So, are interactive touch screens for schools the answer? The world has not stopped. Advances in the consumer field have led to a revolution in television screens making them “smarter”. LED technology has not only permeated into all forms of lighting, but is now also heavily used in the production of TV screens. LED lamps are not just greener, but have a considerably longer life.

It was therefore just a matter of time before such advances saw themselves incorporated into “interactive” TVs. Also called interactive panels or interactive touch screens as they have now become commonly known within the education sector. Thus started the development of Interactive touch screens for schools and education.

Lower Costs

Until quite recently, this technology was out of reach of schools due to its disproportionate cost. However, with mass production, costs have come down to the point where Interactive touch screens can actually work out less. In some cases, lower than the cost of an interactive whiteboard and projector setup.

So are interactive touch screens for schools a better proposition than the whiteboard/projector setup?

The unanimous verdict appears to be a Yes. For any school looking to replace their whiteboards or projectors, various practical factors come into play:-

• Projectors project from the front and, invariably, create shadows on the screen. At the same time, a light being beamed at the board is likely to affect the teacher. Interactive touch screens are lit from the back and both the above two problems are eliminated.
• All projectors have their own throw ratio, determined by the type of lens used. Thus, to replace a projector, one needs to ensure that the replacement has a similar throw ratio to avoid moving the mount. More often than not, the earlier installed mounts tend to get replaced with either ultra short throw mounts.
• Projectors have their own limited life. Thus either the screen or the projector has to be replaced after a certain amount of use. Further, the lamp life on a projector is in the region of 2500 hours. LED Interactive touch screens, on the other hand, not only offer similar warranty periods, but have lamp lives in the region of 50,000 hours. This is almost 20 times that of a standard projector lamp.
• The better Interactive Touch Screens come with toughened anti-glare glass. This eliminates the strain on the eye for both teachers and students.
• With a whiteboard and projector setup, after each installation, you calibrate the interactive whiteboard. With Interactive Touch Screens, you are able to avoid this step is altogether.
• Interactive Touch Screens have many other benefits. A significant last but not least of the benefits is that you can mount Interactive Touch Screens at any height. This is particularly useful for infant and primary schools. One determines the height of an interactive whiteboard by the height of the projector, which you can not mount too low for health and safety reasons.

The case in favour of Interactive Touch Screens for schools appears to be clear.

With costs having come down to affordable levels (albeit not the case with all brands – it is also important to ensure that the particular brand uses only the best panels in their touch screens), you may regret it if you decide not to consider Interactive Touch Screens when replacing your whiteboards and projectors.

For a demonstration of interactive touch screens for schools, click here