Interactive Flat Panel Display: The Newest Interactive Whiteboard
The interactive flat panel display is often referred to by alternative names such as electronic whiteboard, smart whiteboard, or, most commonly used in education, interactive whiteboard. However, while the names may be used interchangeably, there is a difference in the technology and capabilities of the IFPD. An IFPD uses a flat display monitor with integrated computing and collaboration technology, while an interactive whiteboard, uses sensing technology with a projector.
What Are Interactive Flat Panel Displays?
An interactive flat panel display is a classroom device, similar to a TV (LCD, LED, or plasma), that uses touchscreen technology, video, cloud connectivity, and remote/online capabilities with slot-integrated compute to help increase student-teacher engagement. Teachers can smoothly execute digital content and lesson plans through the IFPD, leading to a more collaborative and engaging teaching and learning experience for students in K–12 classrooms and higher education.
Benefits of Interactive Flat Panel Displays
Interactive flat panel displays can provide interactive learning experiences for students in a technology-centric format that they are already familiar with. Government leaders who are responsible for determining and allocating funds for school technology budgets can see that IFPDs are a key solution for digital transformation in education.
- Ideal for collaboration and interactivity. No matter where a student may learn, IFPDs can create an engaging, active learning environment for students and teachers. With IFPDs students and teachers can interact directly with digital content in multiple ways during lessons. For example, remote or in-class students can use built-in annotation tools to draw and make notes on screen in near-real time or share a wide variety of content types, including images and videos. Additionally, if students are equipped with their own devices, IFPDs can enable them to collaborate with classmates on homework, projects, and class activities. This allows students to make connections between their work on their devices and the content on a flat panel display.
- Students stay immersed in technology. In a modern, tech-focused society, students are constantly immersed in video and technology. IFPDs take advantage of what students are already comfortable with in their daily lives and channel it toward their education with video sharing, online collaboration, and cloud connectivity. IFPDs offer a newer, practical solution to make students more engaged in learning by matching their developed technical abilities.
- Enhances discussion-based learning. In higher education classroom settings, IFPDs can enhance more-concentrated group discussions. For example, professors can encourage greater, more in-depth discussions by dividing a class into groups, each with an IFPD at their disposal to view, create, or share digital content within their group. By expanding on fellow colleagues’ ideas and theories with IFPDs, students in higher education can delve deeper into classroom discussions and connect more closely with one another.
- Increases lifetime value. In many US schools, purchasing a projector and whiteboard may be objectively less expensive, but the cost of setup, maintenance, and management of the technology must also be considered. When IFPDs are enabled for remote management capabilities with an additional slot-in module, IT administrators can update software, install security updates, and troubleshoot problems without having to send an IT technician out to the school. Additionally, IFPDs can be used with a mobile floor stand for easy mobility from classroom to classroom, providing accessibility and portability to any class at any time—unlike a single, installed projector that must stay in place.
Remote Learning and the Smart Classroom
One of the primary advantages of the interactive flat panel display is accessibility for remote/anywhere learning. When the COVID-19 pandemic first affected schools, teachers were forced to change to a remote digital-learning experience. Now, administrators and governments are seeing the value of advanced technology in schools that provide new opportunities for educators to teach their classes.
With IFPDs, content can be shared with students anywhere between in-class and online environments. If a teacher shows a video, writes a math problem, or exhibits a presentation, their students will be able to view that content on their own device no matter where they are. Teachers can also record sessions for later use, such as playback on demand, helping students recall lessons for further study. All this changes how students learn, which is through interactive participation and teamwork, allowing students to develop specialized skill sets and mindsets that can prepare them for when they enter the workforce.
Malaysia’s Twenty-First Century Smart Classroom
In recent months, the Malaysian government and telecom companies have invested in programs and tax incentives to address the challenging transitions to remote learning. One of these solutions is the SNS JOI Smart Classroom, which includes Intel-powered interactive flat panel displays and other cutting-edge devices for students. This way, teachers have been able to reduce their administrative burdens and students can improve their learning with a variety of devices, like an IFPD, at their disposal.
Intel® Technologies for Interactive Flat Panel Displays
Intel® solutions for education are designed to achieve personalization, equality, and efficiency in the classroom. Interactive flat panel displays create a wider range of freedom for teachers when designing lesson plans, ensure that learning is accessible to all students, and provide access to quality technology for teachers and students.
Considerations for Teachers
For teachers, using technology in the classroom doesn’t have to be daunting. With Intel’s guidance and professional development courses, teachers can master the skills they need to more deeply integrate the use of technology into their lesson plans. Empowering teachers to share, manage, and create digital content in near-real time allows for a more dynamic and interactive learning environment. IFPDs create confidence for teachers, enabling them to further understand the devices they use in the classroom. If students are equipped with their own device in class or at home, teachers can connect to each device to collaborate and engage with their students on an individual level.
Considerations for IT Administrators
There are several ways IT administrators can extend the benefits of IFPDs in schools.
While IFPDs already come with touchscreen, video, audio, cloud, recording, and Wi-Fi-enabled capabilities, additional compute power may be necessary. This is particularly important for supporting the content and applications teachers already use in their lesson plans.
Intel offers a thin, optional, slot-in, power-efficient Intel® Smart Display Module (SDM) that provides the necessary flexibility, upgradability, reliability, serviceability, and security for IFPDs. Furthermore, Intel partners offer an optional Open Pluggable Specification (OPS) module designed to Intel specifications. These modules slide directly into the IFPD, so users won’t have to worry about managing an external device or additional cables that could potentially cause technical issues.
Additionally, student devices must be considered. Selecting the right device with the necessary added features allows every student to engage directly with IFPDs and their daily lessons whether in school or at home. You can find an array of technologies that best suit students, teachers, and IT administrators’ needs in the Intel® Solutions Marketplace.