Teachers around the world experience mixed feelings when it comes to having interactive whiteboards in the classroom. Many simply despise them, but there are many benefits to having an interactive whiteboard in your classroom, and they can be valuable when used in a modern classroom. 

As with any technology, incorporating interactive whiteboards into the classroom can be a slight challenge, but these challenges can be overcome. Once you overcome the challenges, you’re going to wonder how you ever functioned without one. 

We’re going to discuss 5 of the biggest reasons teachers don’t like interactive whiteboards and how the challenges that come with them can be overcome. 

Interactive Whiteboards Are “Too Complicated” To Use In the Classroom

It is natural for humans to overcomplicate even the simplest of things. Most of the time, teachers are just looking to replace their chalkboards. Still, in the world of competition, companies are rushing to put out digital displays filled with utilities and different software. 

This might seem fun at first, but the more applications and software that a device comes with, the more difficult it will be to learn how to use them properly. To combat this, schools should opt for the simpler interactive whiteboards. 

Interactive Whiteboards Lack Storage and the Ability To Convert Files

Unlike a regular whiteboard, interactive boards allow you to draw and write on them, then save that file for later use. Over the last few years, specific programs and file types, like PowerPoint presentations or Word documents, have become standard in the classroom. 

This kind of democratizing software is not available for interactive whiteboards, and each major brand has their own type of file. This becomes a problem when schools change brands and cannot convert files. To mitigate this, schools should opt to stay with one brand.

Interactive Whiteboards Cannot Fit the Teaching Pedagogy Of Today

Each interactive whiteboard claims to be able to provide multi-functional features. However, teachers still feel like they are nothing more than glorified projectors and do not enhance the learning experience. 

Technology is meant to make lessons more interactive and engaging for the learner. Even with smartboards, teachers are still at the front of the class, presenting the same way they would with a regular chalkboard. To combat this, teachers could allow their students to come to the front of the class and write on the board themselves.

Interactive Whiteboards Don’t Have Classroom Integration Processes

When schools don’t buy interactive whiteboards for the right reasons, students and teachers pay the price. In some cases, teachers feel as though the school purchased the boards, not to act as a teaching instrument, but to promote the school. 

Teachers should have a discussion with the school board about why interactive whiteboards are being purchased, and it helps them understand the educational benefits they can provide. 

Interactive Whiteboards Need Professional Development, Extensive Rollout, and Organizational Adoption

Even if a school has set up all of their infrastructure and the teachers’ whiteboards for implementation, they often still fail to use them effectively and efficiently. This comes down to a matter of professional development. 

Teachers should be appropriately trained on how interactive whiteboards should be used, and they should be instructed on all of their features. The implementation of interactive whiteboards should come with a clear and comprehensive plan. 

Concluding Thoughts

Interactive whiteboards can be a handy tool for boosting engagement in the classroom, but they must be implemented correctly. Also, the teachers must understand how to use them properly.

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