Choosing the Right Whiteboard For Your School

by Edward Kendricks

Posted on Tuesday 11th of October 2011

When it comes to choosing an appropriate whiteboard for use in your classroom it can be difficult to know which is the right option. With the increasing popularity of interactive whiteboards it can understandably feel like an intimidating prospect when you have to decide how best to spend your school's money. Here are a few tips on how to explore what's on the market and what features would be advisable to consider when buying the right whiteboard for your school.

The best way to start is by making a list. Because there are so many varieties and features available on the modern whiteboard it may be a little overwhelming when you are browsing the various products that are available. If you feel like you may find it difficult to choose between the various options then do a little research first and come up with a list of things which you would like your whiteboard to be able to do. As an example you may anticipate that you will be doing a lot of video conferencing and as such you will want your pupils to be able to interface with the whiteboard software. It is important that you spend as much time as possible in the research stage as it is vital that you only spend money on features that you will use rather than features you will never use.

Basically it is up to you to put in the work and get a sense of what features are commonly available to you. If you are shopping round for a whiteboard for a secondary school then you will know it will get used quite rigorously and you should look for one which will be able to withstand such regular use and that is also easy to clean. Many modern whiteboards have been designed so that they can be used with electric pens or even 'written on' using your fingers. Such a feature could be very appealing to primary school pupils. For more advanced pupils at a college or university then you may wish to look for a whiteboard that is more versatile. Features such as interactivity or the ability to interface with various types of software would most likely desirable.

It is highly unlikely that you will find these products in high street shops and as such it is more than likely you will be browsing for suitable products online. If you are looking to buy several products then it would be worth your while shopping round at various websites and compiling different quotes. Do bear in mind any additional services that these companies may offer such as installation and ongoing maintenance. This will be particularly useful if you purchase an interactive whiteboard and the staff at your school are not particularly technically minded.

It goes without saying that the school budget should be wisely spent and you should treat your shopping very seriously. If you diligently make a list of the features you wish and spend time shopping round for the best price then there is no reason why you wont be able to kit out your school with the best quality whiteboards at a price that will please the head teacher.