Smart TV vs Smart Board: Which is Better for Classrooms?

When schools are planning their classroom upgrades, they often ask the question: Smart TV vs Smart Board – which is best for teaching? Both look similar at first glance, but the way they impact learning is very different. 

A Smart TV works like a large digital screen for displaying videos and presentations, while a Smart Board is an interactive flat panel that allows teachers and students to write, draw, annotate, and engage directly with lessons.

The difference is in the engagement: Smart TVs deliver one-way content. The smart board for teaching encourages all students to engage in interactive and collaborative learning. And Senses Electronics offers 4K interactive Smart Boards specifically designed for the Indian classroom that are easy to use, cost-effective, and coming with full training and support.

If your school is deciding between Smart TVs and Smart Boards, check out our solutions today to build an engaging, future-ready classroom.

Key Takeaways:

• Smart TVs suit visions and presentations but are not interactive.
• Smart Boards promote engagement and collaboration and help provide active learning.
• If you have short-term and low-budget learning needs, Smart TVs could do for you.
• If you seek long-term value in your educational work, Smart Boards will serve you better.
• The Smart Boards by Senses Electronics have a 4K display, easy-to-use tools as well as comprehensive support for schools.

What is a Smart TV?

A smart TV is a television with internet access and similar app capabilities for streaming and delivering content. In education, smart TVs are often used to display videos, presentations, or digital content with high-quality resolution.

Teachers can connect it to Wi-Fi, stream educational apps such as YouTube, and display their lesson content on the screen for the students to see. Most smart TVs have the following features:

• Large HD or 4K display
• Preloaded apps and browsers
• Wireless screen sharing
• Basic multimedia support

What is a Smart Board?

A Smart Board or Interactive Whiteboard is a big touch screen panel to use for interactive feedback for teaching. This makes it possible for teachers and students to engage directly with the content and use features such as touch, writing, and other collaborative tools. 

Smart Boards have a digital display with touchscreen abilities, including writing and annotation features plus interactive teaching tools. Key features are:

• Smart board 4k with support for multi-touch
• Annotation and drawing tools
• Ability to screen mirror for both teacher and student
• Integration with educational software
• Ability to make video conference calls. 

Key Differences Between Smart TV and Smart Board

While both devices improve classroom technology, they serve different purposes. Here’s a breakdown of their major differences.

Parameters	Smart Board	Smart TV
Interactivity and Engagement	Interactive teaching with hands-on participation.	One-way content delivery
Classroom Applications	Ideal for collaborative activities, interactive lessons, and group projects.	Suitable for small classrooms or displaying videos.
Content Usability	Allows teachers to draw, annotate, and interact with content.	Plays videos and apps but lacks annotation tools.
Cost and Long-Term Investment	Higher cost but long-term educational value	Lower upfront investment
Teacher + Student Experience	Active engagement and creativity	Passive viewing

Smart TV vs Smart Board for Classrooms: Which One to Choose?

The choice between a Smart TV a Smart Board depends on the way you want your students to learn. A Smart TV is basically a display tool; it’s suitable for playing educational videos, showing a presentation, or displaying online lectures. A Smart TV works well in smaller classrooms or schools that only need basic digital support.

When Smart TVs are Suitable for Education

• Small classrooms with limited budgets.
• Schools that use digital content for lectures.
• Teachers who prefer simple video display over interactivity.

A Smart Board, on the other hand, is meant for interactivity in teaching. Teachers will annotate, write, and explain in the moment, while students will work through problems, brainstorm, and interact directly with the board. The two-way engagement maintains the learners’ focus and potentially helps understanding.

If your aim is simply to project content, a Smart TV can do that. However, if the goal is to have teaching and learning transformed into an interactive learning experience for the students, a Smart Board is a more effective tool.

When Smart Boards are the Better Choice

• Medium to large classrooms.
• Schools are aiming for interactive, student-centred learning.
• Institutions using blended or hybrid learning models.

At Senses Electronics, we offer 4K interactive Smart Boards specially designed for Indian classrooms that are easy to operate, affordable, and come with comprehensive training and support. 

If your school is choosing between Smart TVs and Smart Boards, explore our solutions today to build an engaging, future-ready classroom.

Real-World Classroom Example

Scenario 1: Using a Smart TV A private school in Delhi put Smart TVs in a few primary classrooms for educational videos. The teacher put on an animated video for a science class about “The Solar System”. While the visuals were exciting, the students were mostly passive; they sat and watched. A few asked questions, but it stayed teacher-led and unidirectional. Once students completed their lesson, many were able to recall facts about the informational video, but they struggled to adjust or apply to the activity or dialogue.

Scenario 2: Using a Smart BoardIn contrast to the school in Chennai, another school in Bangalore used Senses Electronics Smart Boards in middle school classes. During the same topic of “Solar System”, the teacher began class with the planets projected on the interactive board and asked the students to come up one by one to move the planets in their correct orbit by using the touch screen of the board. Some students quickly wrote notes by writing directly on the board, while other students used the annotation tools to note important information. This was an engaging activity which turned into a large discussion when students were correcting each other and learning through participating. This comparison demonstrates that Smart TVs are good for content display, but Smart Boards engage students and create interactive learning. This is why more and more schools are utilising Senses Electronics Smart Boards for improved classroom outcomes.

Smart TV vs Interactive Whiteboard: Are They the Same?

Many confuse Smart TVs with Interactive Whiteboards, but they are not the same.

Difference in Technology

• Smart TV: Functions like a large screen with smart features.
• Smart Board / Interactive Whiteboard: Combines display with touchscreen interaction, annotation, and collaboration.

Usability in Indian Classrooms

• Smart TVs may be enough for small private schools.
• Smart Boards are preferred by CBSE, ICSE, and international schools adopting NEP 2020 recommendations for digital learning.

Why Smart Boards are Better for Education

Smart Boards are much more than digital screens; they are teaching solutions designed with the goal of ensuring classrooms are interactive, engaging and primed for the future. 

Comparing a Smart TV to a Smart Board is like comparing a painter with a canvas and a painter with a palette: a Smart TV displays content, but the interactive smartboard allows teachers and learners to interact with lesson material, making it ultimately more applicable and effective.

1. Supports Modern Education Strategies

Classrooms in 2021 are moving increasingly away from chalk and talk. Now that teachers have a Smart Board, they can

• Write, draw and annotate lessons in real time.
• Save and share their notes instantaneously with learners.
• Integrate e-learning apps, online resources, and video conferencing tools into their lessons as a standard practice.
• Unlike Smart TVs the Smart Board improves flexibility in the classroom, making it possible to work with schedules under hybrid and digital learning models under the NEP 2023 goals.

2. Increases Student Engagement and Creativity

Students can step up and take charge to solve problems and work together on the board; for instance, in a math class, a teacher is able to project a geometry problem and have students solve it directly on the screen.

 With a practical-sized object, hands-on learning is more engaging and allows students to comprehend concepts much better than watching and listening techniques.

3. Replaces Multiple Tools in the Classroom

Smart Boards replace all the classroom tools of a projector, a regular whiteboard, and a Smart TV, which saves on space and lowers costs for schools, long-term.

4. Smart Boards have Long-term Values

A Smart Board may be more expensive than a Smart TV, but a Smart Board is a better return on investment. A school that uses a Smart Board sees better educational outcomes, improved student attention spans, and increased job satisfaction among teachers.

Why Choose Senses Electronics Smart Boards?

Senses Electronics is a top provider of educational interactive panels in India.

• High Definition 4K Interactive Panels: Crystal clear images combined with responsive touch technology.
• Simple for Teachers to Use: The user-friendly interface is simple enough that very little training is required.
• Affordable Pricing Options for Indian Schools: Flexibility in pricing models to suit different budgets.
• After-sales support and Training: A Professional team to install, train, and support after sales.

Conclusion 

While Smart TVs are an affordable way to share content, Smart Boards are the real interactive, collaborative, and engaging devices. If you’re a school or college looking to impact learning outcomes, Smart Boards are the best way to invest in your future.

Choose Senses Electronics for low-cost, high-quality, interactive Smart Boards built for Indian Classrooms. Contact us today to change the way you teach.

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