Introduction: When the Board Came Alive

I’ll never forget the first day our school installed interactive displays in every classroom. It felt like stepping into the future. Gone were the dusty chalkboards and half-working projectors Now, in front of me stood a sleek, oversized touchscreen—just like something straight out of a sci-fi movie. I was excited… and a little nervous. Would this be another gimmick? Would my 5th graders just poke at it and giggle?

Turns out, the giggling was the start of something magical.

By the end of our first interactive class, students were engaged in ways I had never seen before. They weren’t just watching—they were touching, answering, competing, collaborating. The classroom transformed from a lecture hall to an experience. And research backs this up. According to a 2023 EdTech Impact study, student engagement increased by 60% with interactive visuals, and retention soared by 40% when learning involved touch and visuals.

So if you’re a fellow teacher wondering how to make the most of your smartboard or interactive display, here are 7 real activities—tried, tested, and loved by kids—that can turn your class into a hub of curiosity and joy.

Active Quizzing – Learning That’s as Fun as a Game Show

If you’ve ever wanted to see your students volunteer to answer questions, try an interactive quiz session. I use platforms like Kahoot, Quizizz, or Baamboozle—all compatible with our interactive display. The beauty of it? It feels like a game show, but it’s actually deep learning in disguise.

One Monday morning, instead of the usual dreary recap, I started a General Knowledge showdown on the board. Each house (chera,chola,pandiya,palava) formed a team. Questions popped up, kids ran to the board to tap their answers. The classroom was on fire—cheering, clapping, strategizing. And learning.

In a real-world example, Mark’s class at Sunrise Public School, Delhi implemented weekly interactive quiz games. According to their teacher, student participation increased from 35% to 90%, and post-quiz test scores improved by 33% over a single semester.

These quizzes aren’t just for fun—they help with recall, team building, and boost the confidence of even the shyest student. It’s competitive learning without the pressure, and the display becomes the heartbeat of the lesson.

Visual Timelines – History Class Turned Into a Netflix Episode

Teaching history used to mean memorizing dates and events. But with an interactive display, I now create visual, scrollable timelines that feel more like exploring a storyline than studying a textbook.

Take our “India’s Freedom Struggle” lesson. I used an interactive PowerPoint where events like the Revolt of 1857, Dandi March, and Quit India Movement were laid out as draggable elements. Students came up, placed them on the timeline, and debated their correct order. One even said, “Ma’am, this is like playing ‘history Jenga’!”

These visual timelines spark curiosity. Instead of just reading that the Jallianwala Bagh massacre happened in 1919, students see where it fits in context. They understand cause-effect relationships. They relate to the people behind the events.

A study by EdTech Insights 2023 found that visual learning through timelines improves memory recall by 43%, especially for students who struggle with linear note-taking. I also noticed a boost in classroom discussions, critical thinking, and even art as students illustrated the events.

Honestly, history class now feels like Netflix—with a lot more learning and no subscription needed.

Annotating Over Videos – Because Pausing Isn’t Just for Popcorn

We’ve all used videos in class. But here’s where the interactive display takes it next level—you can pause, annotate, highlight, draw, and even add digital sticky notes on top of the video.

In one of our Science units on volcanoes, I played a National Geographic clip. As lava erupted on screen, I paused it, picked up the digital pen, and wrote “PYROCLASTIC FLOW ➡️” right over the image. Students added their own questions: “Is this the same as magma?” “Why is it red?” The screen was covered in ideas, arrows, and emojis.

It wasn’t just viewing—it was learning through doing.

This works brilliantly across subjects. In English, we annotate movie scenes to study character emotions. In Geography, we pause aerial footage of landscapes and label valleys and plateaus. During Literature week, we even analyzed Shakespearean plays on-screen, annotating metaphors and poetic devices in real time.

According to the NCERT 2024 Digital Classroom Report, classrooms that used annotated video lessons saw a 52% increase in concept clarity and nearly 40% higher question participation among students.

With annotation, the video transforms into an interactive whiteboard—a space for creativity, curiosity, and teamwork.

Gamified Whiteboard Activities – Turning Worksheets into Competitions

Whiteboard = boring? Not anymore.With the interactive display, it turns into a life-sized game board.I’ve used it to host drawing contests, math relay races, and spelling bee knockouts—all live, loud, and super fun.

One of our favorite games is “Whiteboard Relay.” I divide the class into two teams. A math problem pops up. One player from each team rushes up, solves it, and taps “Done.” The screen buzzes, correct answers light up green, and the leaderboard updates instantly. It’s like a sports scoreboard, but for Algebra!

The competitive element transforms the vibe. Kids cheer each other on, collaborate on strategies, and even teach peers. I’ve used this technique to teach multiplication, fractions, synonyms, grammar errors—you name it.

And it works. Research from the Global Classroom Innovation Study 2024 shows that gamified learning boosts engagement by 78% and improves class participation by over 60%, especially among students who are usually passive.

With an interactive whiteboard, even the quietest learners get a chance to shine, and worksheets become a team sport.

Drag-and-Drop Exercises – Touch and Learn

Who knew grammar could be fun? With drag-and-drop activities, I turned sentence structuring into an interactive puzzle. Students drag nouns, verbs, adjectives into blanks and watch the sentence “build” itself. It’s tactile, visual, and logical—a triple win!

In one class, I put scrambled sentences on the display: “under / the table / sat / the cat.” Kids had to drag the pieces into place. Each time they got it right, the sentence animated into a full picture with sound effects. You could hear the giggles from down the hall.

Beyond English, I’ve used drag-and-drop for:

• Classifying animals in Science (Mammals, Reptiles, Birds)
• Matching historical events with dates
• Sorting equations by difficulty in Math

A recent NEP Classroom Trends 2024 report stated that interactive touch activities like drag-and-drop improved concept understanding by 45%, especially in students from lower primary grades.

It’s not just learning—it’s playful problem-solving. And students don’t forget what they’ve constructed with their own fingers.

Real-Time Collaboration – Everyone’s Pen on One Canvas

If there’s one thing I’ve learned as a teacher, it’s this: students thrive when they feel heard. And with real-time collaboration on an interactive display, every student becomes a contributor.During our “Save the Environment” week, I opened a blank canvas on the screen and asked students to draw or write one idea to help reduce pollution. Within minutes, the board filled with colorful drawings of bicycles, trees, windmills, and powerful phrases like “Plant, Not Plastic” and “Reuse Before Refuse.” Some used the pen, others typed. Everyone participated.

What made it special? There was no ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ answer. It was their space to create. I saw shy students finally stepping up, ESL learners using images to express themselves, and even one student who doodled a “Tree Superhero” named Captain Chlorophyll (yes, he now has his own mini-comic series!).

Collaborative tools like Jamboard, Micro, and even built-in whiteboard apps allow simultaneous access—multiple students can write on the board at once. You can split them into teams, assign roles, and create group presentations all on the same screen.

Research by the Education Technology Association of India found that real-time collaboration tools increased peer-to-peer interaction by 70% and boosted emotional engagement in lessons by 52%. It fosters creativity, teamwork, and digital fluency—all skills they’ll carry for life.

With interactive displays, your classroom isn’t a lecture hall—it’s a studio of ideas.

Virtual Field Trips – Bringing India’s Wonders Into the Classroom

This one’s my personal favorite. Imagine taking your class to the Taj Mahal, the Sundarbans, or even the ISRO launch center—without ever stepping out of school. With an interactive display, virtual field trips become possible, and they are nothing short of magical.Last term, during our History module on Mughal architecture, we took a virtual tour of Agra’s Taj Mahal. Using Google Earth and 360° panoramic videos, students walked through the marble corridors, zoomed in on intricate inlay work, and marvelled at the symmetry of the gardens. As we “stood” in front of the mausoleum, one child asked, “Ma’am, is this really just a tomb? It looks like a palace!” And just like that, learning turned into wonder.

In our Geography unit, we “soared” over the Western Ghats, identifying hills, forests, and river origins using real-time maps. We also explored Kaziranga National Park, where students pointed out rhinos and elephants in the 3D landscape. During a Civics class, we navigated the Parliament House in Delhi—zooming in on Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha chambers, learning how laws are made, and discussing our democratic structure in a whole new way.

According to a 2024 study by Digital Learning India, virtual field trips improved content retention by 36%, and increased subject interest by 50%, especially among middle school students. When the display becomes a window to India’s heritage, geography, and institutions, your classroom transforms into a live museum—where every lesson becomes a journey.

Conclusion: The Future is Touch-Enabled

From quizzes to timelines, annotations to games, collaboration to global exploration—the interactive display has revolutionized my teaching. It’s not just a device. It serves as a gateway between students and the world, connecting curiosity with understanding.

In my classroom, I’ve seen distracted students become active participants. I’ve watched hesitant hands shoot up with confidence. I’ve heard laughter, debates, and “OHHH I get it now!” moments—all thanks to this dynamic tool.

So if you’re still on the fence, here’s my advice: jump in. Experiment. Contact Zealinx | Leading Cybersecurity Company in India  Make mistakes. Try that silly game idea. The interactive display isn’t here to replace you—it’s here to amplify you.

Because in today’s world, the best lessons aren’t just taught—they’re experienced.

FAQs

1. Are interactive displays easy for teachers to use?
Yes! Most come with simple, intuitive interfaces. If you can use a smartphone, you can use a smartboard.

2. Do interactive displays help with slow learners?
Absolutely. The multi-sensory approach (visual, tactile, auditory) helps cater to different learning styles, especially kinesthetic and visual learners.

3. Which subjects benefit most from these displays?
While every subject can benefit, teachers see great results in Science, Social Studies, Math, and Language Arts due to high visual interactivity.

4. Can you use them without internet?
Yes. While internet enhances functionality, many apps and features (like whiteboard tools and media playback) work offline too.

5. Are students more disciplined with this tech?
Surprisingly, yes. Interactive engagement reduces off-task behaviour, as students are constantly involved in activities instead of passively sitting through lectures.