Why Touchscreen Displays Are Often Used Like Ordinary TVs

Mostly because nobody plans how the touch features will be used. A board is installed, a laptop is plugged in, and it becomes a large, bright screen showing slides. This pattern is old and well documented. UK studies of interactive whiteboards in 2007 found teachers "almost universally start by using the IWB very much as they used their previous traditional whiteboard". Gains depended on how long the boards were used and on teaching practice, not on the hardware. Modern interactive panels add casting, apps and cloud whiteboards, but no recent independent study measures how much of that goes unused. The fix is the same as it was then: decide the three or four interactive things each room should do, set the board up so they're the default, and train for those.

What does the research actually show?

The best independent evidence is older and from UK schools, so treat it as a pattern rather than a 2026 statistic. Somekh and colleagues at Manchester Metropolitan University and Nottingham Trent University, evaluating primary schools for the UK Department for Education and Skills (April 2007), found that the time pupils were taught with an interactive whiteboard was "the major factor" in attainment gains, and that informal help from colleagues was more common than formal training. Moss and colleagues at the Institute of Education, studying London secondary schools (DfES research report RR816, 2007), found "no impact on pupil performance in the first year" and that "any boost in motivation seems short-lived". Their advice: "Discussion of pedagogy should precede and embed discussion of the technology."

The workplace picture is similar. A 2020 survey by Wainhouse Research for Dell, of 762 decision makers in five countries, found 40% of respondents said users struggle to get content onto displays and 45% said users struggle to launch meetings. It was commissioned by a vendor, but it points the same way: the friction is in getting started, not in the hardware.

We've covered whether boards are worth buying in Are Interactive Displays Becoming Giant Expensive Tablets? and the 86-inch debate. This post is about getting the ones you have used properly.

Which features get skipped, and how do you fix each one?

Source: Somekh et al., MMU/NTU for DfES (Apr 2007); Moss et al., Institute of Education, DfES RR816 (2007); Wainhouse Research for Dell (2020, vendor-commissioned); Google Android certified-device page and vendor product pages, read 8 Nov 2026. The fixes are SourceIT's suggestions, not findings from these studies.

Decide what each room should do on the board before deciding which board to buy, then make those actions the default, not a menu option.

How should you set up the home screen?

Most boards ship with a busy launcher. Strip it back. For a classroom: whiteboard, casting, the input for the teacher's laptop, and the browser. For a meeting room: casting, the video meeting app if the board hosts calls, and the whiteboard. Hide the rest. Set the board to wake into that home screen rather than the last input, so the next user sees the interactive options first. Where the board supports it, turn on a session end that saves or clears content, so private notes don't stay on screen for the next group.

Platform choice affects this. Google EDLA-certified boards, such as Samsung's WAFX-P or LG's CreateBoard TR3DQ (both Android, per Samsung and LG), can run Google Play apps and get Google's certified-device requirements. Samsung's Flip runs Tizen, and some boards use a slot-in Windows PC for full desktop apps. Each needs a different setup, so standardise on one per site where you can.

What should training look like?

Short and specific beats a long launch session. A workable plan:

• Week 1: 20 minutes per group on the four default actions: wake, cast, annotate, save.
• Week 2–4: one "champion" per department or floor who others ask first, matching the informal peer help the 2007 study found most common.
• Each term or quarter: one new feature per session, such as multi-user activities, templates or saving to the class or team drive.
• A one-page card at each board with the four actions and who to call.

In Singapore schools, MOE's EdTech Masterplan 2030 and personal learning devices for every secondary student make casting and annotating student work the obvious first feature to train for. Our post on why classroom technology goes unused covers the wider budget side, and digital whiteboards for remote students covers hybrid lessons.

How do you know if it's working?

Use the management software. Remote-management platforms such as LG ConnectedCare or Samsung's tools show device status; check whether yours reports power-on hours and the active input or app. A board that's always on HDMI, with the whiteboard app rarely opened, is being used as a TV. Check after the first month and again after a term, and target training where usage is lowest. If a room genuinely only needs a screen, a non-touch commercial display is cheaper, and that's a legitimate choice. For large classrooms, compare panels and projectors in Laser Projector vs 98-Inch Display, and for getting laptops onto screens, see The Wireless Presentation Trap.

Buying in Singapore

SourceIT's interactive displays include the LG CreateBoard 55TR3DQ-B at S$2,141.25, the Samsung WM55F Flip at S$3,225, the Avocor E50 65-inch at S$3,728.05 and the Avocor H Series 65-inch at S$4,971.25 (listed 8 Nov 2026). Avocor's E Series stylus pack is S$65.27. MAXHUB, Yealink, Neat and Huawei boards are price on request. Browse the Samsung Flip collection for more sizes. Prices change, so ask for a current quotation. For a rollout and training plan, use Request for Quotation on the product page, call (65) 6978 3502, email Sales@sourceit.com.sg or use our contact page.

Frequently asked questions

Why do people use interactive displays like TVs? Because plugging in a laptop is the easiest thing to do, and nobody has set up or trained the interactive features. Studies of interactive whiteboards found teachers start with old-whiteboard habits, and gains depended on practice over time.

What's the quickest way to improve usage? Simplify the home screen to four actions (wake, cast, annotate, save), make it the default on wake, and run a short session on those actions in the first week.

Do I need a Google EDLA-certified board? If you want Google Play apps and Google's certified-device requirements, yes. Boards on Tizen or Windows modules work differently, so choose one platform per site to keep training simple.

How can I measure whether a board is used interactively? Check whether your management software reports power-on hours and active inputs or apps, and review them after a month. A board that sits on HDMI nearly all the time is being used as a screen.

Is it wrong to use an interactive display as a normal screen? No, but it's an expensive way to get one. If a room only needs a screen, a non-touch commercial display costs less.