Classrooms and training rooms need to have a central focal point and technology hub. For integrators that sell interactive whiteboards, flat panels and projectors to education and corporate clients, that’s an encouraging trend.

Sales of optical interactive whiteboards and flat panels in the education and corporate markets were up 15 percent in 2012, reaching nearly 1 million displays. Smart boards are starting to become a staple like a chalkboard or whiteboard.

In schools, the demand seems to stem not just from the need to provide students with educational advantages but also from coordinating technologies for teachers. The interactive whiteboard is tied into the classroom amplification system. Teachers easily control via touch screen several aspects of the classroom environment, including the building intercom, paging system, Ethernet TV and more.

Morning announcements are done via an in-school TV studio. The classroom interactive whiteboards display the live video as well as educational programming for students. The growth of Interactive Display whiteboards comes despite the growing popularity of the BYOD (bring your own device) phenomenon in which students and employees bring personalized displays in the form of tablet computers.

For integrators, though BYOD isn’t a hindrance and can be their hook. Rolling out iPads to students, collaboration and being able to share things on student’s personal screens and send it up to a centralized screen, allowing them to show their work or collaborate.

As fast as the interactive whiteboard category is growing, however, it’s not all good news for integrators serving markets and the BYOD trend seems to be running interference.

U.S. volumes of interactive white boards sales fell 27 percent from that of 2011. The research firm predicts the education market in the U.S. will continue to drop over the next few years. By the end of 2013 almost half of classrooms will have an interactive display and the early models sold into the market are not yet ready for replacement, it writes in its report, adding that the rise of tablet devices will also impede growth of interactive displays. As always, however, innovative integrated solutions can overcome those obstacles.