[Yr7-10it] Interactive Whiteboards

[victor rajewski]

> we are investigating investing money in interactive whiteboards. I
> know this was on the list a while back, but wanted to know whether any
> brand is better and whether they were used much in schools thanks

Our school uses promethean activboards. Pros are they are virtually
indestructible (can survive chairs being thrown at them etc - their
main market is the UK, where schools can be _rough_). Cons include the
pen requiring a fair bit of pressure, which can make them difficult
for primary kids to use. Personally, I'd go for ones that don't need a
pen, but I think that makes the board itself more delicate. See if you
can get a demonstration inside the classroom, and see how the kids
respond to it - many now have self-contained short-throw projectors.

Also think about your software requirements - things like handwriting
recognition or on screen keyboard, and just how easy it is to use. The
only way to check this is to get a demo, and play with it yourself.

vik