Tuesday, March 11th, 2008...7:52 pm
Interactive White Board Installations (IWBs)
Something to share…
(A bit of a rambled post here so I hope it makes sense; if you have any questions please ask on or off Weblog).
As part of my remit I am responsible for overseeing the installation of Interactive White Boards (IWBs) in a number of classrooms throughout my Authority. Having IWBs installed is not as easy as one might think. It involves the collaboration of many bodies including the department/teacher/school, the Authority’s Property Department, the IWB Company and external bodies such as Scotsys who deal can deal with the redeployment of projectors. Here is my account of the process:
The Classroom:
- Site visit to the classrooms with a member of the property department.
- Notes to be taken on projector location in the room, where the nearest double power sockets are (they need to be in a 200cm radius of the boards location), the redeployment of an existing pen/black roller board or the erection of a static board, distance between the existing classroom computer and the board being installed.
- Choice of USB connection is a must, though a serial conversion via USB should suffice.
The Installation:
- Following the acknowledgement of a detailed report submitted to the relevant parties, the installation can then proceed. The boards need to be ordered via the IT department.
- Helpdesk calls need to logged with the IT Department so that the relevant software can be installed on the specified machines.
- If the projector is already mounted it may need to be moved forward, back, left or right depending on: Projector type and location, power (socket) location, computer location and inbuilt cupboards etc.
- If the projector requires to be moved (even a few inches!) extra expenses are likely to be incurred.
My reflection so far:
- There is a lot to IWB installation that is worth while considering. One thing that is worth noting is that HP projectors have a greater range in their projection. This means that the distance between the IWB and the projector usually isn’t a problem (you can swap projectors between rooms). The down side is that you cannot freeze the frames on HP projectors (i.e. keep up a static screen on the IWB whilst working on other things on your desktop).
- Each room tends to be individual, and I have to say I have learned a huge amount over the last two months.
- My main advice is to have the IWB company site visit your rooms prior to the installations and keep confirmation of everything that has been agreed. This saves a lot of time.
If you are undergoing IWB installations and you have any queries or advice, please get in touch as I am on my journey to becoming a bit of a Guru!
In addition if you represent an IWB company I would welcome your thoughts on how to ensure smooth installation with minimal cost, time, hassle and disruption.
Learning and teaching is very much at heart here.
7 Comments
March 11th, 2008 at 9:36 pm
I’m becoming more and more of the opinion that they’re not worth all the bother and expense!!! Many installations leave the classroom with a board that’s badly positioned for children or the teacher, or positioned badly resulting in an image that can’t be properly aligned with the board. I’m personally happier presenting with an Airliner Slate - with a couple of extra slates around the class for pupil interaction - and wireless keyboards and mice. The difference in costs leave funds available for the key elements - the projector and the software!!! Other best option is an interactive plasma screen - expensive but phenomenal!
March 11th, 2008 at 10:47 pm
A very useful tool when positioning and choosing Projectors to fit an existing space:
http://www.projectorpoint.co.uk/projectorscreensizecalculator.htm
March 12th, 2008 at 10:35 pm
Hi Tess,
You should speak to Islay Ian about the IWBs… I’m rapidly coming round to his suggestion of a Tablet PC and wireless projector for the same price as the board (i.e. you end up with two set-ups for the price of one)…
I find my own one very limiting because there is very little worthwhile software for Secondary English… or at least, very little that makes use of the IWBs strengths…
I believe that the a href=”http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&ct=res&cd=2&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dfes.gov.uk%2Fresearch%2Fdata%2Fuploadfiles%2FRR816.pdf&ei=iFrYR7XYA5L60QTw9cXBAQ&usg=AFQjCNEaI1LgHLJOrEGVITN74msGz18rsQ&sig2=YSl-KI4b29crzz44Tvdx-Q”>DFES report on their evaluation was actually pretty inconclusive for most subjects except Maths…
Worth thinking about before EL commits to a massive spend…
March 13th, 2008 at 9:13 am
Hi Alan, Stuart and Neil.
Thanks for your comments. The links are very useful!
Tess
March 13th, 2008 at 11:41 pm
An Airliner slate or Wacom equivalent effectively turns your existing pc or laptop into a tablet pc and gives you all the functionality of an IWB for around £200. You can also use multiple slates around your class to provide excellent pupil interaction. These, coupled with a Gyration wireless keyboard and mouse kit cab really liven up class interaction.
There’s a short summary of these thoughts at http://atss.files.wordpress.com/2007/01/interactiveictupdate.pdf
March 14th, 2008 at 9:48 am
Alan,
Thanks for the link.
Tess
March 14th, 2008 at 12:57 pm
Hi Tess,
I would concur with everything that you have said as I have found myself in exactly the same position over the last two years. Very few people can fully understand the sheer amount of work and co-ordination involved until they have to do it themselves. Even now after having dealt with in excess of two hundred installs I am still finding new problems that haven’t been encountered.
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