IPEVO Interactive Whiteboard System- Simply Affordable!

Let's face it, as wonderful as interactive whiteboards are in the classroom, with shrinking school budgets it is getting harder and harder to install these tools in each and every classroom. But with the range of students in classrooms with various learning styles having access to an interactive whiteboard to craft lessons can be advantageous to teachers trying to meet the needs of all students. With this in mind, I was really excited to try out the recently released solution from IPEVO, the IPEVO Interactive Whiteboard System. The IPEVO Interactive Whiteboard System is a cost effective way to turn any whiteboard or flat surface into and interactive whiteboard. The IPEVO Interactive Whiteboard System works with both Windows and Macintosh computers and the system is comprised of a small camera, stylus and supplied Annotator software. Teacher will need to

 IPEVO Interactive Whiteboard System

also have access to a LCD projector for the classroom to use this solution. Setting up my computer to use the IPEVO Interactive Whiteboard System was straight forward and easy to accomplish. First, I installed the Annotator software and drivers from the CD, then plugged in the camera to my computer and calibrated the system with the stylus and in less then 5 minutes I was up and running. While I had a chance to use it on a whiteboard which was fantastic, I recently used it in another classroom at the college which only had a traditional blackboard which worked just as well. In any case you are going to want to use this solution on a surface that is flat and smooth for best results. 

The Annotator software gives teachers the ability to use the stylus as a mouse to control any computer application on the computer with complete control to mark up the computer screen using a number of different annotation tools. Teachers can select from lines, squares, and circles to mark up the screen. I found the software to be intuitive to use and changing color of the ink and the width of the stroke was straight forward.

Annotator App

The IPEVO Interactive Whiteboard System was very responsive to the stylus and worked as a mouse even when the targets were small. The Annotator software also integrates with any of the IPEVO document cameras, adding more functionality to the system and giving teachers a way to bring in images to your computer that can be marked up. The folks at IPEVO do understand classrooms and realize that in some instances small children will have a hard time using the smaller stylus and includes an extension that attaches to the stylus giving students the opportunity to use the interactive system. Teachers can also access the Web and use the in-screen keyboard for inputting text as well as using the Screen clipping tool to add screen captures to the IPEVO notebook. As if this wasn't enough, the IPEVO Interactive Whiteboard System lets teachers bring up a virtual notebook that they can write on and bring in graphics from captured screen clippings or from your hard drive. Teachers can create multiple pages in the notebook and go back and forth within the notebook to review the material. I can only imagine where IPEVO will take this product as it continues to add enhancements to the Annotator software. 

The IPEVO Interactive Whiteboard System works as advertised and gives teachers an inexpensive solution to utilize their computers and projectors as an interactive whiteboard in the classroom. If you are looking to create more interactive lessons and you are on a tight budget then you have to take a look at the IPEVO Interactive Whiteboard System. If you are using the IPEVO Interactive Whiteboard System I welcome your comments.

Read More

MimioTeach Interactive Whiteboard- A Powerful Solution

Let me start off by saying I have always been a big fan of the MimioTeach Interactive Whiteboard and have watched it over the years evolve to a very robust and powerful solution for the classroom. The MimioTeach Interactive Whiteboard from its inception is pure genius- simply affix the Mimio Bar to a whiteboard and within seconds you have an entire interactive whiteboard system at your disposal.

Not to date myself but when I was first introduced to the Mimio many years ago the big attraction was capturing ink from whiteboards when using dry erase markers- so you can see how quickly things have changed. Having the opportunity to try out the latest solution from Mimio- the MimioTeach Interactive Whiteboard was really exciting from the un-boxing to the point of actually using it in the classroom. The MimioTeach Interactive Whiteboard is now packaged in a beautifully designed high tech looking box which when opened reveals the newly designed white bow shaped MimioTeach bar. The MimioTeach is elegantly designed and has that high tech look we have come to expect from these type of products. On the MimioTeach itself there are two buttons and one Power/Status LED light, and on the left side of the bar is the docking station for the stylus which is firmly held in place with magnets that are inside the MimioTeach bar. The two buttons on the MimioTeach are designated for Calibration and Launching the tools and the Power/Status LED light on the front gives the user feedback that the bar is on and communicating  properly with the Mimio Hub, which plugs into the USB port on your computer which supports both Mac and Windows.

It is nice to see that a lot of thought has gone into the un-boxing experience and getting up and running. Once you open the box there is a ten step visual prompt on the inside of the box cover that moves you through the getting started process. From installing the MimioStudio software to doing a firmware upgrade on the MimioTeach bar the process was smooth and flawless. Following the visual steps was easy and straight forward and within minutes I was up and running. While I was familiar with MimioStudio and using the MimioTeach Interactive Whiteboard solution I wondered what it would be like for my students to use the system who were not familiar with the MimioTeach Interactive Whiteboard system. So during one of my summer classes that I teach, I decided to bring it in and have my students set it up and get it up and running.Using the visual set-up guide and the MimioStudio Guide, which I gave to my students, they were up and running without a hitch. Many of my students commented that they could not believe how easy it was to use the MimioStudio software and utilize right out of the box. My students found the software and using the stylus to be very straight forward and many of them were surprised at the cost effectiveness and the functionality as compared to standalone interactive whiteboards that are often installed in classrooms and cost thousands of dollars. My students enjoyed using the MimioStudio software and the vast array of pictures and interactive media in the Library to craft some quick pages in the notebook.  Teachers can also add MimioVote, MimioCapture and MimioView to round out this classroom offering. Having access to the MimioTeach Interactive Whiteboard gives teachers the flexibility to create interactive and engaging lessons that students of today expect from their teachers. Having access to the  MimioTeach Interactive Whiteboard gives teachers a great starting point that can grow with them as they need more functionality. Considering the austere budgets that schools have to work with the MimioTeach Interactive Whiteboard is a powerful and full featured classroom solution that is easy to install and use right out of the box. As I like to say, if you have a whiteboard in your classroom you are half way there to providing your students with an exciting and engaging interactive learning experience-now all you need to add is the MimioTeach Interactive Whiteboard.

Please look for another post about the MimioTeach Interactive Whiteboard and the MimioMobile app for the iPad coming soon!

Read More

NowBoard- New Interactive Whiteboard Tool from Learning Resources

Always on the look out for new tools for the classroom, I came across a new interactive tool called Now!Board, from Learning Resources. For years Learning Resources has been developing innovative and interactive tools for the classroom but this is their first foray into the interactive whiteboard space which has been defined by companies like Smarttech, Promethean, and Mimio. Each of the aforementioned companies, has garnered a fair share of the interactive whiteboard space by providing both high quality products and content that teachers could use right out of the box. Learning Resources appears to be going after the budget conscious school district that is looking to increase and jazz up classroom lessons without making a large capital investment. Now!Board is priced at $499 dollars and will work with both Windows and Mac's making it a great solution for school districts that are running both operating systems. Now!Board will work on any flat surface and is ideal for use with a traditional whiteboard or even on a screen.

It is hard to believe when you open the Now!Board box just how small the Now!Board device is, making it a truly portable solution that can be easily shared among classrooms. In the box, you receive the Now!Board software, the Now!Board camera, a USB cable, a Now!Board! Stylus and Wand, and a Quick Start User Guide. To get started I simply installed the software off of the CD and ran the Now!Board software and plugged in the Now!Board Camera. With my laptop connected to a data projector I was ready to experience using the Now!Board. In order to use the Now!Board it is recommended that it be placed about 12 inches behind the data projector. The next step required that I calibrate the Now!Board with the computer which was accomplished by clicking on 9 points on the wall that I was projecting onto. By following the prompts provided by the software,  I was able to calibrate the Now!Board quickly and I was ready to try it out. 


Since I was using Now!Board on a wall, I used the wand that was provided to interact with the Now!Board. Students must hold down the button on the wand to interact with the software which may be a challenge for some young students. For those teachers who are used to using interactive whiteboard software you should feel right at home with the software. It is important when using the Now!Board that the wand has line of sight with the Now!Board camera so that you do not block the signal. Once you get the hang of that you will find the software very responsive. It is easy to toggle between the whiteboard functionality and using the Now!Board to control your computer applications as well as annotating on top of them. It is easy to save what you have written using the Whiteboard tool and reopen it at a later date. Unfortunately you can not insert pictures, graphics or videos into the whiteboard tool which may be perceived as a short coming of the Now!Board software.

I decided to try the Now!Board while using the National Library of Virtual Manipulatives to see how well it would work on an interactive web site. I choose to use one of the base ten activities and found it rather easy to move the base ten blocks around the screen with the wand. I was also able to annotate the screen with the pen tool and change the color and width rather easily. I next tried a sequencing activity on the web site which worked rather well. The Now!Board palette which is available contains a number of useful tools when using the product. It has many of the tools we have come to expect when using an interactive whiteboard which can be accessed easily from the palette. Unlike other interactive whiteboards all of the objects are drawn with the pen tool and can be moved on the screen with the Scale Object tool. It would be nice if there was a way to draw basic shapes such as squares, circles, and triangles with this system. You will also find a Highlighting tool which can be used with the whiteboard or for annotating text on other applications or on the web. If you need to it is really a snap to take a screen shot of what you are working on which gets stored as a picture file on your computer.If the program requires text input you can bring up the On-screen keyboard from the Now!Board palette and use the stylus or the wand to type. 


Using the Whiteboard feature from the tools palette lets you use the stylus as if you were working on a whiteboard. This is where you can write down ideas and draw pictures that you want to use in your lessons. When you have filled up one screen it is easy to click on the plus button to add another blank screen to write upon. Teachers can navigate quickly form screen to screen when using the Whiteboard feature and will be glad to know that it is easy to jump around from screen to screen. It would be nice if there was some way to have a Thumbnail view so that a teacher could jump to a specific screen in the Whiteboard. For teachers who are looking for a cost effective way to add interactivity to their lesson and already have a whiteboard and a projector the Now!Board could be just what you are looking for. There are some factors to consider when purchasing the Now!Board which include that fact that if the Now!Board camera or projector gets bumped you will need to re-calibrate. Likewise, your computer will need to be in close proximity to the Now!board since you will need to connect it via a USB cable. The Now!Board can be used with ceiling mounted projectors which is always a better solution since there is one less piece of equipment that can be accidentally bumped. 



Overall I had a good experience using the Now!Board and it worked as advertised. For teachers and schools with a limited budget the Now!Board can bring a new level of interactivity into teacher lessons and make for a great learning center. With a price tag of $499 dollars the Now!Board is in reach of many teachers who may decide to pay out of pocket for it or apply for any number of schools and PTA grants. I for one am looking forward to showing more teachers this tool that they can quickly use in their classrooms' to spice up learning. Learning Resources has a grant opportunity that runs through May 22nd where they are giving away 3 Now!Boards to the top three applicants. Click here to find out more information about the grant and good luck! 

Read More