Interactive White Board Technology

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Interactive White Board Technology

• AKA A shameless plug for the fine people at
  Smart Technologies

Mel Trotier
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Technology History

• Smart introduced the first interactive white
  board in 1991.
• Early markets were focused on those using
  distance learning such as education and
  government groups.
• An early partnership with Intel secured the
  companys financial and market future.

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Electronic White Boards V. Smart

• Electronic whiteboards capture what you write
  using specially designed stylus handles that
  contain dry erase markers. You can then save your
  notes to a computer file. There is essentially no
  interactivity.
• Interactive whiteboards display your computer
  desktop allowing users to interact with
  applications as well as make notes, etc. that can
  be saved alone or imbedded in other files.

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How they work/hardware/software

• The product hardware is relatively simple a
  projector, a computer and a Smart Board screen.
• The typical Smart Board also has four stylus, an
  eraser and an on-screen keyboard function.

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What it does

• The interactive screen acts as a computer
  monitor, displaying images in large scale via a
  projector.

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Electromagnetic Interactivity

• Boards employing electromagnetic technology are
  made by
• sandwiching a sensing grid and core material such
  as foam
• between two nonflexible plastic sheets. The
  sensing grid
• registers contact with the boards surface via an
  electronic
• pen or a pen containing a magnetic coil. All
  communication
• occurs between the special pen and surface alone,
  i.e.,
• fingers and other devices do not work.

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Resistive Technology Interactivity

• Boards incorporating resistive technology are
  made with
• a flexible plastic front sheet and a hard
  backboard. The
• resistive sides of each are separated by a tiny
  air gap about
• the thickness of two human hairs. Pressure
  applied to the
• surface of the front sheet closes the gap,
  registering a
• contact point that is converted from an analog
  signal to a
• serial data stream and then sent to a computer
  for further
• processing. This technology can process contact
  from a
• finger, plastic pen or any device.

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Flat screen models

• Allows users to interface via a flat screen or
  plasma television
• DViT technology lets you use your finger as a
  mouse and write on the screen without special
  tools or reduction in image quality. DViT
  technology uses cameras to track contact on the
  screen.

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• The user can interact with the screen by using
  their finger as the mouse, dragging and tapping
  (clicking) as on a computer screen.

• There are also stylus that allow the user to
  write on the screen. These drawings can be
  saved as part of the document or discarded on
  exiting the program.

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Front Projection Screens

• The Smartboard 660 is a model used frequently. It
  comes with the most standard features.
• Board cost 1,599
• Projector cost 2,999 for an Epson projector.
  Costs vary by lumens and portability.
• Ironically, the projector is the most expensive
  piece.
• Rear projection model 2000i can cost 10,999 and
  up.

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The Airliner

• The Airliner is a wireless tablet that allows the
  same interactivity as a Smartboard, but from a
  distance of up to 52 feet. Multiple tablets can
  be used at the same time, even while using the
  Smartboard!
• An Airliner will only cost 699.

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Questions

• What is the major difference between an
  interactive and an electronic white board?
• What are the major hardware components of a
  Smartboard system?
• Name two ways a user can interact with the white
  board.
• What is the major difference between
  electromagnetic and resistive interfaces?
• What is DViT and how does it allow interactivity
  with a flat or plasma screen?
• All sources from www.smarttech.com