Smartboards allow students to get up and interact with their environment
- Physically engaging
- Encourages higher order thinking skills
- Improve motor skills
- Interacts with Web 2.0
- Reduces sage on the stage instruction
Johnny Chung Lee - The originator of the wiiboard
Josh made his own ir pen 2 years ago.
- could be good electronic class project but otherwise ...
Now there are commercial made ir pens available.
IR lights don't light up light an incandescent bulbs. Use a digital camera or video camera to see the light.
Penteractive.us is the least expensive option
Irpensonline for elementary - no clicking needed
Requires the .NET framework
Software
- Smoothboard.net - 30 dollars now but most full featured (does have free trial)
- Pentabulous is free
- Java whiteboard - only one for the mac
Installation
- Integrated blue tooth
- Connect the wiimote hold the player 1 and 2 buttons simultaneously
- Run the whiteboard software (when it's connected the player 1 button should light)
- Calibrate
- 70% or better Tracking utilization gives best accuracy
- Permanent mounting of wiimote is important
- You can to a doupble wiimote cross
- John used a camera tripod to mount the wiimote at the presentation and got a 52% accuracy
- Penteractive ceiling mount clips into drop ceiling rails ($30)
- Training the students is key (Whoa! there's a wiimote strapped the ceiling!)
- Threaded wiimote cover ($3)
Uses
- Google Earth was made for the this system
- Google SketchUp
- Review Games
- Protein Modeling
- Virtual Cell - Pearson
- Assessment and review
- Virtual Knee surgery
- Timeline Creation
- Concept Maps
Station activities make this system effective for encouraging student use
Assessment and Review
- Google Web quizzes and have students come up and answer collaboratively
Battery life varies on use
- The software monitors the wiimote battery life
- rechargables
- usb chargers
Mimeo works well with the wiiboard software
- several support networks for this
Resources
- wiimoteproject.com
