Interactive whiteboards

So I have not dome any research lately and Megan has placed links to related resources on the ELPC blog. Part of me thinks I should feel bad as its free information when its needed, but I didn't plan it to be this way, so I won't feel bad about it.

An interactive whiteboard ... What next?
http://www.eqa.edu.au/site/aninteractivewhiteboardwhatnext.html
Penny Ryder (a local even!) gives a list of tips on using IWBs in a classroom. Amusingly "turn it on at the start of the day" is the first on the list, however I do understand that people not brought up on a diet of technology may not think about that. There is a central theme to the tips of being interactive with students, through showing them how to use pieces of software, letting them use it and using it for more than just a whiteboard. She also brings up the common theme of ICT, making sure the tool you are currently using is the right one for the task at hand.

INTERACTIVE WHITEBOARDS IN THE CLASSROOM
http://www.fsdb.k12.fl.us/rmc/tutorials/whiteboards.html
This site gives a basic overview of what IWBs can be used for. However, the entries are jobs that can be done by a whiteboard or digital projector on their own and do not require the blend of technologies. What this site does have which is useful are pictures of several different brands of IWBs. What's the technical difference between a SMARTBoard and a eBeam? I'm not sure but they sure look different in the pictures.

FlossEd.org Affordable Wii Presentation
http://flossed.org/node/92?q=node/92
An interesting IWB where the pointing detection system is a WiiMote and an infrared pen. The WiiMote is connected to a computer via Bluetooth and Open Source drivers convert the WiiMote's signal into a cursor position. The WiiMote is fixed with respect to the screen and the IR pen provides the pointing mechanism on the screen (the WiiMote determines its own location with respect to the IR dot). I had heard of the drivers two years ago, however I never thought of using them for this sort of technology.
It is a cheap and affordable option, if you already have the digital projector.

Interactive Whiteboards-Sage On The Stage?
http://web20classroom.blogspot.com/2010/01/interactive-whiteboards-sage-on-stage.html
In this blog post Steven Andersen brings up the very valid point that IWBs are "teacher-centered devices" in that the teacher develops the materials that displayed. When students are interacting with the IWB it is only one student at a time while they do what they wanted to do and then they sit down again. The IWB on its own does not make the classroom interactive. Sue Anderson comments that the IWB should not be the only instructional method used in the classroom.