26-01-07_1039.jpgOriginally uploaded by langwitches.

At the FETC exhibition hall one of the gadgets cought my eye:

The eBeam Whiteboard.

This is what I was able to find out from the vendors on the floor:

• Two versions: USB or bluetooth connection
• Price: around $800 and $1300 respectively
• Equipment needed to use with the eBeam:
• Computer or laptop
• Projector
• Dry Erase Board

The eBeam gets connected to the computer (USB or bluetooth), then gets attached with a suction buttons to one upper corner of the dry erase board. Projector gets turned on and you are off to use the provided stylus pen to directly write on your dry erase board electronically. Whatever you are writing will show up on your computer screen .

Attach the eBeam receiver to any flat surface, aim your projector and away you go. The entire system weighs less than a pound and can be set-up and calibrated by anyone in a matter of minutes. The three included mounting brackets give you the flexibility to mount it on just about any surface, so you can have an interactive whiteboard wherever you go.

One very interesting feature that the vendor told me about was that the eBeam has the capability of allowing access to anyone else with an Internet connection (at another laptop at the school or a homebound or vacationing student). The only thing that they would need is to download their (free) software and they would be able to connect live to your whiteboard.

eBeam Projection includes FREE content sharing and collaboration features so you don’t need to spend money on paid services from third party sources - all you need is an Internet connection and eBeam Scrapbook. Scrapbook is a great place to gather ideas, build lessons, record brainstorms, share documents, etc. Anything that you import into it can be shared online in real-time, including notes, drawings, PowerPoint Slides, and digital photos.

Scrapbook is included in the eBeam Interact software package, which can be downloaded for free from this website, so colleagues and students can join sessions from their own computers anywhere in the world regardless if they have a Mac or a PC. From distance learning to remote brainstorming to cross-platform sharing, eBeam has you connected.

It looks like this could be a real alternative to installing expensive whiteboards in the classroom. Not only because of the price but also because of its mobility. Once a whiteboard is installed on a classroom wall, you can’t move , unless it is a board on wheels. With such a little device such as the eBeam, that weighs less than a pound, it would be easy to use it as a portable unit t be shared among classrooms.
How about a cart equipped with laptop, projector, and eBeam that can be taken into the classroom of a teacher who is working on a project?

The vendors also showed the software that included: protractors, rulers, markers, different backgrounds, etc.

Posted: 26. January, 2007 at 10:41 am. Filed under: Uncategorized.
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