 In
January 2002, Priory Woods will take delivery of a second interactive
white board and LCD projector.
The equipment will be available for use in our classrooms from that
date. This short module details the process of setting up the LCD
projector and whiteboard to work with a classroom computer and covers
some of the safety issues you should be aware of when using this
technology with children. Interactive whiteboard technology is rapidly
becoming a 'must have' technology in schools. These 'Smart' boards
are revolutionising teaching across the curriculum, enriching and
enhancing lesson delivery by addressing the full range of learning
styles.
What
are Interactive Whiteboards?
Interactive
whiteboards (SMART boards) are in essence, large touch enabled screens,
very similar to the touch-screen we use with some of the children
and they work in a very similar way. The board is connected to a
computer by a cable, which reads signals generated by touching the
screen, converting them to mouse clicks. An LCD (Liquid Crystal
Display) projector is used to project the computer's display onto
the board. Calibrating the screen with the projected image enables
you to control the computer just by touching the board.
Connecting
the Hardware
In
order to use the SMART board, you first need to connect it to the
computer. The cable needs to be connected to both the COM (Communications)
port and the mouse port at the rear of the computer. Two connections
are needed as the SMART board communicates with the computer through
the COM port and draws power from the mouse port.
You
connect the cables as follows.
 Make
sure the computer is switched OFF! This is very important
as connecting them to a live computer could blow a small fuse
on the circuit board, which is expensive to repair. Locate
an available COM port at the rear of the computer (most computers
have at least two) and connect the cable, making sure to tighten
the small locking screws. Remove the mouse from the mouse
port and connect the cable. Now connect the mouse to the socket
on the Smart board cable. |
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Now
connect the other end of the cable to the SMART board taking
care not to damage the socket. Turn on the computer and press
DATA on the LCD projector. The computer will now go through
the normal boot up process. Log on the computer with the username
Teacher / password Teacher. You can now position the LCD projector
so that the display is sharp and covers as much of the board
as possible. |
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Loading
the Software.
From
the START button, choose PROGRAMS and locate SMART Board Software.
Click on SMART BOARD. The software will load and try to detect which
COM port the SMART board is connected to. If the SMART board has
been used on the computer before, this process will take only a
couple of seconds. If this is the first time you have connected
the SMART board to the computer then the process many take a few
minutes, while it identifies the board and saves the settings. Occasionally
this process can fail to detect the SMART board. This is invariably
due to the cables being incorrectly plugged in. If this happens
to you, try checking the cables before seeking help.
Before
using the board you must calibrate it with the image from the LCD
projector. To do this you need to select ORIENT from the floating
menu bar.
 You
will see this screen displayed on the board
In
order for the computer to know which area of the screen you are
touching, you must calibrate it with the image from the projector.
Select FINE (80 points) and click NEXT. You will see a grey screen
with a series of grey crosses like those on the right The white
arrow points to the cross you must touch in order to complete the
calibration process. Touch each point in turn with your finger,
making sure to touch the centre of each cross.
The computer is now creating a grid of points on the board, which
it can use to calculate the screen position whenever you touch the
board. Once all 80 points have been touched, the board is calibrated
and ready to use. If you make a mistake at any time during the process,
the computer will prompt you to return to a previous point. You
will need to use the mouse to do this. The board is now calibrated
and will operate as if you were using the mouse. You can load and
run any software simply by touching the icons with your finger.
SAFETY
ISSUES.
Please
be very careful when using the SMART board. It is easy for children
to trip over the cable, which runs from the board to the computer,
especially with the lights turned out.
Take
care too with the moving stand. The legs of the stand jut out quite
far from the board and children (or even you) could trip over them.
Care
should also be taken with the LCD projector. As with all projectors,
the bulb gets very hot and children can burn their fingers by touching
the lens.
It
is also worth noting that moving or banging the projector while
the bulb is lit can damage the bulb, which costs an astronomical
£550 to replace.
This
completes this module on setting up the SMART Board. Please record
this on your professional development record.
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to ICT Training Resources
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