I was absolutely THRILLED a few years ago when my principal surprised me with an IWB. Being the Campus Technologist, it was assumed that I would train other teachers how to use the board and then it was to be shared among the teachers in my school. I have magnetic whiteboards complete with pre-lined staves lining two complete walls in my classroom. As a result, I do not need the portable Wenger music whiteboard I have in my room, so we had the maintenance department mount the whiteboard onto the rolling Wenger board unit. I did my part offering trainings, but...the board lives in my classroom and...of the six teachers or so who attended the training in my classroom, not one has ever requested to use the board. As a result, the board became "mine."
The brand purchased was a Polyvision Eno board. Now...let me explain what this is. Essentially, it is a regular, magnetic whiteboard that you find almost anywhere. The difference is that 1) it has this magnetic strip (for operating the board) that you place on the side of the board. 2) it has a Bluetooth pen and receiver that allows you to control what is happening on the computer from the board (as well as write, print, type, and a few other things).
The magnetic strip on the side of the Eno board.
My problems began three quarters of the way through the first year that I had it. I keep a laptop computer, document camera, speakers, and projector on a cart in my room. Apparently that little Bluetooth receiver sticking out of the side of the computer (looks a lot like a USB drive) was just too tempting for one pair of young hands. I was in a panic when it disappeared but was able to purchase a new one. Well, actually two. I knew the purchase process via school would take several weeks and I was about to be observed by someone traveling hundreds of miles regarding my use of technology in the music room - this board HAD TO work the next week! So I bought one myself, but I allowed the school to go ahead and purchase one too - never hurts to have a back-up, especially when the operation of the board is dependent on the operation of this little receiver.
The next problem was at the end of that school year. I had developed many lessons that incorporated the board throughout the year and was using it to review with a very enthusiastic group of third graders. After a student had taken his turn at the board, he went to hand the Bluetooth pen back to me, but missed and dropped the pen on the floor. One would ordinarily assume this would not be a big deal. After all, these boards are meant for student use, right? My classroom is carpeted - again, another reason to not be alarmed by the falling pen. After retrieving it, it refused to work. Since it was the end of the school year I packed it away and said, "I'll deal with it next year."
At the beginning of the year after employing the use of three bloodhounds, a forensic specialist, the entire CSI team from television, and four members of the president's Secret Service detail, I found out how to obtain warranty service on my board (okay, so I didn't call all of those people, but it was that bad trying to find out how to get this taken care of). After the nice person from the company had tried everything short of me redesigning the circuit board inside my computer, I successfully convinced him that, "The thing done broke." Imagine my dismay when he said, "I have good news and I have bad news...the bad news is: your warranty ran out two weeks ago..." (nice, during the very time I was employing all those sleuths to find out how to take care of this) "...but, I am extending your warranty and sending you a new pen." YAY! The pen arrived quickly (a better design - imagine that) and I was in business for another year.
As another year of IWB-ing away came to a close, the pen, once again, began to fail. One has to be suspicious. The first pen came with several "replacement tips." I couldn't figure out why one would need these. The second did not have these, but I saved all the components from the original before sending it to its grave in my school trash can. As I started this year, I tried replacing the tip, changing the battery to a fresh one, reinstalling the pen, etc. As with the first - nothin'. I also knew that even though this was a "new" pen, the warranty was only good from the purchase of the original pen, so getting the company to fork over a new one was not possible. Also, buying my own was out of the question. A replacement kit? $230 Sorry, love my job, love my school, love my students - but forking over $230 for a pen that I can safely assume is going to fail after one year is just not in the cards.
The Polyvision Eno pen kit.
Last school year, the entire special education department in my school district had spared no expense ramping up technology for special education students. Included in that effort, they purchased SMART Boards for every special education teacher. This wasn't your low-end SMART Board either. These were the whole deal - board, projector, speakers, rolling stand - the whole nine. I went on a research quest to my special education colleagues to find out 1) where they bought these 2) how much they cost and 3) what all the components would be that I would need to purchase. My scheming mind was thinking "I am going on a crusade to get donations from any or all of my better-off friends to get one of these for MY classroom!" I would use Donorschoose.org, barbeque plate fund raisers, or whatever I would need to do to raise the funds needed to land one of these things in my classroom.
While on my fact-finding journey, I discovered from one of my colleagues that there was an alternative solution. You see, this particular classroom had a Mimio XI prior to having the SMART Board. She told me, "We obviously don't need the Mimio any more. I turned it into the library last year. Here, I have the pen right here..." If I could insert angel choirs here in my blog, I would.
I located the Mimio in the library and immediately set it up. BINGO! It works beautifully AND the pen that is meant to work with the Mimio is much, MUCH sturdier.
The Mimio pen.
For those not familiar with the Mimio, it is a device you attach to the side of your existing whiteboard. It reads where the pen is thus allowing your projected computer to be operated on the board just like other IWBs. It's incredibly easy to set up (install the software, turn it on, push a button, tap the "targets" that appear on the screen - DONE!)
The Mimio installed in its new home on my whiteboard.
It comes with tools that allow you to operate it like other IWBs (draw, save screens, etc.). I just did a quick Google search and found one for $611. That's a LOT cheaper than any other type of board! There is bad news though - when you purchase one, you are purchasing the wired version. There is a "wireless kit" available for an additional $250. Personally, I would never use the wired version (the special education teacher gave me her wireless setup along with the pen). Using the wired setup means you have to run a wire from your Mimio to your computer (which is, most likely, near your projector). This means you have to have a cable running across your classroom in front of the board that goes all the way to the area from which you are projecting (unless, of course, you're fortunate enough to have a ceiling-mounted projector - then this does not apply). MAJOR tripping hazard in an elementary classroom! The unit has the ability to run on 4 AA batteries, which is an option that I am, of course, using.
Naturally, this free option suited me best, but if you're in the market for a more-affordable solution to getting an IWB into your classroom, this may be worth looking into for you. Additionally, I have discovered that locating an actual PRICE for a SMART Board is nearly impossible. There are obviously many options, models, etc. to look for (the stand is extra, some don't include the projector) I think the only thing kept a better secret would be the nuclear launch codes. If you have a good place that has straight-forward pricing, please leave the information in the comment section.
Until next week...
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