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 * Interactive Displays: When Big Screens Empower Small Children** by Warren Buckleitner

When does a finger become a mouse? Increasingly, more early childhood teachers are discovering the joy of gathering a group of young children around an interactive display.

INTERACTIVE WHITE BOARDS This year at the NECC (National Educational Computing Conference) I noticed three companies offering interactive white boards, each costing around $2500 each, not counting a computer. Note that these devices have three distinct parts -- a projector (mounted on a boom), a touch sensive surface, and software drivers for Macintosh or Windows computers. Before you consider one of these devices, you should first check your hardware requirements.

1. 3M Digital Wall Display (www.3m.com/meetings) uses cameras to track the X/Y coordinates of your finger or marker movements, which can be translated to your computer screen. You can also display any software or website with this device.

2. Activboard (www.prometheanworld.com) is a lot like the SMART board. Promethean is also selling student response systems and specialized software that is especially designed for interactive white boards.

3. SMART Board (www.smarttech.com) Drawbacks include: a) can take time to warm up (and cool down) b) there can be shadows on the screen, which can block the graphics. Note that back mounting is also possible, which eleminates the shadows, but this can take up a corner of the room. c) There may be a very slight delay in the responsivity of the screen. This can depend on the speed of the computer used, and the software application running. For example, with the SMART board, only one marker can be used at once. d) computer projectors use a lot of power and replacing bulbs can be expensive. e) Installing one of these white boards requires an experienced installer. f) The price does not counting the computer. Each uses a bright, close-range projector that mounts above a white-board surface on a short boom. Depending on the software, children can touch the words on an ebook to hear them read aloud, or finger-paint with a program like Kid Pix. But children can fidget while the projector warms up and special drivers must be installed on the computer first.

LCD TOUCH SCREENS A more attractive solution may be standard LCD or plasma screens – of the variety filling more living rooms – that can be retrofitted with clear, touch overlays to substitute finger motions for standard mouse inputs. The Smart Board Interactive Display (www.smartech.com) and Keytec’s Magic Touch system (www.magictouch.com) are examples of these. Not only do they work with standard screens, but the shadow-free images turn on instantly and use less power. While they are also pricey – about $2000 (not counting the screen), the idea of mess-free finger painting is priceless.