Using uBoard for a Presentation

The uBoard interactive system comes with its own fully featured software called MINT Interactive.
It has all the usual tools and capabilities that you would expect in any modern interactive whiteboard system, but some users may not be aware that it gives you the ability to run engaging presentations very easily indeed.

If you already have a presentation created, you can simply open it in MINT and then you have the power to use the pen and tools to make your presentation very interactive and interesting. For example, you may have a slide show made using PDFs (yes,you can do this!). Imagine how much more engaging it would be if you could interact with your audience by highlighting key points, drawing connections on the slides, or magnifying sections that need emphasis - well, with MINT you can!

It is as simple as starting MINT, clicking on "Open", navigating to your file then selecting import.
The software brings it into MINT automatically and you can then use the full range of tools.

At the end of the presentation, you can discard all the annotation, or save it to show another audience. Very handy indeed!

Charging your Wireless uBoard

The best thing about the wireless uBoard is that it is super portable and takes almost no space when in action. However, like all wireless devices from ipads to laptops, it has to be charged to work.

The uBoard manufacturers have been pretty smart in the way they have set this up.
Firstly the pen: it plugs into any live usb port or usb charger and takes approximately an hour to fully charge. This is very good when you realise that it will then run for up to 8 hours continuously before needing a top up. Eight hours continuous use translates to several days of steady use!
While charging, the end of the pen glows red until it is completely full - very handy.

The receiver unit: this is the part that sticks to your whiteboard. It also charges through a live usb port. A full charge takes approximately 1.5 hours and will give up to 10 hours continuous use. You will need to recharge about once per week in normal useage. While charging, a small red light shows on the bottom of the case. When in use, if the charge level gets below 20% a small blue light starts to flash quickly indicating that you need to recharge.

Setting up your new uBoard - part 1

All new pieces of technology have a learning curve to getting the best out of them. uBoard is no different and it pays to have a clear idea of what you are trying to do before beginning.
This short video shows the setup of a usb uBoard (the wireless uBoard is the same except there is obviously no usb cable between your computer and the receiver unit on the whiteboard).

Keeping up to date - MINT software updates

One of the great things about uBoards is that the makers are constantly refining and adding features to their software. The latest version is 4.2.1.0101 You can check whether you are up to date by clicking on the MINT Control icon on your desktop. If you see a different version you should click on the "Update" button while connected to the internet.
Once the updates are downloaded, you can select the "Release notes" tab to see what new functions have been added.

Some of the recent updates include:

• Being able to assign functions to the pen buttons.
• Chinese language now supported.
• You can turn off the 'hover' on the cursor.
• Better calibration.
• Web cams are now supported.
• Etc.

New Product added to uBoard range

We are pleased to be able to tell you that there is now another uBoard interactive whiteboard option called uBoard Lite.
This version is extremely good value and we are retailing it at $595nzd ($497usd).

A quick comparison to the wireless uBoard:

uBoard Lite
$595
Connected by usb
No buttons on receiver
Software on CD
uBoard Wireless
$885
Wireless connection
5 function buttons on receiver
Software on usb dongle

So the main differences are that uBoard Lite connects to your computer by usb cable (rather than wirelessly) and is significantly less expensive. Both systems use the same MINT software and have equal functionality. Contact us if you want a quote or more details. 3pi@3pinteract.co.nz

Keeping your interactive whiteboard interactive - Part 2

So what if you teach seniors, or in fact you have to "make do' with a traditional whiteboard that is fixed and cannot be easily moved? Well, the secret to making it interactive is just the same - you have to enable the users to easily reach all corners of the projected image. We always recommend that the image size is less than 1.5m wide for a normal classroom, as that allows everyone to see, but keeps the picture sharp and accessible. Unfortunately, even at this size, many students simply cannot reach the top corners of the image. Well the solution is very simple - give them something to stand on! For want of a better word, we will call the item a 'step'. You need to keep the step just deep enough for board users to feel comfortable on, but no more, as if they stick out from the board too much, they will be in the way. The height of the step surface will depend on the height of the students but around 150mm (6 inches) is often about right. The actual construction is very simple. A piece of mdf board with 150mm spacers undeneath is both inexpensive and simple to build. If your property personal can't make them, a handy parent, woodwork teacher, or a friendly builder, can knock them up in no time.

If you wish, you can even buy commercially made examples (see below).

Keeping your interactive whiteboard interactive!

This post relates to a couple of earlier ones giving advice on how to install your data projector. See here. A lot of teachers receive an interactive whiteboard setup without really having a clear vision about how it can be used with their students. It can simply end up as an expensive way of doing the same type of 'chalk and talk' teaching that could be done on a standard board. If you want to give your students the full benefit of the possibilities of an interactive board, you need to make sure that they can physically access it. The earlier posts about mounting the data projector talk about putting the image at an accessible height and making sure that it is not too big. The actual optimal positioning depends on the age of your students and the type of teaching you plan to do. We think there are two main setups for school aged students.

Small group setup: How do teachers of early school age students teach? Well, they don't sit them all at desks a long way from the teacher and lecture them! They generally have them sitting on the floor in small groups, close to the action. Having a large, fixed board a metre from the floor, is probably not a useful solution. A much better, more interactive option, would be to have large LCD screen (cheaper than a projector in many cases), mounted down low where the students can both see it and reach all points of the screen. A uBoard unit, which is only 20cm long and slim, mounted to a 40" LCD TV may be an inexpensive and very effective solution. In practice, schools who use this setup may want to fit a thin sheet of clear acrylic over the screen to protect it from enthusiastic little hands. We'll cover the second main setup type in our next post