Microsoft Onenote

The great 'unused' tool in the Microsoft Office suite is Onenote. It is fantastic for organising your lessons/notes/media/ etc/ into orderly, easy to retrieve files. It is just great as an interactive whiteboard resource because it comes with comprehensive built in annotation tools with easy to navigate tabs.

A feature that has proven very useful to many teachers is the built in range of background lines/grids that can be displayed. To access them, go to Format - Rule Lines, then choose.

(Advanced users can create their own templates with any background they like - useful if you have a specialist subject.)

3pi IR pen and MS OneNote

Microsoft OneNote is another product that works perfectly with the 3pi IR pen and wiimote. For people new to MS OneNote check out the information at http://blogs.msdn.com/onenote_and_education/archive/2008/07/07/new-onenote-resources-for-teachers-come-git-em-while-they-re-hot.aspx . Here it gives plenty of fine examples of how you can use OneNote in a classroom setting.

Essentially OneNote is a very clever multi-dimensional flipchart like programme. Teachers can organise their lessons extrememly effectively by using the programme to display their learning intentions. The use of the wiimote and 3Pi IR pen further adds to the experience. Teachers and students can work together to manipulate images, make links to websites and other documents and basically share in the learning experience.

New Zealand schools receive this software free as part of their Microsoft Agreements. This software actually works very much like the software that arrives with the fancy $5,000 Interactive Whiteboards. Why would you need to spend that amount of money on an interactive experience when it's simply at your fingertips for a fraction of the price?