How to set up a classroom data projector

This topic comes up time and again when talking to schools. It is also one of the most common problems with any interactive whiteboard setup. We have come up with a short guide that will make sure that you get the best out of you equipment.

Rule 1 Do not let the ceiling dictate where you place the projector! Even if there is a very handy looking mounting point, or a light fitting seems to be in the way, resist the urge to compromise. A small amount of extra effort will pay dividends over the life of the projector.

Rule 2 Position the projector as close as possible to the screen while still getting the picture size that you require. A very common fault of installers is to mount the projector too far back from the screen – this loses clarity and can make the image too big.

Rule 3 You seldom need an image bigger than 1.5 metre wide in a classroom.

Rule 4 Make sure that the whole image fits on your whiteboard! This may seem a basic requirement, but in our experience, many, many, installations leave the image bigger than the whiteboard. It is always better to make it fit clearly inside the whiteboard edges.

Rule 5 An interactive whiteboard is not interactive if the intended users can’t reach all parts of the image! Again, don’t compromise – move the whiteboard lower if necessary before fitting the projector. Many junior classes also use a simple step to let their shorter students reach the whole board. Once the board is in the right place you can position the projector – not the other way around.

Rule 6 The projector manufacturer’s mount is usually the most expensive. It is far more economical to purchase one of the many universal mounts available.

There you go! Follow these directions and you will be well on the way to a professional setup.

(This article was included in a recent newsletter published through our website. If you want to get help like this, and other useful tips and ideas, visit the site and subscribe - it's free and we guarantee you will find it useful. Newsletter subscription is halfway down the homepage on the right.

MINT Interactive whiteboard software

One of the many features of the MINT software that powers the uBoard system, is the built in media bank. It comes preloaded with nearly a thousand images all neatly categorised into folders such as 'Mathematics', 'Science', 'Music' , etc.


But the feature that we like the most is the ability to add our own collection of images, links, documents. This is possible because the software includes a folder called "My Room" which you can use to collect and organise your own content. It is particularly easy to add links to folders on your computer or server which allows a teacher to instantly access all school resources with a couple of clicks - very nice!

Great knowledge building software

It has been far too long since we posted! The whole team have been very busy with the launch of the uBoard interactive whiteboard system.

Todays post focuses on a website that we have mentioned before, but it's truly good enough to give another push. The site we are talking about is Purpose Games. The basic idea is that people create and play knowledge based games. What makes it so useful is that everytime you play a particular game you are competing with all the other people who have played that game as well - very motivating for students of all ages!

The games have been created by people who visit the site. The process is very simple and really all you need to know to create a game of your own is the specific knowledge that your game will require. The current most played games are both Geography focused - one challenges you to correctly mark the American States on a map and the other does the same with the countries in Europe - both games have been played over 1 million times!

The site is very helpfully organised into categories, or you can search for a topic that interests you or your class. A quick search for "New Zealand" found 53 games on this country alone.

The way we like to use it though is to get the students to write their own game using some knowledge that their teacher needs them to remember. They can, and will, become very motivated to set quick times and will imprint the facts without much effort.

MINT software functions

At a basic level, the MINT software allows you to write over the top of any images / programmes that you have running on your computer. The writing, and image it relates to, can be saved for later use - a major advantage of interactive whiteboards in general!

As a standard writing (annotating) tool, MINT is easy to use and intuitive for teachers and students. (It is worth mentioning that the pen itself is smaller than most competitors - around the size of a normal whiteboard pen - and better matches the size of students hands.) The screenshot shows 5 basic colour choices on the left with the option of a full colour palette below.

On the right are 6 size choices from 10pt to 200pt - because the pen is so good, you actually can take advantage of the smallest size for fine work.

The top row in the middle contains pen mode, highlighter mode, and ink mode. The middle row starts with rubber options(choose the size), then erase all, and finally a smart tool where you roughly draw a shape and the software makes it perfect (this is only active on Vista and Win 7 computers).

The bottom row starts with the coloured button that lets you switch between the MINT programme and simply having the pen operate as a mouse. The middle button expands the toolbar to show more functions, and the last button shuts down the programme.

(We have a fullcopy of the software manual under 'Support' on our website - http://www.3pinteract.co.nz/) .

Interactive resources for remedial learners

One type of teaching resources that have been gaining momentum are those aimed at supporting remedial learning, or students with specific learning difficulties. Two that we can recommend are the "STEPS" programme by Learning Staircase, and "Clicker 5" by Crik Software. STEPS is a very carefully constructed programme that systematically develops students core literacy skills. It is a New Zealand developed product that is gaining a lot of followers here and overseas. Clicker 5 is the latest version of the very successful Clicker series and is highly customisable to suit individuals' needs. Both lend themselves nicely to being used on an interactive whiteboard, and for some students, the larger size of the items to click is a very real advantage.

MINT interactive whiteboard software

The uBoard interactive whiteboard system comes with fully featured software called MINT.

(Any New Zealanders reading this will smile as "mint' is used colloquially to mean "very good" or excellent - an appropriate title we believe!)

We'll discuss some of the basic functions in the next couple of posts.

The first thing that you will see, once setup, is the floating toolbar. it can be repositioned by dragging it, or you can change it to a 'strip' type bar with the click of a button. The basic (unexpanded) toolbar gives you quick access to the excellent drawing tools that uBoard is becoming famous for. Our view is that the quality of the handwriting is the best available from any interactive whiteboard system.

Part 4 - some advantages of the uBoard interactive whiteboard system

The fourth reason that uBoard is the best value interactive whiteboard available is price.

As a launch special, we are marketing the usb version of uBoard for $799nzd ($612usd).
The wireless version is $899nzd ($689usd). Compare these prices to any other system that you can name and you will find that they are market leading.

Postage is a flat $20nzd within New Zealand, $40nzd Australia. If you want to see the actual rate for any other international destinations, simply go to www.3pinteract.co.nz and add a uBoard to the cart. You can check the postage before confirming the sale.

We are happy to negotiate bulk purchase deals and will certainly reduce the per unit freight costs.