Yah, it sure is alot to say. How about WRMTIWB? ;)
Anyway....
I first ran across Johnny Lee's wonderful videos over the summer (why did it take me so long to see them?!) and ever since I have been dying to try out the system. I use a Tablet PC (IBM x61) and a digital projector all day every day, but I would love to add in the ability to have my students (and myself at times) directly manipulate my projected computer screen (usually OneNote).
My department has agreed to pay for the needed parts so I went out and bought everything I think I need. You can read about what I ordered right here.
My questions for all of you are:
1) If you've used a WRMTIWB in your classroom, how did it go? What have you used it for? What do you like most about it? What do you like least?
2) What tips do you have for the initial setup?
3) What's one thing we should definitely do once we have everything setup?
Permalink Reply by Mike on November 26, 2008 at 8:11pm
My students put this wiki together about wiimote whiteboards and have presented at some professional development meetings. If you're looking for a project for your students, I'd have them put together their own infrared light pens. There are instructions for how to do it on the wiki. I recommend using uweschmidts software (it is cross-platform) over Johnny Lee's original. It is a lot easier to setup and requires less software to download.
Kudos to you and your students for this entire project. I really like the way that the students not only completed the projects but also spoke about their results and displayed them using web 2.0 tools. What happens at the professional development meetings when they present the results of their work. How do your colleagues react? How do the students feel after their presentations? I am so impressed with the idea that your students are not only learning about technology, they're learning about how they can change existing technology to make it useful for new purposes. (hmmm that might actually be dangerous...) It's not difficult to imagine that these students will one day be inventing and creating new electronic and other technology tools as science and engineering professionals...
Permalink Reply by Mike on November 29, 2008 at 1:41pm
Thanks for the shout out. I'll pass it along to my students. They have done a great job presenting and received very favorable responses. They are always wanting to do more. Right now we've moved on to some other things, but my students and I will likely be presenting (I just submitted a proposal) at a conference here in Nebraska in April. In the meantime, I'm working on a grant to get some more materials to make wiimote lights that we could give away to people at our presentations.
If you're interested in other student produced projects I've done with my students, check out Green Monkey Schools. Right now my newest group of 6th graders is working on Green Monkey Homes. It should be up in the next few weeks.
I actually watched your video last night in one of my late-night technology information binge overloads. I had not dug up your Classroom2.0 post though -- Thanks for pointing me in the right direction. I currently use a Tablet PC + OneNote pretty much all day every day and can't wait to add in direct board interaction. Fun fun :)
Permalink Reply by meL on December 11, 2008 at 11:13am
Last spring my husband bought me a Wii remote (we have no Wii...) and made a pen for me after hearing me talk about it. It took a few trial/errors to get the pen to work correctly, but now it does. I have a few teachers who are now using them in various schools. Our district is purchasing pre-made pens for teachers (they'll have to supply their own Wii remote). Mostly the teachers who use it do so for an inexpensive whiteboard. One is the computer repair (A+ certification) teacher and he built it just because. I found free tools to use with it that provide drawing tools. They aren't perfect, but they do provide the basics. I keep my Wii remote, a Bluetooth adapter and a USB drive with all my software in the case the Wii remote came in and I can carry my whiteboard anywhere (all our teachers have LCD projectors in their rooms). This is a link to a video I made of one of our Wii whiteboards: http://mrollosson.edublogs.org/files/2008/05/wiiwhiteboard.WMV
One of the most difficult things to set up is placement of the Wii remote to capture the entire projection area and get good tracking.
I have been using the wiiboard in my classroom since September. There have been some technical challenges and difficulties, but overall it has been a great addition. I will be presenting this technology at the Michigan Association of Computer Users in Learning conference this March.
My blog has some examples of lessons and activities that work well with the wiiboard.
Check out our series of free live workshops around the United States on the use of Web 2.0 technologies in education. Coming up: Sacramento, New York, and Boston. More details and information here.
More Information
Classroom 2.0 "Hosts"
CR 2.0 "hosts" are here to help with any questions you might have about the network. Please feel free to contact them directly from their linked profile pages:
To volunteer to be a CR 2.0 host/greeter, or if you have comments, please refer here.
Finding Interesting Discussions:
Forum posts can be organized by the use of "tags." To see discussions on specific topics, click on the links below.
Standardized tags you can use to have your posts included in the link results are shown in parentheses. You can also help by adding tags to others' posts. (To participate in the discussion on standardized tagging here at Classroom 2.0, see this page.)
By Tool:
Click on flag to open new window in your language. For different language close window and repeat. Signing in reverts site to English. Code at Translated.
Forum posts can be organized by the use of "tags." To see discussions on specific topics, click on the links below. Standardized tags you can use to have your posts included in the link results are shown in parentheses.
(To participate in the discussion on standardized tagging here at Classroom 2.0, see this post.)