--- Forwarded Message from 15.5 --- From: Muzaffer Ozcelik <[log in to unmask]> Date: Wed, 6 Oct 2010 13:33:09 -0400 Subject: Re: #9492.4 Interactive White Board Recommendations To: Language Learning and Technology International Information Forum <[log in to unmask]> Barbara, I would like to add a couple of more points to the others' comments. We currently have a 3M Interactive Whiteboard in the LLRC at Stony Brook. We compared different models before we purchased it about three years ago,. Smartboard was more popular and geared more towards education whereas the others were designed for general use back then. Smartboard had more educational templates, images, animations and so on. Also, there were tons of sample lesson plans available online designed for Smartboard, most of them based on its Notebook software. However, the main reason why we went for 3M interactive instead was because 3M had a durable porcelain whiteboard SURFACE. Smartboard had a touch sensitive surface. In other words, writing on Smartboard with a dry-erase marker by accident might damage its sensitivity. The 3M board, on the other hand, could be used as a regular whiteboard as its surface was not touch sensitive.(You are to use a special pen, a stylus, that is responding to the infrared light projected on the board's surface.) This was important for us because the board would be placed in one of our heavily used classrooms within the center. We did not want to lose this expensive equipment due to minor mishap as, we knew, sooner or later someone would accidently write on it, or try to post a flyer on it using a push-pin. (This is exactly what happened to a Smartboard in another department on campus.) Another important consideration was the vendor SUPPORT, tech support. We found the local 3M sales team to be more cooperative in that sense. They provided us a generous warranty, promised an unlimited, prompt training and parts support. It was important at the time because, as far as I know, the LLRC was the one of the first departments to get an interactive whiteboard on campus. Yes, we definitely used their support and they gracefully kept their promises. I should say that the 3M model that we have is not the most user-friendly one in the market. Its projector flickers sometimes. There has been technical glitches with updating its software. 3M is a huge company so this is not their main specialty. They have a limited image gallery. If you lose the stylus, you cannot use the board. Other than that, it does everything a Smartboard does. So, it all depends on where you are going to keep it, who is going to use it and what kind of support would be available for the users? I see Smartboard is now more commonly used on campus and in other schools around here. If I were not worried about the sensitive surface and the support, I would have also gone for Smartboard. People like what they are most familiar with. When the users see that our interactive whiteboard is not a "Smartboard" they tend to get more intimidated. Best, Muzaffer ________________________________ Muzaffer Ozcelik, Director Language Learning and Research Center N5007 Melville Library Stony Brook University Stony Brook, NY 11794-3381 Tel: (631) 632-6914 Fax: (631) 632-1107 www.stonybrook.edu/llrc *********************************************** LLTI is a service of IALLT, the International Association for Language Learning (http://iallt.org/), and The Consortium for Language Teaching and Learning (http://www.languageconsortium.org/). Join IALLT at http://iallt.org. Subscribe, unsubscribe, search the archives at http://listserv.dartmouth.edu/scripts/wa.exe?A0=LLTI Anthony Helm, LLTI-Editor ([log in to unmask]) ***********************************************