[ubuntu-uk] Fwd: [sf-uk-discuss] An 'open source manifesto' to counter the ICT cuts

[Rob Beard]

  On 22/07/2010 13:04, Alan Bell wrote:
> On 22/07/10 12:24, Gordon Burgess-Parker wrote:
>> On 22/07/10 12:22, pmgazz wrote:
>>> This is interesting - but last time I tried to work with a school 
>>> they were stuck with a preferred MS supplier by the LA and there was 
>>> also a problem with electronic whiteboard drivers for Ubuntu/Linux? 
>>> Obviously, this doesn't stop them from using FOSS on MS Win but I 
>>> wonder if anyone knows about driver availability for the whiteboards 
>>> now?
>>>
>>
>> Aren't whiteboards just big OCR devices?
> no, they are more like a touchscreen. They are a projector and you can 
> interact with it using a pen. You can make your own for not very much 
> with a projector, wii remote and IR emitting pen. It behaves like a 
> mouse or graphics tablet. Fancy ones have multi-colour pens and can do 
> multi-touch type things (you can actually track 4 IR dots with a 
> wiimote). The ones used in schools cost many thousands, but really it 
> is all in the software.
>
> Alan.

I had a look around a school recently, one that's just been re-built 
under that big initiative for new schools.  They explained rather than 
spending close to £2.5k on each classroom (60 in total, so around £150k) 
they opted for wireless graphics tablets which had a pen for writing 
with and could also be used as a substitute for a mouse.  They also used 
wireless keyboards with laptop style touch pads on them.  Total cost for 
each classroom was about £70 plus projector costs, so probably around 
£80,000 in savings.

I like the Wiimote idea though, more geeky :-)

Rob