We’ve been using them for a while now. Currently with our science and social studies teachers through our eett program. From what we hear from the teachers they love them and wouldn’t want to use their laptops without them. The Schoolpad unteathers (is that a word) them from their laptop leaving them free to move about the classroom while still controling their laptop connected to their projector. It has a nice suite of tools that work well with the pad too.

The tricky thing is about coordination. Unlike a tablet PC, you don’t see anything in particular on the surface where you are writing. So you have to look at the screen (projected or not) and move your hand on the tablet. It takes a fair bit of practice to get the coordination correct, and we advise teachers to play with it for a few hours before trying to use it in class - otherwise it can get frustrating with an audience. Not everybody has been willing to make this time investment.

However, once that barrier is past, teachers who have pretty fluent control over the pad have some good things to say about it. A few of them have really adopted it into their classroom and use it pretty much daily.

Personally, I am at an beginning/intermediate stage with it. I have pretty good control that gets better as I go, but I still spend enough of my focus trying to get the mouse cursor to go… right… there…. and… double… tap that I can’t focus on what I am saying so well. I have used it with students a little, but not beyond the “this is weird” point. I don’t use it very often.

Yes, it works with handwriting recognition systems, especially if your handwriting is better than mine.

Although they advertise that up to seven tablets can be connected in one classroom, only one is “hot” at a time, and switching is reasonable but not fluid. As far as I know, we have never used more than one at once, except in a training session.

Also: In addition to Interwrite and SMART, the Promethean board system also comes with a similar tablet.