Mat Cooper, a 5th grade teacher at Lakeview Elementary School in Yukon, Oklahoma, made his own interactive whiteboard with $60 of supplies including a Wii Remote ($40), a $17 infrared pen he ordered online, and a demo license of Smoothboard software . Earlier this week, I recorded a 3 minute video of Matt demonstrating and explaining how he did this in his classroom. I first met Matt in June during our STEM Seeds Professional Development Camp. He’s a very sharp guy! (And not YET on Twitter, in case you were wondering…)
For more information, directions, and ordering details for both the required infrared pen and Wii remote, visit WiiTeachers.com. The website includes a link for a discounted version of Smoothboard software also.
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This is very cool! Do you know if it will work with a short throw projector? The kind is mounted about 3-4 ft. From the white board?
I do not know for sure but I’m guessing it won’t. The Wii acts as a scanner to “look” for the infrared pen, and it wouldn’t have a very big “field of view” if it’s located just 3-4 feet from a board. That’s just my guess, however.
Hi! I am the developer of Smoothboard. Thanks for the share!
The Wiimote’s field of view is indeed narrow and thus you may not be able to place the Wiimote near the board next to the short throw projector. However, it is still possible to use it by placing the Wiimote further away from the screen. It can also be placed on a table facing the screen.