WiiMote Interactive Whiteboard made easy

Dear Classroom members,

To answer a question from a member of this forum, I have done a little web research this past week on the Wii Mote conversion.

Well! It is quick, easy and inexpensive. And it appears to work smoothly and easily!

You'll need a projector, a flat wll surface or whiteboard, a Wiimote, a stand for the Wiimote, an infrared emitting pen, and a Bluetooth USB receiver.

Please review the following websites:

http://johnnylee.net

For videos, explanations, and free operational software.

www.wiiteachers.com

For infrared pens, and all the cheap add-ons to make this work.

I'm so impressed that I am convinced that the $1500 IWB market is really at risk. The cheapest IWB systems are $399.00 plus shipping($90.00) for closeout models.

A Wiimote will cost about $100.00

It won't be long before there is a commercial system available for $179.00 or so.

JJC

Tags: Educational, Wiimote, interactive, technology, whiteboards

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Permalink Reply by John J Caprice on September 17, 2010 at 10:38am

Hey Steve,

Certainly that is the benefit of a wireless tablet....BUT....what if the pen had all the electronics in side of it?
The wireless tablet is a pen/mouse interface, with a few short cut keys added in.

An interactive pen/mouse is indepedent of the tablet platform. It will function on any surface. It operates as any wireless mouse, but can write like a pen. At 1/4 the cost of a wireless tablet, there may be a market for this product. There are 3 million teachers out there!
After I test run a couple, I'll post an evaluation. They have to be reliable and work of course!
First: I hook them up without consulting the manual....Then, see how reliably they perform near the USB receiver, then increase the distance until they fai, usually about 30-40 feet.
Then the BIG TEST!.... STRUCTURAL STABILITY! I try to twist and yank one apart.
Finally....the drop test. Drop it from 3ft onto a variety of hard surfaces. (I always buy 2 or 3 samples...just in case) Well, if it is reliable, effective and durable, I have a winner. We'll see!

At this point there is no major company promoting these products, with the exception of AverMedia.
But thier product is rather expensive, though.
Thanks JJC

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Permalink Reply by Steve Dickie on September 17, 2010 at 11:50am

I see I misunderstood what you were talking about.

There still is an advantage to the tablet. The Tablet is mapped to my screen. That is to say the top right corner is the top right corner and the bottom left is the bottom left. This make it much easier to write/draw with.

When I set it up originally it worked like any other mouse and was far from ideal. But I don't know if it's worth $300-$400. I got a refurb for $100 and I wouldn't trade it for a smart board.

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Permalink Reply by John J Caprice on September 17, 2010 at 12:11pm

Hey Steve,

I've tested a few different brands and on two of them I have had to move the pen to the very edge of the tablet to reach the far low left hand corner of the screen.
Needless to say, one is in my garage, the other I gave back to the manufacturer.

I don't like to sell anything that is not fool proof....I am the "fool" when I test a product.
I'll be testing the Epson 450Wi Interactive projector in the next week or so....It looks good...But I'm not allowed to drop that baby!

JJC

PS: If you know of a teacher who could really use it....shoot me an email at
vised@optonline.net
I'll send it FREE....I need the space and I don't sell used equipment.

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Permalink Reply by Rich White on September 17, 2010 at 9:31am

And while your at is give our open source project a whirl on your new WiimoteWhiteboard - http://edusim3d.com .. a video I cut 2 1/2 years ago regarding the WiimoteWhiteboard is here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=thGWWa70JfY shows off our projects.

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Permalink Reply by John J Caprice on September 17, 2010 at 11:31am

Hey Rich!

Thanks! I'll download the sowtware and give it a ride.

What amazes me is that many Free or low cost IWB programs are easier to use and easier to understand than the proprietary IWB software programs that cost $300.00 for a license fee.

Thanks again...JJC