The EIAWB software is the answer and more specifically the interactive activities of the software and internet activities (graphics, sound, motion, interactive lessons, 3D, touch, feel, draw, drag and drop, solving skills etc)!!

Learners + diversity of tasks + centally located hub for many electronic devices and digital activities (as Kobus van Wyk stipulated) = EIAWB.

To project with a data projector connected to a ws / laptop onto a “plastic koki board” is the same as a using an 8mm or 16mm movie projector – you get passive absorbers, spoonfeeding motion, just sitting and “watch” and perhaps fall asleep, a oneway display, no active participation, etc. There are some credit that can be “awarded” towards this above-mentioned phrase, but the real beauty is the two-way communication with active participation together with skills and design abilities together with action to develop the learner’ “thinking, reading, listeing, reasoning” skills, but even more important the development of mobility skills. Hand-eye-coordination
is a very important motorised skill that can be strengthen by the EIAWB interactive activities.

Albie 8mm Camera 1971

I suppose I’m going against the grain, and certainly not supporting your initiative, but a number of principals have said to me that they are moving away from an IAWB in every classroom and rather going the route of a PC and DVP. This after trying the IAWB route for a couple of years. Their reasoning – not sufficient value attached to the cost of training the teacher and the outlay of up to R25,000 for the board.

Once again it’s a case of horses for courses – what works for one does not necessarily work for all.

I have done an very short concise “investigation” re EIAWB and the “unscientific results” are:

The interactive-whiteboard industry is expected to reach sales of $1 billion worldwide by 2008; ONE of every SEVEN classrooms in the world will feature an interactive whiteboard by 2011 according to market research by Futuresource Consulting.

[1] In 2004, 26% of British primary classrooms had interactive whiteboards.
[2] The Becta Harnessing Technology Schools Survey 2007 indicated that 98% of secondary and 100% of primary schools had IWBs
[3] By 2008 the average numbers of interactive whiteboards rose in both primary schools (18 compared with just over six in 2005, and eight in the 2007 survey) and secondary schools (38, compared with 18 in 2005 and 22 in 2007).

China is already using over 2,7 million interactive boards in their schools. In the UK, the government has installed IAWBs in every classroom. Research is showing that by the age of 10 pupils are on average 5,7 months ahead of those taught by the traditional chalk and talk teaching methods.

IAWB are installed in schools in every U.S. state, in each of the 25 largest school districts and in the majority of the top 500 school districts. Altogether 557,000 interactive whiteboards were shipped to the U.S.in 2008.

Mexico purchased 100,000 boards in their first order.

More than 2m interactive whiteboards are now installed worldwide.

SUMMARY: in the next five years the global installed base will reach more than 7m IAWB, which means that ONE in every FIVE classrooms worldwide will be equipped with an interactive whiteboard. Smart has installed over 1,3 million Smart Board interactive whiteboards in 175 countries, and more than 25 million students worldwide benefit from the product every day.

One of the leading South African experts in white board teaching has said that you can always tell a teacher who is using the methodology to the maximum effect as he or she will stand in the back of the class and the learners will group round the board.

WWW SOURCES:
Wikipedia
Independent Education
AMEInfo.com

I think that I might agree with horses for courses The value of the board lies in its use and the people using it. Many years ago the ATM was not a favourite with customers of banks. It was only after over-the-counter transactions became more expensive were people forced to use ATMs. Today people still draw money both via ATMs and over-the-counter. The customer finds value in what they are doing. Today internet banking is treated with the same sceptism. The IAwb use will only increase if people see its value. Otherś just won’t see it and use other or no technology. If one is comfortable with a data projector and laptop then so be it.

Albie, my nephew is at a good school in the midlands of England and not all classrooms at his school have an IAWB.