Promethean Offers U.S. Educators Free CD-ROM Guide to Selection and Use of Interactive, Electronic Whiteboards

ATLANTA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 26, 2004--

Produced by the University of Hull in the U.K., "The Good Guide to Interactive Whiteboards" Provides Objective Information Based on Comprehensive Study

“The use of electronic whiteboards is quite prevalent in U.K. schools and this guide does, indeed, offer valuable lessons on how teachers can use them to capture and engage students' attention to facilitate true collaboration”

A comprehensive guide to the purchase and implementation of electronic whiteboards in K-12 schools is being made available, for free, to U.S. educators by Promethean Inc., supplier of the ACTIVboard Collaborative Classroom System.

"The Good Guide to Interactive Whiteboards" CD-ROM provides advice on all aspects of using whiteboards and is based on the monitoring of more than 200 lessons in schools across the United Kingdom. The CD is a direct result of a research grant awarded by the U.K.'s National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts (NESTA), the guide was produced by the REVIEW Project (Research and Evaluation of Interactive, Electronic Whiteboards) based at the University of Hull. TDS Promethean, an international leader in the development of interactive whiteboard systems, is a member of the independent research project consortium and together with NESTA and Hull University provided sponsorship funding for the REVIEW project.

Educators can request the free CD-ROM at http://www.activboard.com/goodguide.

According to Steve Brazier, Promethean's executive vice president for the U.S. market, the REVIEW project was endowed to study how whiteboards are used, and to provide sound, unbiased and practical information to the greater education community. "The use of electronic whiteboards is quite prevalent in U.K. schools and this guide does, indeed, offer valuable lessons on how teachers can use them to capture and engage students' attention to facilitate true collaboration," said Brazier. "With thousands of ACTIVboard's now in place in schools across the United States, we thought educators here could benefit from this information as well, which is why we are making the CD-ROM available for the asking."

For "The Good Guide" CD-ROM, the REVIEW project monitored classes covering all subject areas and grade levels from pre-K to higher education. The CD consists of eight main sections:

-- "Introduction" identifies different types of electronic whiteboards, as well as tips on installation and maintenance.

-- "Classroom Organization" contains guidelines for making whiteboards visible and accessible, such as the use of seating arrangements and peripheral devices.

-- "Teaching and Learning" provides specific techniques for interactivity and gives guidance on how interactive features can be incorporated into each phase of a lesson, from the presentation of a new concept to student practice sessions.

-- "Organizing Your Computer" includes techniques for managing and transferring files, Internet access, working with a school network and creating a resource bank.

-- "Resources for Your Whiteboard" provides tips on obtaining and using software, online resources and peripheral devices, as well as sharing these resources.

-- "Inclusion" deals with using electronic whiteboards for special education.

-- "Top Tips!" provides the best practical ideas, hints and tips from teachers.

In each section, users can access downloadable online help sheets that expand on the CD's topics and sub-topics. The CD also includes a "How to Use This CD" section, which explains the help sheets and a link to the REVIEW Project Web site at http://www.thereviewproject.org.

The REVIEW Web site contains recommendations for interactive online games and activities to use with electronic whiteboards, case studies for different subject areas, training information, a user forum and more.

About The REVIEW Project

In August 2002, a consortium headed by the University of Hull in Yorkshire won funding from the National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts to carry out a research project that looks at the use of interactive whiteboards in the classroom. Over two years, the project focused on the identification of effective practice, recording data from over 200 classroom observations in schools and colleges, developing and maintaining a Web site and online learning environment to disseminate news and research findings, delivering and evaluating suitable training models for classroom teachers, and developing digital resources for use with interactive whiteboards.

About TDS Promethean

A United Kingdom-based company with offices in the United States (Atlanta, Ga.), Germany, and France, TDS Promethean is a leading global provider of interactive whiteboard systems to the education market. Its ACTIVboard Collaborative Classroom System commands a significant share of the U.K. electronic whiteboard market and is installed in more than 20,000 sites worldwide. Since its U.S. launch in 2002, the ACTIVboard Collaborative Classroom System has been implemented in schools across 30 states and captured a variety of education technology awards. The TDS Promethean group of technology companies has expertise in technology development and implementation that spans three decades.