It’s been a good while since I’ve written about Interactive Whiteboards. Four years after they burst on to the Irish classroom scene, IWBs just seem to be part of the overall furniture in the classroom. I would have a rough estimate that 85-90% of classrooms in Ireland have a projector or full IWB set up. From speaking to teachers around the country, it seems that we have naturally evolved into using the Interactive part of the IWB less and are taking advantage of all the advantages of being able to have a large focal point in the classroom through the use of the projector. I rarely hear of people talking about IWB software anymore.
Now that almost everybody has an Interactive Whiteboard, the few that haven’t may be able to snap up some amazing value. One can now buy an IWB for less than €1,000 if you already have a projector. For those without a projector, one can even buy an interactive projector for around €1,500. Over the last number of weeks, I’ve received emails from different companies offering great value. Here are just a few examples:

• Compupac IT Solutions are offering the Panasonic Panaboard from €775, which is a great deal for a very good board
• Prim-Ed are selling Interactive Projectors from €1,100 and Liosdoire are offering them installed for €1,200, which is exceptional value.
• Promethean Boards can now be purchased through resellers from €849. When you think about how much they cost 4 years ago, it’s hard to believe how low they cost now!
• SmartBoards fully installed are being offered for €2,400 by Liosdoire, which is almost half the price it used to be a couple of years ago.

However, a new type of IWB might be coming to a school near you soon. Whilst not a new product by any means, the touch-based monitor is becoming much more affordable than ever before. Right now Mediascene are offering a 55″ touch-based monitor, which essentially is an IWB without the need for a monitor for under €4,000. I’ll be reviewing this in more depth in the next few weeks but at first glance, it is very impressive.