Promethean Activpanel

[reltihmd]

Hi , we are around 2 years from moving into our new BSF build and are trying to trial some different technologies so we know what we want in the new build

 

One thing we've looked at trialling is the Promethean Activpanel but I've just been quoted £700 for it, as far as I can tell it's a standard 15" Touchscreen TFT that could be bought from ebuyer for less than half that price

Ebuyer 15" TFT

 

Does anyone know know if there is an advantage to the Promethean that I'm missing - as far as I can see the software wont recognise it as a board so it's not a board replacement, it's not wireless and wont work as an activhub.

 

Am I missing something really obvious?

 

reltihmd

[broc]

We have a number of Activpanels that do work as IWB with ActivStudio & ActivInspire. When we bought the panels they came with a USB 'dongle' that allowed the Promethean driver to recognise the panel as a 'board'. I have a suspicion that later drivers do not need the dongle, but I would need to check.

 

They were bought for two reasons; vertically challenged staff who could not reach the top of our standard fixed IWB setup, or for rooms where it was impossible to fit an IWB in.

 

I would say they have had a mixed reception, I would probably resist any attempt to buy more. Many staff complained they were too restrictive in where they sat/stood in the room.

 

I could see the benefits of using one in an auditorium.

 

We are trialing one of the new Epson EB-450Wi Interative projectors at the moment for possible inclusion in our new school.... worth checking.

[sidewinder]

We had quite a few of SMART's version of the same thing - the Sympodium. All except one (in the hall, where it is actually beneficial to be able to write on a screen in front of you) have been replaced with smartboards. A few staff liked them, but most dont. It makes it a lot harder for students to take part in lessons using the board, and quite simply most teachers prefer to stand at a board and write on that.

 

So they arnt useless, but only suited for certain situations IMO