Protecting smartboards from damage

[Scuff]

Well we're gearing up for the summer again, and during the hols we have foreign language schools hiring our rooms off us (because we dont make enough money off the extortionate fees we charge). Its always been an issue in the past with outside teachers using our rooms without training on out interactive whiteboards. We get them drawn on, we've had holes in them, we get cables unplugged, pen trays ripped off, etc. So every year we try and come up with a solution to protect them from misuse.

 

Last year we made laminated covers out of harboard and hung them over the whiteboards so they could be used with regular board pens without the surface being touched. However some teachers took off the boards and damaged the smartboards in the process. Also we've had an issue with storing the covers during the term time.

 

This year I'm considering putting a layer of white paper over the board surface and covering the whole thing in self adhesive acetate, then giving the teachers washable markers again to write on the acetate.

 

I was wondering if anyone else has had issues with damage to smartboards and what preventative measures you've taken.

[western]

we use these - not an advert you can buy them anywhere!!!

[Halfmad]

shockingly expensive solution though!

[localzuk]

I'd make use of something like this http://telcontar.net/Artwork/ThinkNerd/images/Prepare-the-LART-xoom.jpg

[western]

They are a bit expensive!

[Scuff]

Wow! We'd need about 20 of them just to do the rooms we hire out. We've got a board in pretty much every classroom.

 

Mallets are cheap and we already have plenty in CDT.

[plexer]

I presume you charge them for the damages?

 

Why not take a damage deposit as a condition of higher the rooms.

 

That may make them a bit more careful.

 

Otherwise take the smartboards of the wall for the summer?

 

Ben

[Scuff]

I presume you charge them for the damages?

 

Why not take a damage deposit as a condition of higher the rooms.

 

That may make them a bit more careful.

 

Otherwise take the smartboards of the wall for the summer?

 

Ben

 

Yeah we do. Trouble is they're difficult to get money out of and our commercial services manager doesn't like doing it because they're good customers apparently (crazy I know).

 

I try to avoid moving them if I can in case they get damaged in transit, or thrown at the back of some dusty store room with a load of chairs piled on top of them.

[djm968]

Instead of covering the board….. I would cover my a@se and raise the issue with SLT. Give them ownership of the problem and if the proverbial hits the fan they have no one but themselves to blame.

[plexer]

Shouldn't be an issue getting a damage deposit out of them as you should have that in place before they use the room otherwise it's not a stick to beat them with.

 

Ben

[Scuff]

Instead of covering the board….. I would cover my a@se and raise the issue with SLT. Give them ownership of the problem and if the proverbial hits the fan they have no one but themselves to blame.

 

 

Yeah I see your point. But they still need a board to teach on and theres more smartboard space on the wall than conventional whiteboard in a lot of places. So rather than have to arrange replacement of 20 whiteboards with only a few days notice in September I'd prefer to look at preventative measures rather than have to clean up after everyone.

[sidewinder]

I know storage is a problem but I would honestly take them down, would save so much hassle

 

And if your school is anything like ours, there are still plenty of whiteboards on wheels dotted around the school - so move them to the rooms where you've taken the boards down

[bishopsgarthstockton]

sounds like you need to get them to sign a policy. If they damage them they pay for repairs. Bit like if you hire a car, the hire company checks the vehicle, signs it and then you sign to agree the information/checks are correct. That is what i would do, that means there is no need for you to spend money on trying to protect your boards.

[bossman]

That why i decided right from the offset that we would go Promethean Activboard and to date have had no problems over 5 years.

 

(Not gloating just making an observation on the resilience of the Promethean product as to the Smartboard alternative)

[bishopsgarthstockton]

That why i decided right from the offset that we would go Promethean Activboard and to date have had no problems over 5 years.

 

(Not gloating just making an observation on the resilience of the Promethean product as to the Smartboard alternative)

 

I have found the Promethean boards very durable. Only concerns i have is:

 

The corners have been known to be broken off, this exposes a weak part of the board. and if not delt with striaght away, if the corner is damaged, it damages the matirx, thus the mouse icon flicks around the pen when appled with the baord. I ahd this happen to a board, unfortunately it was not reported to me. Had to get a new baord. great thing is though promethean do refurbished boards at a smaller fraction of the cost.

 

The Pens can become a little worse for wear i.e. the nibs wear down or the barrel button becomes stuck, usually due to been dropped. good thing is promethean supply replacement nibs free of charge. as for the pens chassi and barrel button breaking, if the board is under warranty, you can replace both pens free of charge. Other wise you can buy 10 peans for around £100; £10/pen.

[dave.81]

We hire out over the summer too. We make sure that all the temp staff are given a welcome sheet laying down the law about the boards. No rooms have markers in them and we give them use of the pc's, locked down account, so that they can use the interactive boards.

 

To be honest we have found that they are abused a lot less if we give them access to the equipment than telling them not to use it.

[Scuff]

That why i decided right from the offset that we would go Promethean Activboard and to date have had no problems over 5 years.

 

(Not gloating just making an observation on the resilience of the Promethean product as to the Smartboard alternative)

 

I have found the Promethean boards very durable. Only concerns i have is:

 

The corners have been known to be broken off, this exposes a weak part of the board. and if not delt with striaght away, if the corner is damaged, it damages the matirx, thus the mouse icon flicks around the pen when appled with the baord. I ahd this happen to a board, unfortunately it was not reported to me. Had to get a new baord. great thing is though promethean do refurbished boards at a smaller fraction of the cost.

 

The Pens can become a little worse for wear i.e. the nibs wear down or the barrel button becomes stuck, usually due to been dropped. good thing is promethean supply replacement nibs free of charge. as for the pens chassi and barrel button breaking, if the board is under warranty, you can replace both pens free of charge. Other wise you can buy 10 peans for around £100; £10/pen.

 

They sound good!

 

I might have to have a play with one at some point. Trouble is we've kinda set a standard now with smartboard across the campus (about 70 boards).

 

 

We hire out over the summer too. We make sure that all the temp staff are given a welcome sheet laying down the law about the boards. No rooms have markers in them and we give them use of the pc's, locked down account, so that they can use the interactive boards.

 

To be honest we have found that they are abused a lot less if we give them access to the equipment than telling them not to use it.

 

I really dont want to do this. Especially if they expect support them over the summer. The director of ICT said it was something he might consider as a last resort though. I guess we might have to go with it. Gonna go with that signing the board in and out thing on top as well.

 

Cheers for the suggestions everyone!

[dave.81]

I dont provide any support. I work the occasional day during the holidays and if they have any problems i fix them on those days, apart from that they are on their own. LOL The truth is i didn't like the idea either but it seems to work for us and the group we let out too.

 

Does depend on the school you have coming in though.

[Scuff]

I dont provide any support. I work the occasional day during the holidays and if they have any problems i fix them on those days, apart from that they are on their own. LOL The truth is i didn't like the idea either but it seems to work for us and the group we let out too.

 

Does depend on the school you have coming in though.

 

Tey're not too bad really. The students can be little bastards but they dont really seem to bothered about theft or vandalism.

 

We work everyday during the holidays so we're always gonna be on site if anything goes wrong. Thing is, seeing as they're paying for room hire they might think they're paying for IT support as well if they're using our facilities, which they most certainly are not! We've got a huge summer project to run without running around to classroom because little Jimmy has unglugged the USB smartboard to plug in his data traveller.

[acrobson]

At my place, where ever theres technology (or something plugged into a wall) they charge the party who are hiring the place the extra cost of a ICTO (ICT Officer) to be present, they use the term 'on call', but it's just to count up the cost of damage or to prevent them from trying to 'FIX' something themselves!

 

It's a pain in the behind for the social life, but between 3 of you it's not to bad, plus the overtime is great and often there's free food too!

[john]

In the latest Roche AV catalogue they have a Whiteboard / smart board cover, you close the doors and get 2 whiteboards on the front of them, just fit a padlock and your sorted