fullertontechdirector

You have some options for software. Epson has their Epson Interactive Tools that allow you to use the board with any website or program. It gives you basic functionality... much like the drivers for ActivBoards or SMARTBoards. I was in a class the other day where the teacher was using BrainPop with the kids and controlling with the BrightLink interactivity instead of her laptop (she was also outputting the sound to the built-in speakers on the BrightLink, and I was pretty impressed... for 10W speakers, they sounded pretty good in the classroom). The add-on software piece is if you want galleries of images and flash activities that are curricular. That's an add-on called RM Easiteach. Normally around $400 for the complete curricular set, it's bundled with the BrightLink for an extra $100. If you already have Promethean tools in the classroom (Slate, Votes, or Expressions), then the BrightLink is compatible with the ActivInspire software that runs the Promethean devices. If you don't have any Promethean Tools but still want to use ActivInspire, I believe you can purchase it for about $200. In our District, we have both set-ups. We have a school with Votes in the classroom, so they use the BrightLink with ActivInspire. We have a school that will soon have ten BrightLinks that will be using RM Easiteach.

We were the first school in North America to install an Epson BrightLink Interactive Projector. It's been great! It's easy to install and use and has an amazing, bright image. Interactive surfaces (whether a board or a projector like the BrightLink) can be a great way to involve students in the learning... when used correctly. That part is teacher training, though, not the board or surface's fault. When considering a solution for interactivity, two of the biggest things that our school district had to keep in mind were cost and quality. At about $1800 for a 96" surface, the Epson BrightLink packs a lot more bang for the buck than a comparably priced all-in-one solution from Promethean or SMART. The fact that the BrightLink can be adjusted and also project onto any light-colored surface means that you don't have to worry about removing (and losing) additional whiteboard space. The quality is the other important issue. The ultra-short throw projector on the BrightLink is a beautiful image. It is far brighter, sharper, and more accurate than any of the DLP projectors that come with the usual all-in-one solutions. In our digital age, visual literacy is important... and color accuracy and clarity are essential aspects of visual communication. RM Easiteach, the software bundle of images and flash activities that the BrightLink can come with, is easy to use. It's not as polished as the SMART or Promethean software, but very few of our teachers take advantage of those tools on our Promethean boards. We have an additional 32 on order, so we are eager to implement the BrightLink in our educational programs.