Teaching and Learning

at Conestoga

9 mins 6 secs

Using the Interactive Projectors

In a classroom with an Interactive Projector? Watch training videos and read some tips for using these innovative presentation and collaboration tools!

Essentials when using the Interactive Projector

The Interactive projector turns your projected screen a tablet - a completely touch responsive surface! But its a lot bigger, so you may find you need to use different strategies when using the screen.

  • Use more than one finger to touch the board. Try keeping your fingers together, using your entire hand to touch an item. This will give the board more surface area to "read".

  • The board doesn't distinguish between kinds or sensitivities of touches. It will read a hand, marker or shirt cuff brushing the board as a touch. Tuck away loose clothing or roll up your sleeve.

  • Be patient with the board. It may take more than one touch for the board to register your touch. Sometimes, holding your touch or tap for a heartbeat longer than you usually would, helps the board to perceive your touch.

  • Be patient with your own learning curve. It will take time to develop the skills involved in using this type of presentation approach. Identify one or two areas you'd like to use the board in, and develop those skills first. For example, many people start with using the touch to advance their PowerPoint slides, and move on to using the pen and eraser tools. Scaffold your own learning of the board, by choosing specific new tools to try, when you are ready to try them.

  • Practice! Give yourself time to practice using the board without an audience. Most teachers feel most proficient with these boards after 2 years of consistent use. Reach out to the Educational Technology Officer for a guided practice session!

You can download the software to your home computer to become familiar with it before using it in class.

Download and print this handy guide to the buttons to take with you into class.

Contact the Educational Technology Officer to find a time that suits you to practice in one of the rooms, to get one-to-one coaching on using the boards, or to ask any questions you might have.

Command Bar

"Interactive Whiteboard: Command Bar: Computer" by Teaching and Learning, 2018.

This bar lets you control whether you're working with the computer, or the Whiteboard mode. Use the projected screen to interact with your desktop as though it were a tablet, or switch to the whiteboard mode to use an open field.

If the Command Bar is too tall for you to reach, either use the touch interactive monitor on the podium arm to do your annotation, or set the bar at the bottom of the page. If your room is not outfitted with a touch responsive computer monitor, and using one would create a more accessible working environment for you, request one from the IT Service Desk.

Create multiple pages of whiteboard annotations, like solved equations or annotated diagrams. Save these as .pdf files, and upload to eConestoga for your students to refer back to in their studying.

For more training in using your digital whiteboard and interactive screen, contact the Educational Technology Officer.

Annotation Bar

"Interactive Whiteboard: Annotation Bar" by Teaching and Learning, 2018.

The Annotation Bar lets you draw and doodle over your desktop, or when using the Whiteboard mode in the Command Bar.

When running a full screen PowerPoint presentation, the Annotation Bar is condensed, offering a limited range of tools. Download this printable guide on how to use the Annotation Bar in PowerPoint. These tools let you advance your slides, or expand to use Pen, Colour, and Eraser tools.

For more training in using your digital whiteboard and interactive screen, contact the Educational Technology Officer.