textbook-on-a-wall eduboard. a proposed low-cost architecture for a novel smart whiteboard: the...

Textbook-on-a-Wall EduBoard


A Proposed Low-cost Architecture for a Novel

Smart Whiteboard: the “Textbook-on-the-

Wall” project

Jean-Paul Van Belle<[email protected]>


Context

Developing countries: 2 billion under-15 year olds 100+ million classrooms

Sub-saharan Africa: 120+ million kids at primary school age

South Africa 7.4 million learners in primary schools 4.0 million in secondary schools more than 300 000 classrooms


The Interactive Whiteboard

= laptop + projector + screen (input)

Advantages well-researched Prohibitive cost for 3rd world

environment Computer literacy

requirements


Smart / electronic paper forsmart signs & electronic books


The EduBoard:An interactive “textbook-on-a-wall”

Hardware: Smart paper Embedded CPU Flash RAM Solar power Minimal I/O

Software: Full curriculum for

grade or subject Minimal OS hypertext browser XML data storage

(cHTML, XMLbasic) Utilities


The EduBoard

no power – no maintenance – low cost – customizable – intuitive interface

Supports teacher empowers where insufficiently trained enhances & supports where knowledgeable

Learners motivated (more diversity) quality assurance

Governments QA minimal standards increased standards Fasttrack educational policies and strategies Open source content


Smart / e-paper

Electro-phoretic displays use “electronic ink” (E Ink) – microscopic capsules

Bi-chromal bead technologies: Gyricon’s SmartPaper™ bi-stable low power

high contrast


Screen Specs

1.2 by 1.6 meters 2 mm pixels => 600 x 800

resolution low refresh rate (1 or 2 Hz) 4 / 16 levels of grey scale durable embedded hardware flexible backplane electronics

(mylar & amorphous silicon)


Other Hardware Components

embedded CPU ARM, DragonBall™, XScale wireless, USB & video support

Flash RAM I/O = wireless or USB Minimal keypad input Power supply options


Curriculum

Text is marked up with annotation tags headings, key concepts, hyperlinks & formatting.

Hierarchically structured content with a relative small granularity around the concept of individual pages.

Pages can be combined into, and addressed as, one single logical structure (a “presentation”).

All information can be hyper-linked The actual physical storage structure is invisible to the

user - different logical navigation options Easily compressible by 50% or more Additional information content can be added by the user.


Sample information content stored in memory Minimal Typical

Operating (control) system and content browser < 5MB < 5MB

Additional useful executable applications – possibly interpreted source code e.g. Java or Basic

< 5MB 10-50 MB

Grade 5 school curriculum, mostly in marked-up text. (7 to 12 subjects) x (2500 to 8000 pages/subject) x (1000 to 2500 characters/page). This includes examples, exercises and tests.

40 MB 60-100 MB

Vector-based drawings : maps, science drawings, time lines and a few animations GIFs/ JPEGs if space allows.

30 MB 50-100 MB

Reference works eg dictionary, encyclopaedia, formulas, periodic table, world atlas, body charts, literary works, …

20 MB 50-200 MB

Multimedia content: animations, slow video & sound files NA 30-200 MB

Free space for additional content such as presentations, lesson plans and illustrative web material

10 MB >50 MB

Total amount of memory required 128 MB 256-512 MB


Curriculum Development

Traditional commercial educational content providers, such as textbook publishers and educational software providers, through “bulk license” or “teacher materials” leverage.

A (country-)specific EduBoard curriculum development project in sync with an envisaged roll-out plan. Funded by the government or private agency.

The educational community (teachers, other educationalists and interested stakeholders) in an “open curriculum” network organised (similar to OSS).


Other Software

Operating System Linux Window CE Palm OS Linux: QNX, LynxOS, …

Browser (e.g. Opera) Must support HTML & XML & graphics

Customizable Minimal input / navigation

Security & Authentication Utilities


Economics

Total cost $150-$250 (?) for the display board

(2006 cost price of $4-$6 for a hi-res A4) $50-$100 for the electronics $50 for the power system $50 for the distribution (shipping, setup and

teacher training)

mass production/ technology maturation: 50-75% reduction?

Possible economic models


Project Plan

Phase 1: Proof of concept (2005/6)

Phase 2: Early Prototype (2006/7)

Phase 3: Full prototype (2007)

Phase 4: Test Roll-out (2008)

Phase 5: Full Roll-out (2009)

Maturation (2010+)


Open Research Issues

HCI Commercial model (& IP) Funding Input system Acceptance and adoption issues

(teacher & learner) Research partners needed!

[email protected]


+

Cheap alternative for…


++

+www.diyprojectorcompany.com


Some resources

What the research says about interactive whiteboards. Becta ICT Research Report. http://www.becta.org.uk/research/ictrn

http://www.eink.com http://www.gyricon.com www.kentdisplays.com


Asmal, Kader 2002. Fifth Report on the Provinces to the President from the Minister of Education . Department of Education, SA Government: 1-May.

(Becta) 2003. What the research says about interactive whiteboards. Becta ICT Research Report. Bryant, JM 1995. The Paperless Book. IEEE Review 41,6: 245-247. Daniel, JH; Krusor, BS; Chopra, N et al. 2004. Amorphous Silicon Backplane with Polymer MEMS Structures for

Electrophoretic Displays. Proceedings of The Material Research Society Symposium 808:A.10.8. Ditlea, Steve 2001. The Electronic Paper Chase. Scientific American 288,11:245-247. Doane, JW 1998 A Comparison of Display Technologies Suitable for E-Books. Future of Print Media Jl, 17-Nov-1998: 1-8. Doane, JW; Huang, XY; Khan, A et al. 2004 Paper-Like Displays for Electronic Books. www.kentdisplays.com/ E Ink Corp 2003. Press Release. 12 May 2003. http://www.eink.com/news/releases/pr69.html Gyricon LLC 2004. http://www.gyriconmedia.com Hayes, RA and Feenstra, BJ 2003. Video-speed electronic paper based on electrowetting. Nature 425:383-385. Joseph Jacobson 1997. The Last Book. IBM Systems Journal 36,3: 457-463. Kennewell, S. 2001 Interactive whiteboards – yet another solution looking for a problem to solve? IT in Teacher Education,

39:3-6. Philips Research 2002. Electronic Paper; E Ink. http://www.research.philips.com/ Press, L 2000. From P-books to E-books. Communications of the ACM 43,5:17-21. Rogers, JA; Bao, Z; Baldwin, K et al. 2001. Paper-Like Electronic Displays: Large-Area Rubber-Stamped Plastic Sheets of

Electronics and Microencapsulated Electro-Phorethic Inks. Proceedings National Academy of Sciences 98,9:4835-4840. Schreiner, K. 2000. E-Books: It’s All in the Resolution. Multimedia, IEEE 7,2:15-17 Sheridon, N. Gyricon Displays and Electric Paper. Proceedings of Society for Information Display, San Jose, 1997. Smalley, E 2003. Flexible Display Slim Down. Technology Research News, 21-28 May 2003. UNESCO Institute for Statistics 2003. School life expectancy, percentage of repeaters and survival rates.

http://www.uis.unesco.org WagnerZip 2004. ZipVision™ eSignage Reader Board. http://www.wagnerzip.com/zipvision/product.html Werner, KI 2003. E-Paper in Business Briefing: Wireless Technology 2003:127-128. Wilson, Ruth 2003. Displaying Digital Information on Paper-like Devices. Joint Information Systems Committee TSW 03-01.

http://www.jisc.ac.uk/


Questions?


Electrowetting

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