Well, it arrived yesterday. Apparently customs held it for a while to determine the strange contents. I have to agree, a marker with a light on one end and a battery on the other, with a switch, does look suspicious. Whatever the case, my old useless Pentium 3 computer is now a touch screen! As previously mentioned, using a Wiimote, bluetooth and infrared light, you can control the mouse on your computer.
Today and tomorrow, my computer club will project the computer image onto the wall and test the accuracy of the IR pen and Wiimote to determine the feasibility of making a homemade interactive whiteboard.
Well, who knew you could make your own interactive whiteboard for under $100! Thanks to one Johnny Lee, you can turn your laptop into a touch screen, or even manipulate your desktop through a projected image on the wall! How? By using the Wiimote and some infrared light.
Ever wondered why there is a sensor bar for the Wiimote? It certainly doesn’t detect the motion of the Wiimote. Instead it projects IR light which is detected by an advanced camera in the end of the Wiimote.
My computer club and I have successfully connected a Wiimote to a laptop through bluetooth. Using the computer app GlovePIE, you can run scripts which gives you computer control through the Wiimote.
Useful in the classroom? I can see myself using Johnny Lee’s app in the gym, where there is no SMARTBoard, especially for top secret sports plays. Other than that, I would use the Wiimote to advance my SMART Notebook slides from the back of the room, allowing me some freedom to move about the room and not stay beside the SMARTBoard clicking “Next” every few minutes. Also useful (and just plain fun) with Google Earth and simple paint programs. (getpaint.net)
