The Classroom of the 21 Century: The Interactive Learning Wall

The Interactive Learning Wall is a Windows/PC-based virtual blackboard system that can be controlled remotely by a classroom instructor and/or students. A laser pointer used by the instructor emulates mouse actions on a computer projection screen. An inexpensive video camera sends each projected frame to a video capture card in the computer; our software detects the bright laser spot, moves a screen cursor, and performs other mouse operations according to user actions. The system frees the instructor to move about the classroom as he controls the presentation. Other software allows students, from their laptop computers, to request control of the main computer’s mouse and keyboard over a local network. This facilitates student interaction with the main computer’s screen to perform tasks like: go to specific parts of the presentation; enter text; annotate diagrams; run programs. Both systems can help increase interactivity between instructor and students in a large classroom environment. Technical details are given in this paper.