EdIT - Educational Information Technology
Poe
216 contains a Webster LT Series interactive whiteboard (formerly known
under the brand name 'SoftBoard'). Everything written on the whiteboard
can be displayed on the large projection screen behind the Media
Console.
Unlike the touch-sensitive SMARTBoards in the computer labs, the
Webster LT has a hard (ceramic on steel) surface and uses lasers to
track the reflective bands on the special pens and eraser. Each pen has
a different reflective pattern, allowing the tracking software to
interpret and display the correct color pen strokes on the projection
screen and computer monitor.
Notes and diagrams written on the Webster LT also can be saved, edited,
and
exported to several different formats.
This page is only intended to be an introduction to the use of the
Webster LT in Poe 216. If you will be using the board
extensively or plan to save and export the work you will be doing, you
should consider downloading your own copy of the Webster software
and user guide.
Getting Started
For access to the Media Console in the 216 Lecture Hall, contact the LTRC Media Center.
1) Turn on the Windows XP Unity station (the Dell computer) and from the console set PC projection to Both.
2) Log in to the computer with your Unity username and password.
3) Turn on the
Webster board. The On/Off switch is located on the bottom edge of the
whiteboard next to the power and serial cables.4) Launch the Webster v.3 application from the desktop or from the START menu. After about 20 seconds a window will appear indicating the software is "Establishing communication with whiteboard." This usually takes about 60 seconds.
5) The pens and eraser are kept in the cabinet on the right side of the console.
Once the software launches and presents a new blank session, you can begin writing on the whiteboard.
Anything written on the whiteboard will appear in the large open area of the Webster window. The navigation bar to the left displays previous snapshots (pages) on the top and the current page on the bottom.
The toolbar (and View menu) allow you to
select a number of views: Current snapshot (1),
Normal, as displayed above (2), thumbnails of all snapshots (3),
Selection (4) or Full Screen (5) which hides the toolbars and
navigation bar.Controlling the Board
Along the upper left side of the whiteboard is a magnetic strip containing a number of commands. This Icon Strip allows you to perform a few basic from the whiteboard instead of walking back to the computer. Simply tap the appropriate command with the tip of one of the pens to issue that command.
A few commands on the strip are not applicable to 216, like Print (there's no printer available in 216) and Calibrate (for rear projection whiteboards).
Snapshot -- (known as "Page Break" in the old SoftBoard software) -- Saves a snapshot of the whiteboard as it currently appears. You can then continue writing on the existing board or erase it and start a fresh page.
Snapshot & Clear Screen -- Saves a snapshot of the current whiteboard and clears the electronic display (though you still have to erase the whiteboard).
Previous Screen & Next Screen -- Allow you to navigate forward and back through snapshots.
Saving Your Session
Webster holds all snapshots in active memory for as long as the software is running. Before quitting the Webster software you can save your session for later use.
Simply select Save As from the File menu, name the file, and save it to disk or your AFS locker. Webster files use the file extension wbd.
Editing/Publishing Your Session
Saved files can be opened, viewed and played back in "real time." The Webster software is free and can be downloaded and installed on your own Windows-based PC. (Although there is also a Mac OS X version of the Webster software, it does not read the files created by the PC version.)
Saved files can also be edited.
The Annotation Toolbar lets
you write,
erase, highlight, and add snapshots to your saved session.
Saved Webster files can also be exported to PDF or HTML format. Select Publish under the File menu and fill in the desired
settings. 
Trouble-Shooting
I get a message saying 'No whiteboard found' when starting the Webster software
Make sure the whiteboard is
turned on.
Go to the Edit menu, select Find Whiteboard, and click Check All.
Nothing happens when I click on
the Icon Strip commandsGo to the Edit menu, select Find Whiteboard, and click Check All.
Make sure you're using one of the
Webster pens and the cap is off so the tracking lasers can detect its
reflective band.
Go to the Edit menu
and select Options. In the
Options window, select the General tab. Make
sure Icon strip enabled is
checked and the shaded strip location
matches the Icon Strip's location on the whiteboard.
Go to the Edit menu
and select Options. In the
Options window, select the General tab. Make
sure Icon strip enabled is
checked and the shaded strip location
matches the Icon Strip's location on the whiteboard.
For additional assistance with the Media Console or Webster
interactive whiteboard, please contact either the LTRC Media Center or the Poe Hall Computer Help Desk.
