The image quality of plasma screens is superb under all light conditions (ordinary whiteboards require projectors). They can be used to display computer screen output, videos and DVD films. The disadvantages are that you are restricted to the size of the screen. They are 106cm diagonal or 127cm diagonal - 152cm screens will be on the market in the near future. When the price is considered it has to be remembered that a plasma screen is the equivalent of the projector and screen and they do not need bulbs. They need an additional overlay to create the interactivity. Basic prices are in the region of pound;4,000. Plasma screens from RM www.rm.com

Promethean boards

Promethean concentrates on education and understands the environments that its Activboards will work in. It also sells Activstudio, Activslate, ActivPrepPad and Activote. Promethean goes beyond a general presentation aid and produces a group teaching system. Activslate enables pads to be distributed around the class so students can interact with the main board. Activote aims to involve pupils and can be passed around the class. Training to use the board and software can be arranged. You have to use a pen with this board and the software that is included is probably the most sophisticated. Prices start at pound;1,650. www.promethean.co.uk

Hitachi Starboards

The Hitachi Starboard is a standard electromagnetic board with the software necessary to run it. Like the Promethean it can be run as an ordinary whiteboard, as a projection screen or connected to a PC. Automatic text recognition (OCR) allows the conversion of handwriting into characters so that you can integrate them with your files. They have just developed some software for primary schools. Prices run from pound;1,650. Hitachi Starboard is available from the Interactive Whiteboard Company. www.iwb.co.uk

Smart Boards

BulletPoint Presentations supply Smart Boards for education. These boards have a membrane that acts as a sensor. You can even use your finger or one of the inexpensive pens. The boards come in three sizes and prices start at pound;865 for the 120cm board. The software is fairly simple to use and Bullet has developed some software for primary schools to use with the boards. www.interactivewhiteboards.co.ukhtmlEdsmart.htm

TDS Activboards

TDS manufactures for Promethean and also produces the Time Board (Activboard). The surface of the board can be used as a conventional whiteboard with a marker pen. The electronic pen enables the user to annotate and move through a presentation. Prices for whiteboards range from pound;1,289 to pound;1,867. www.timeeducation.com

MeetingPad

The MeetingPad from Accurate plc (also available as the ClassPad from RM) replaces the need for an expensive interactive whiteboard without dispensing with the projected image at the front of the class. It is a slightly larger than A4 interactive pad with a wireless link so that it can be used anywhere in the room - easily handled by pupils too. It controls everything happening on the main screen with just as much interactivity and control as a whiteboard (review in this week’s TES Online magazine). InterWrite MeetingPad pound;595 from Accurate plc. www.accurate.plc.ukeducation

ClassPad pound;545 from RMwww.rm.com

Mimio

Smaller, lighter, more portable and cheaper, the Mimio (pound;349) is not as versatile as large boards, but lets users capture notes written on a whiteboard. www.mimio.comdemovideo_qt.html

Others to consider

Matrix Display Systems www.matrixdisplay.comoverview.htm

Classroom Displays (part of Reflex) www.classroomdisplays.co.uk

Accurate www.accurate.plc.ukeducation

Questions to ask

* Where will the board be mounted?

* Are you going to move the board around?

* What is the light level of the rooms that you will be using?

* Will software work with any platform?

* What size of screen is appropriate for a particular room?

* How much are replacement pens?

* Is training necessary? Is training free?

* Are upgrades available?