The Sandbox at the Carroll CITE was designed with three simple requirements in mind:
1. It needed to be easy to use
2. It needed to be flexible
3. It needed to be cost effective
The result is a a flexible, interactive classroom designed to improve collaboration, creativity, and comfort while empowering students and professorsto make use of the innovative learning technology available. Professors can make use of multiple interactive displays to engineer a variety of innovative lesson plans that emphasize student engagement and peer review. Since the displays in the Sandbox are projected onto whiteboard-painted walls, students and professors can annotate items within the displays with handwritten ease. Students and professors can check out iPads and broadcast content to LCD displays mounted in the room. Laptops can also be easily configured to broadcast content to any of the Epson displays in the room using Epson EasyMP.
The Sandbox is equipped with the following hardware:
Five Epson BrightLink ultra-short-throw projection devices. These devices project directly onto the whiteboard walls of the Sandbox, and three of them have Mac Mini computers with wireless keyboards and mice. All five projectors are available for wireless display using Epson's EasyMP software from Mac or PC laptops, making presentations and content sharing a breeze.
Two Samsung 55" Smart TV LCD displays connected to separate AppleTVs. Students and professors can project content onto these screens using iPads checked out at the Corette Library Circulation Desk (the CITE is housed within the Corette Library).
The Hon furniture in the sandbox is designed to promote easy collboration by creating a fully reconfigurable space where all furniture is on wheels. Whether you are having a board meeting, a cooperative learning session, or multiple independent study groups, the Sandbox is ready to meet your needs.
Let's not forget the whiteboard paint! Since the walls of the Sandbox are painted with IdeaPaint, students and professors can write anywhere on the wall without any lasting impact on the space.