3 "Big Darn Deals"

Chapter 5--The 3 "Big Darn Deals" that I found interesting in this chapter are:

1. Interactive Whiteboards or SMART Boards--Recently our local school and community raised enough money to purchase SMART Boards for every classroom in the elementary and middle schools. It is interesting to learn you can write and erase on the boards with a special pen. The teacher and students also have the benefit of being able to save the material into a computer, so they can refer back to the information at a later date. I believe this will make learning more interesting and fun.

2. LCD and Plasma Monitors and Screens-- Today we hear alot of advertising about LCD and Plasma screen TV's and computers. I never understood the difference. Chapter 5 explains that LCD stands for "liquid crystal display" and Plasma refers to gases between two plates of glass. While both LCD and Plasma produce clear crisp pictures, it is the Plasma screens and monitors that produce the richer color on a bigger screen. The Plasma screens are also more expensive.

3. Printers--Chapter 5 helped to explain a variety of printers available today, which include ink-jet, laser, photo, thermal, mobile, multifunctional peripherals, impact, plotters and large-format printers. The one printer that wasn't mentioned in our book, but was discussed in our Printer Assignment was the Z650 printer. I had never seen or heard of a printer that could print a real life prototype. The Z650 is amazing. I also appreciate the fact we can donate our empty ink cartridges to raise money for our local school district.