Microsoft Surface first started back in 2001 under the code name “Milan”. It was a project that was started by a very small group of Microsoft employees. The design was changed 10’s of times, but was finally presented to Bill in 2003. Of course, Mr. Gates liked it, and the project took on new life as it grew. By 2005 the final design had been chosen, and in 2007 it was presented to the public. The public was in awe, and Microsoft was proud.

So what makes Microsoft Surface so unique? It is unique because it goes where no computer has gone before. It uses a Natural User Interface (NUI). An NUI is an interface that attempts to take out any space between the digital and real world. It makes digital information and data seem real, by using Multi-touch interaction. Mult-touch interaction is simply a touch screen that supports multiple input points (touches) at the same time. In fact, Microsoft Surface supports up to 52.

Multi-touch is the biggest part of a Natural User Interface. It makes tasks such as viewing pictures… natural. There is practically no learning curve. To move a picutre, you simply put your finger down and drag it to the desired location, and to resize a picture simply pinch the picture with two fingers.

Another part that makes Surface’s interface natural is the object recognition feature. Object recognition has three parts to it.

The first part is the ability to recognize more than just fingers, which means it can recognize objects. This is different from normal touch screens because normally touch screens require an electric current or heat, which come from fingers. However, unlike those touch screens, Surface does not care whether it is a finger or a Zune.

Second, the use of byte tags allow for unique object recognition. By simply creating a relation between a specific byte tag pattern and an object, such as a camera, the Touch Table can recognize that that object is a camera.

Thirdly, Surface can transfer data via Bluetooth between certain digital objects. When you set the camera down, Surface recognizes it as a camera through the byte tag, and then opens ports for data transfer. Then, to transfer photos on to the camera, you simply drag them to it. And when you set the camera down at first, the photos dump out onto the Surface table top.

All these factors make Microsoft Surface’s Natural User Interface truly amazing and state of the art.

Many schools have one or several digital projectors available
for educators to use. Many people are worried that making slide
shows and setting up the equipment will take too much effort and
time. On the contrary, the use of digital projectors saves time
and can take minimal effort.

Most digital projectors take no time to set-up. Have someone
show you how to set-up the projector a few times and then try it
yourself several times until you are comfortable setting up the
projector on your own. Each projector and computer have their
own little quirks so having someone who is familiar with the
system will prevent running into trouble in the future.

Creating slide shows for your lessons may take a little effort in
the beginning, however, once these lessons are created they will
be saved for you to reuse or to tweak. There are also
websites like http://MrKent.Net that provide subject specific
slide shows for you to change or use as you please.

The only way to find out if using a digital projector is for you
is to give it a try. Create or download a short lesson and
present it to your students to compare it to your regular lesson
Format. One thing you will notice right away is that you spend
more time interacting with your class and less time writing and
erasing items on the board.