Beyond the electronic whiteboard

Nothing too new about electronic whiteboards as a collaborative tool (see, for example, this experiment from Colorado). But the InterWrite MeetingPad creates a new range of options. It's a wireless, handheld tablet that uses Bluetooth to communicate with an electronic whiteboard in real-time. One electronic white board can work with up to 7 pads, so you can pass tablets out to multiple meeting participants and let them collaborate or contribute to the whiteboard from their seats.

Most of the case studies on the company's web site involve educational applications. But it could prove useful in citizen engagement projects, particularly those involving small-group dialogue. If multiple InterWrite meetings were networked together you could imagine somewhat dispersed groups of participants working collaboratively over the Internet to do brainstorming or decision-making sessions.