Keepad Interactive (Keepad) is the Audience Participation Solution (APS) Division of the LUL Group of Companies. A separate division was created within our LUL Technology arm in line with our assessment that the pedagogy of learning will be elevated with the use of interactive technology as teaching practices become more student centred.

Our research disclosed that interactive technologies need to encompass the following functions in order to provide a full Audience Participation Solution or a Student Participation Solution (SRS) as applicable to the education market:

• Audience Response Systems (ARS)
• Interactive Whiteboards (IWB)
• Web based Conferencing, Training and Collaboration Systems (Web Conferencing)
• Interactive Content
• Interactive Accessories
• Conference, Hire & Professional Services

Keepad provides the market leading “TurningPoint” Audience Response System that gives every participant a voice and allows them to be actively engaged, relay their levels of understanding and share their opinions via the use of credit card sized Keypads.  TurningPoint integrates seamlessly with PowerPoint and is the easiest to use and most powerful ARS on the market.

A further complementary APS technology is the Interactive White Board (IWB) which allows the digital creation, capture, annotation, deletion, saving and recalling of passive and rich content. Keepad provides the leading eBeam IWB systems in both an eBeam Pod (portable) and an eBeam Board (fixed) form to allow a single software, training and support platform. The eBeam Pod can be easily attached to any standard whiteboard or similar surface and allows the use of existing investment in infrastructure and provides maximum flexibility of use.  Any teacher or trainer at any time can utilise the eBeam Pod in their class or meeting and take it home to prepare lessons or sessions.  Need a fixed board in certain locations? - Then standardise on the eBeam Board which uses the same flexible and powerful eBeam software.

The eBeam software suites come in two modes:  

•  “Whiteboard or Capture” mode, whereby normal marker pens, with the aid of ultrasonic sleeves, can be utilised on a standard whiteboard with the content created, saved or annotated etc with use of a notebook or PC without the need for a data projector, and
• “Projection or Interact” mode, whereby with the introduction of a data projector passive or rich content can be introduced to a standard whiteboard and annotated, saved and recalled etc via use of an “interactive stylus or virtual pen”.  This mode also includes ritePen software which is an excellent hand writing recognition tool.

To facilitate use of both the “whiteboard” and the “projection” modes to provide full functionality, Keepad offers the “eBeam Complete” Suite in both the eBeam Pod and eBeam Board that in effect incorporates both the Interactive stylus and ultrasonic sleeves into the one bundle. Needless to say, ritePen is also included.

Connectivity is conveniently enabled by either a USB or a Bluetooth model.

Place a single, or several, eBeam Pod(s) in a central repository such as a library or at reception to allow any teacher or trainer at any time to run an IWB session. Want to develop a lesson at home or after hours then sign out the eBeam Pod and you are quickly creating or enhancing interactive sessions.  Add one (or several) TurningPoint ARS Kit(s) and you can now engage every participant. Now, throw-in a Data Projector or two to cater for non equipped areas and establish a fully interactive session practically anywhere.  Voila! You now have the power to engage your participants and achieve higher learning outcomes! We do not know of a better way to share the power of interactive learning technologies!