AN ELECTRONIC version of the old school blackboard has won an award for being one of Britain's brightest ideas.

The interactive whiteboard developed by Blackburn-based Promethean has been named in the latest batch of Millennium Products - an initiative by the Government and the Design Council to find the best examples of innovation and technological development from UK firms.

The Activboard system has effectively turned the blackboard into a large computer monitor with the chalk replaced by a mouse.

Special software enables the systems to interact with other programmes enabling video clips and animation to be shown and video conferencing sessions to be held with other schools anywhere in the world.

Lessons using the whiteboard can be saved and then re-run for other classes.

The system has been hailed as one of the most important developments in teaching for years, opening up the whole of the curriculum to a new way of teaching that children love.

Promethean, part of the TDS House group of companies based at Whitebirk, is the latest East Lancashire firm to have its bright ideas recognised under the Millennium products initiative.

A chemical microscope developed by Blackburn-based Millbroook Instruments was been included in the last round of Millennium Products.

And MB Aseptic, of Blackburn, which has developed a high-tech filling system for the food industry, and Perseverance Mills, of Padiham, which produces Pertex fabric, were named in the first batch of Millennium Products.

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