A WHO Wants to be a Millionaire? style "ask the classroom" keypad is to help teachers assess pupils in the latest development to be introduced in Blackburn and Darwen schools.

The latest innovation takes the interactive whiteboard technology which is already being used in many of the area's 22 Education Action Zone schools to a new level.

And the technology is being developed in Blackburn by local company Promethean, based in Whitebirk, whose product manager Peter Lambert explained the value of the new technology to teachers at a conference being hosted by Blackburn with Darwen EAZ.

He said the company's new ACTIVote system is about to be put on trial by six schools nationwide, including one in Blackburn. Other EAZ schools will then be given the opportunity to use the equipment.

The system puts a small television remote control-type box with six buttons into the children's hands, which they can then use to answer the teacher's questions, multiple choice questions in a test, register for classes, or allow the class to vote on different issues. It is expected to cost up to £3,000 for a system for a class of 30, although modifications may still be made to it after the classroom trials this autumn. As well as reducing the time it takes for teachers to mark tests, it can also reduce the amount of photocopying of test papers.

Mr Lambert said: "The idea is that every student can answer questions, even ones who never put their hands up, and the teacher knows how they are doing.

"ACTIVote system can also database all the children's responses so the teachers can see how well they are doing. The information can go into any programme they want."

The interactive whiteboard was one of the pioneering steps taken by the Blackburn with Darwen Education Action Zone (EAZ) when it was first set up by the government two and a half years ago to improve education standards.

It allows the teacher to project the computer screen onto a wall and using a special pen which can act as either a mouse or "chalk" use standard or specially written programmes, the internet and multimedia software to help with their teaching. The ACTIVote, which will be launched in January 2001, was demonstrated at a conference organised by the Blackburn with Darwen EAZ which was held to celebrate the success of the Blackburn with Darwen zone, as well as share knowledge with other EAZs from around the country.

Michael Gregson, a teacher from Longshaw Primary School was one of those passing on his experiences, after evaluating special software written for the interactive whiteboard for teaching primary school maths.

He said: "It's a maths programme with which teachers can create a new teaching tool. The children like it. It has a good place in parts of the numeracy lesson."

Picture: The Smith sisters Dominique, six, and Danielle, 10, try out the new classroom keypads