Student Editions

Wouldn’t it be great if you could save all the notes you had written on your interactive whiteboard during a lesson and then give it to the students to revise from? Or to give to students who missed the lesson? How handy would that be?

But did you know you can already do that?

Both Smart and Promethean have produced student editions of their software. These are cut-down versions which allow students to view the files you produce in a lesson.

Promethean’s ActivSoftware Student edition can be downloaded here.

Smart Notebook Student Edition can be downloaded here.

Both versions are free to use, and your students are licensed to use the software as long as your school has purchased the corresponding IWBs

All you need to do is come up with a way of giving that file to the students. If you have a shared area on your network you could save your file to that. Name it accordingly (Teacher name, class and date would be good) and then students can take it home on a USB stick or email it themselves. Alternatively you could put the file up onto the school VLE if you have one.

Both Promethean and Smart software also lets you export files in PDF or PowerPoint format - if you just want students to have a static record of the lesson notes. Because you’re dealing in digital files it can be easily shared

This is a very handy way of making your lesson notes available to your students after the lesson. Try it now!

A look at ActivSoftware Inspire

I've written a few times to mention the forthcoming new software from Promethean, the rather unwieldly titled ActivSoftware Inspire Edition. I downloaded my trial edition from the Promethean Planet website and have finally had a chance to play with it.

You can view my video about the new software here. I can't seem to embed these files into my blog :)

Whereas with the past versions of ActivPrimary and ActivStudio, each new version was more stuff added on top of an older version, Inspire Edition is a complete rebuild. This has allowed Promethean to look at how teachers are using the software, and may be using it in the future, and build this in to the software now. In theory this should mean the software can be a little leaner and meaner. There are still a few bugs in the version I was trying out, but on the whole it seemed pretty slick - apart from when dealing with videos and flash files.

The headline news is that you now only have one version of the software to worry about. There will no longer be one product for primary and one for secondary/college. Inspire edition has two different "skins" so that you can use either the Primary or Studio workspace.

Using the Studio Workspace

Using the Primary Workspace



You can change between workspaces via the Dashboard. Click on Configure and then tick the box next to "Launch next time using....". When you restart the software it will switch to the other view.

The first real difference you'll notice is that ActivInspire has adopted the more "windowsy" feel that you could achieve in AS3 with file menus along the top of the screen. This makes it easier to use, and find the menu items you want to use. It also puts the tabs across the top for the various flipcharts you have open.

The sidebar that you used to get on the side of the flipchart has now gone. The forward and backward page icons are now on the main floating toolbar. There is now a Browser panel which floats on the side of the screen. This shows the pages in your document, but also becomes the resource browser, properties inspector, actions panel etc etc.

The other big change is to the icons that appear when you select an object on the screen. The resizing anchor points in the corners are now larger and easier to grab. Instead of having to double-click to bring up the icon panel, it appears automatically. This quickly allows you to group, ungroup, resize, change transparency etc. You can see them in this screengrab;



This is easier than the older system. A similar toolbar pops up when you select text.




Handling text is also a little easier. Firstly when writing text the formatting toolbar appears at the top of the page, similar to where you'd expect it in something like Word. Also, from a Science/Maths point of view it's nice to finally get a decent Superscript and Subscript tool. Good for formulae and SI units etc.

Adding an action to an object is now easier. Simply click on the object, go to the browser panel and select actions. You can then choose an action to add to that object - such as make the calculator appear or bring up the keyboard. You can see how this looks in the ActivPrimary skin here;



Another feature that could be interesting is the fact that it is now possible to submit your files to Promethean Planet directly from within the ActivInspire software. Simply click on File and then Submit Flipcharts to Promethean Planet. Hopefully this will encourage more people to share the flipcharts they have made and help to further develop the resources available to Promethean Planet users.



Oh, and a big hooray that we finally have an eraser that actually erases. The old, weird think that makes the ink transparent but doesn't remove it is now renamed Magic Ink. It's still there if for some reason you still want it... but finally Promethean have seen sense and brought in a decent eraser. (OK I know it's a minor thing, but it's been bugging me on training sessions for years!)

I've been pretty impressed with the software so far. The only issues have been with video and media handling. I've tried adding videos and I either just get an icon rather than have it embed - or the software crashes. Similar things have happened when adding Flash files. I've tried dragging Flash video files onto the flipchart page, and it doesn't know what to do with them.. but when I insert via the menus, they do appear on the page OK. I like to drag things onto the page in the same way I do in Smart Notebook, it's annoying ActivInspire doesn't do this. Maybe this will be fixed with the full release, I do hope so.

If you want to try the software for yourself you still have about a fortnight to do so. You can download it from here, and try it out until the end of February. The full version should be out in March.

Please take a look at my video to see the software in action.

If you want to know more you can also check out Chris Betchers great blog, and also the ActivInspire blog where they are running a blogging competition (Be quick as it closes tomorrow).

Enjoy!

ActivSoftware Inspire edition

Promethean users might be interested to know that from tomorrow (Wed 14th) you can download a preview version of the new ActivSoftware Inspire edition. This will eventually replace both ActivStudio and ActivPrimary and will be available for Mac, Windows and now Linux computers.

Available exclusively to Promethean Planet members, the tailored preview specifically invites feedback, offering you the opportunity to help develop the final version.

Activsoftware Inspire Edition will be offered in two editions - Activsoftware Inspire Personal and Activsoftware Inspire Professional. The personal version will be available for free to everyone, including teachers, students and parents via download from Planet.

Existing users of Promethean’s Activstudio and Activprimary software can upgrade to the Professional edition and download the software from Planet at no extra cost. New customers will be able to purchase this full version for a promotional fee of £99/€99/$99.

Activsoftware Inspire Edition comes loaded with new tools, flipchart page templates and activities, and can be upgraded to support dual pen functionality, allowing two students to use the Activboard at the same time for true, real-time collaboration.

Please note that the preview version automatically expires on March 1, 2009 so you have about 6 weeks to play with it. The commercial release of the software will take place later in March.

You need to be a promethean planet member to access it. To find out more, go here.

Halloween Resources

If you are looking for some Halloween resources to use on your Promethean board, then take a look at the Promethean Planet website.

They have a Halloween resource pack that contains spooky backgrounds and images. It also contains some game template pages for adding a halloween theme to some lesson plenary activities such as Pictionary, Hot Seat and Tic Tac Toe.

Smartboard users might like to check out this nice Halloween Ghost Countdown made by Jim over at Teachers Love Smartboards.

It's at this time of year that I like to promote my Halloween Memory Game that some students may like to play on the IWB. You can find it here.

And not IWB related, but check out this amazing Cylon Jack-o-Lantern :) Amazing stuff.



Have a good Halloween!

ActivStudio 3 Toolbars

Here's a very quick helpsheet I have written for a training day that covers the main buttons from the ActivStudio 3 toolbar.

Activstudio 3 Toolbars - Upload a Document to Scribd

Read this document on Scribd: Activstudio 3 Toolbars

This is the first time I've used Scribd to distribute a document, but it looks quite useful. If you also need it, I've uploaded my Smart 10 toolbar sheet there too.

Quick IWB tip - The Zip File Trick

Here's a quick tip that I was reminded of after a question on Twitter today.

Let's say you have a Smart Notebook file or Promethean flipchart which has lots of images in it, and maybe even some embedded flash files. How do you get those resources out to use elsewhere?

Well, if you select the file in your regular file management window you should be able to rename it. Change the bit after the dot of the filename that says .xbk, .nbk, .notebook or .flp and change it to a .zip instead. If you can't see the extension on the end of the filename you may need to change your folder properties since Windows can hide these by default.

Once you have changed the extension to .zip, your computer now thinks it is a zip file. So now open it up inside WinZip or whatever software you use to open zip files with.

You will see a listing of all the assets inside the flipchart/notebook file listed as if this was just another zip file. You may even see an Images folder with all the picture files inside. All you need to do now is select out the images/flash files you want and copy/paste them to another folder.

And that's it. You might want to make a copy of the notebook file before you do this in case you wreck it ;) But it's pretty straightforward.

Promethean moves into a new orbit

Promethean has launched an enhanced version of its online teaching community, Promethean Planet. The site has been transformed to offer improved functionality and content.

A 'best practice' section is just one of new additions to the teaching community, which offers advice from top educationalists on implementing interactive technologies in the classroom. In addition, the new version of Promethean Planet provides improved search facilities, a dedicated 'Activtips' area containing bite-sized clips of popular software functions, as well as a new 'theme' section, which features free downloadable resources on current topics and events.

If your school is a Promethean school then a visit to Promethean Planet is essential.

Promethean Roadshows

Promethean users may be interested to know about the forthcoming Promethean "Love Your Whiteboard" Roadshows that are taking place over the next few months.

A Love Your Whiteboard Roadshow is primarily focussed around one objective; to give you the ideas and confidence to make better use of your whiteboard, regardless of manufacturer.

Here's a short list on the type of things that you will hear about at a Love Your Whiteboard Roadshow:

• Software - find out about our award winning Activprimary & Activstudio
• Did you know? - find out the useful facts & functions to make classroom life easier
• Pedagogy - hear about the latest teaching practices involving whiteboards

Teachers who attend a roadshow will also have the opportunity to win prizes and take away free gifts, such as a '20 Top Tips' DVD, which they can share with their colleagues.

More information can be found here

Promethean have also started blogging. If you want to read the Promethean Blog, you can read it here.

Biology on the IWB: 10 Quick Ideas

Here are some quick ideas for using an IWB for Biology teaching.

1. Sequence the stages in Mitosis or Meiosis using images or statements

2. Drag and Drop animals and arrows to create Food Chains and Webs

3. Label diagrams of the various body systems using images captured from the Internet or from the gallery.

4. Investigate genetic crossing using drag and drop punnet squares. In Smart you could use the Infinite Cloner on the B and b, or just stack several letters on top of each other so when you drag one down, the rest remain.

5. Use the camera to capture pictures from the internet to illustrate a lesson on the dangers of alcohol and smoking. Or use the Inside Body powerpoint presentations from the ASE site as a source of images.

6. Sort foods into 'healthy' and 'unhealthy' foods, then use as basis for a discussion about whether there is actually any such thing as an unhealthy food.

7. Simulate how to use a quadrat before going out into the field using random dots and a square annotation, or the square spotlight tool.

8. Combine the IWB with a digital microscope to demonstrate and label slides as a whole class.

9. Keyword Plenary – pupils choose keywords from a selection, drag them into the middle of the screen and use them to explain one thing they’ve learned from the lesson.

10. Use a visualiser (Document camera) when carrying out dissections of the heart or flowers to make it easier for the whole class to see what is going on. Use the camera tool to capture images during the various stages of the dissection and add labels to the images. A cheaper alternative would be to use a webcam clamped to a retort stand

A quick starter idea - Countdown Clock

Here's a quick idea for a lesson starter/plenary. The idea is to give the students 5 quickfire questions and a set, short, time limit to answer each one.

The way you can do this will be slightly different whether you have a Smartboard or an ActivBoard

Promethean Version

1. On page 1 write/type your first question.
2. Put another question on page 2, 3, 4 etc
3. Go back to page 1
4. Click on the Clock icon from the ActivStudio toolbar. Select Count Ddown from the list.
5. Set the time you want each question to be shown. In the example below I have chosen 30 seconds.
6. You can set a sound to play at the end of each time limit. Click on the drop down arrow to choose a different sound.
7. In the second drop down, choose "Turn to next page".
8. Make sure the Repeat box is checked. This will make the clock work on every slide rather than just the first one.
9. Then click OK

What will happen is that the first question will be displayed and the clock will start counting down. When it reaches zero, the sound will play and ActivStudio will immediately turn to the second question. This will repeat for all the questions you have written.

SmartBoard version

Smart Notebook does have a countdown timer, but it does not turn the pages automatically.

You can find the timer in the gallery in several places. Check under - Essentials for Educators - Mathematics - General Resources - Tools. Drag the timer from the gallery onto your 5 question pages.

Set each clock to Count Down and set the time to 30 seconds.

Once the clock has counted down, move to the next page. You will have to do this manually.

Quick Tips

Smart Quick Tip #1 - If you use the Timer a lot, it is well worth dragging it into your My Content area of the gallery so you can find it quicker.

Smart Quick Tip #2 - You can search the gallery by keyword. So a quick way to find the timer would be to type the word Timer into the search box at the top of the gallery. All the items that have a keyword of Timer will be returned in the search.

General Tip #1 - If you want to set up the questions during a lesson and you do not want the students to see them before you are ready, You can use the Blank or the Freeze button on the remote control to hide what you are doing until you are ready.

Promethean software version 3

I do a lot of training in schools using Promethean Activ Boards, and in nearly every case they are still using ActivPrimary 2 or ActivStudio 2. Most of these schools haven't been made aware that version 3 is available - and has been for nearly a year.

Version 3 has some new features and tweaks that make it work a little better than v2.

If you already own version 2 - you can upgrade to version 3 for free. All you need to have is your Serial number, which you can find inside the box that the Activ software came in. You can also find the serial number in the Help > About menu inside the software.

There are two different pages to go to, depending on whether you are in the UK or the US.

UK users should go here.

US users should go here.

You can enter your details at the bottom of the page, and will then be sent a link to download version 3. If this does not work, or the thought of a 600MB download is too much, you can order a CD for a small fee. On the page you will find a link to a pdf file that explains the new features of version 3.

For teachers who want to be able to check out Promethean resources on their computers, but dont want to install the full version of ActivStudio/Primary - there is a Flipchart viewer that you can download. You can get it here

The viewer is also good if you want students to be able to take home copies of the lessons you have produced on your classroom IWB. As an alternative, you can also direct them towards ActivStudio Student Edition. This is freely available for use by any student of a school or institution that owns licensed copies of Promethean Activstudio. Every one of your students may install this software to create their own flipchart presentations or open their teachers’ flipcharts.

Art Attack

The other day James, over at Teachers Love Smart Boards, linked to a great online drawing package called Imagination Cubed. Basically its a drawing program that runs in your browser. This is great as it can be used on any brand of IWB irrespective of the software you use on your board.

I'm a scientist, not an artist but I've always enjoyed using art packages on the IWB. I used to play with packages like Painter and Photoshop. Drawing with a mouse, or even a graphics tablet, is a real pain and it is so much easier to be able to paint with my fingers! After all an IWB is only really a HUGE graphics tablet!

A quick trawl around the web led me to a few other interesting drawing packages. There are a lot of them out there covering a range of painting styles. And the best thing is they are free! I love Photoshop but it is rather pricey!

A really nice one is Brushter, which is an abstract painting package. You can choose from a wide range of brush styles and different paint effects. Autocolour chooses a different colour paint each time, which should sound annoying but actually can give a nice abstract effect. You can even click an Auto button and have Brushter generate an abstract image on its own while you watch! Here's a little something I knocked up:

Another one I quite liked is ArtPad. It's much simpler than Brushter and only gives one style of paintbrush. You can choose colours, size and opacity though. Like Imagination cubed you can replay your painting from start to finish.

Finally, there is the much simpler online Colouring-in pages at TheKidszPage.com. You can choose from a range of different line drawings to then colour in. Again this is not as powerful as the Brushter one, but foundation pupils will love colouring in the pictures with their fingers!