ActivInspire Training Videos and Resources
Here are two very handy links if you are an ActivInspire user and are looking for ActivInspire training materials.
ActivInspire flipchart creation help and resources : This wiki has some very useful ActivInspire helpsheets and handouts, including help on using containers and actions. There are sheets for other software such as Audacity, Excel and Photostory too.
ActivInspire Training videos : These videos, produced by Denver Public Schools, cover many features of ActivInspire and are well worth a look for some extra help.
Dont forget my ActivInspire training videos here, and please get in touch to book ActivInspire training/CPD for your school or college.
Read More
Promethean ActivInspire Training Resources
Here’s a summary of the Promethean ActivInspire (and ActivStudio) training resources that you’ll find in the Guides section of this blog.
Promethean Helpsheets
- Using Desktop Tools in Activinspire
- Making an Anagram Starter in ActivInspire
- ActivSoftware Inspire Studio Toolbars
- ActivSoftware Inspire Primary Toolbars
- Activstudio 3 Toolbars
- ActivExpression voting guide
- Promethean ActivInspire – Adding Graph Paper and Grids
- Check your Interactive Whiteboard Gallery
- Moving between IWB Platforms
- Screencasting with IWB Software
- Creative use of colour in IWB files
- Lesson Starter Ideas for your Whiteboard
Promethean Training Videos
- Making an Anagram Game in ActivInspire
- Desktop Tools and Screen Capture in ActivInspire
- ActivSoftware Inspire Edition – A first look
I am working on some more guides and resources, watch this space!
Also take a look at the Promethean section of this blog, which has lots of other articles I’ve written that you might find useful.
Other websites
The official guides and resources can be found on PrometheanPlanet.
A great wiki of resources from Tom Cooper : http://promethean.york.wikispaces.net/su10training
Some useful resources from Technology Resource Teachers
The Promethean Playground : http://prometheanplayground.wikispaces.com/
Promethean ActivInspire CPD/INSET
Don’t forget, you can book me to deliver Promethean ActvInspire training, check out my Think Bank website or just get in touch for details.
Read MoreInteractive Whiteboard Training from Think Bank
A short commecial plug. I’ve mentioned before that I am a freelance interactive whiteboard trainer – I specialise in the main on delivering training in Interactive Whiteboards (Smart/Promethean) and also on Science training for teachers and student teachers. As an interactive whiteboard trainer I regularly deliver bespoke training sessions on how to use interactive whiteboards in schools and colleges around the UK plus overseas. I’ve also deliver courses for Military and Corporate customers.
One of the things I really enjoy doing is going into universities to deliver introductory whiteboard sessions to PGCE students studying to be teachers. Institutions where I have delivered this kind of training include Kings College London and Anglia Ruskin University.
So if you are in need of interactive whiteboard training, then please get in touch.
I am an accredited Smart Masters trainer for SMART Notebook v10 and SMART meeting Pro. I am also happy to deliver training on Promethean boards – for ActivInspire, ActivPrimary and/or ActivStudio. I can also offer training on voting systems such as Smart Response, ActiVote/ActivExpression and Turning Point and also on Visualisers and their use in the classroom.
In addition I also run non-whiteboard sessions, such as blogging, podcasting, animation, digital storytelling and web 2.0 technologies. With my science hat on I can also run sessions looking in general at the use of ICT in Science, or a particular focus on datalogging.
You can find find out more on the Courses page, or check out the Think Bank website.
Here are some quotes from a recent Interactive Whiteboard training day:
“Fantastic – I learnt more today than on my PGCE”
“An extremely useful and enjoyable day”
“Very Impressed. Possibly the best course I’ve ever attended”
“Lots of really great ideas. New skills learned, others revised. Lots of thinking about application. Great”
“A great beginning to my interactive adventure”
If your school or college is in need of training, then please get in touch and we can discuss options. Get in touch via the contact form here.
Mimio Training Videos
If you own a Mimio interactive whiteboard then you’ll be interested in this YouTube channel that contains several useful videos on how to use the Mimio software.
http://www.youtube.com/user/DYMOMimio
You can also find training materials and support via the official Mimio website.
You can download the most recent version of the Mimio software (version 
by going here. (Trial version, needs activation key)
Read More
The White Elephant
This is something I wrote a while back as part of a reflective task for the M.Ed module I’m studying. I was thinking about some of the teachers I meet when I go into schools. It’s an extreme amalgam of characters.
I’d forgotten that I hadn’t posted it here yet. I was reminded when I read this post by Chris Betcher and this one by Steve Wheeler.
The bloody thing arrived over the Easter break. A giant screen with a stupid arm sticking out of it. They messed up my room to put it in too. My desk was moved and my old board ripped out. An interactive whiteboard they say it’s called. What do I want an interactive whiteboard for? My old board was interactive enough for me. I wrote on it. Occasionally I’d stick things to it with blue tack. It was fine. I asked the head if I could use my whiteboard pens on this new board and he went pale. No. Not under any circumstances.
I hate it. I’m not good with computers you see. I have to get my son over to help me with anything like that. I still get confused with the DVD player at home. There’s too many buttons.
All this technology in the classroom. It’s just unnecessary. What a waste of all that money that could be spent on books. I can’t see the point of all this email and texting. Kids are sending texts to the kid sitting next to them at school. How stupid is that? And as for Facebook and Twitter? Who wants to know what you’re doing every minute of every day? Apparently the C in ICT stands for communication – I think there’s quite enough communicating as it is. Kids are losing the ability to sit quietly and do their classwork. Whats the point of being able to speak to people on the other side of the world?
Anyway, so my big stupid board just sits there. A big stupid blank space, staring at me. I tried to use it once, but I couldn’t get it to click where i put my finger. Apparently I need to calibrate it or something. I asked the head and he told me there was a manual for it on the school network. I didn’t think i should ask how to get onto the network so I just nodded and left it at that. He said something about the P drive, or the Z drive or something. No idea how to get those. I don’t think they’re on my computer.
We haven’t had any training on it, the head said there was no need. “it’s intuitive” he said. “anyone can use it”. In reality he’s spent thousands on these things. I reckon he’s now trying to save a few quid by doing the training himself. But it’s the blind leading the blind. Even if we did get someone in it would probably be some snotty little 18 year old whizzkid who’d throw a lot of jargon at us, or a sales pitch. And then leave us to it.
I should try and do something with it. My kids have shown me how to get a video up onto the screen, but that’s all I can do. I just don’t have the time to learn anything new. Especially with all the jobs i keep getting given.
I’m too old for all this.
Do you have teachers like this in your school? How can you help them? How could your school support them?
When I go in and deliver training, I try and think of this teacher and try to make things manageable for them. To keep it simple but to show how to use the IWB in the classroom. At least in the schools I go into the management team have made the decision to invest in some training. That can make all the difference. Even to the very hesistant teachers.
I know there’s quite a kick back against interactive whiteboards in many schools. This links back to my post the other week about it not being the whiteboard that’s the problem. There’s always been a resistance to change, school boards and teachers have resisted slates, ballpoint pens and paper over the last 200 years. The tech is not going to go away – our children are growing up in a highly technological world. As teachers we need to adapt and embrace it.
How do you support the other staff in your school?
Read MoreIt’s not the whiteboard that’s the problem
Go take a look at this excellent blog post by Matt Pearson : “Reports of the death of the whiteboard are much exaggerated.” In it he sums up a lot of my thinking on interactive whiteboards.
To those who claim that IWB’s are expensive white elephants I would argue that it is a matter of training. A school invests many thousands of pounds in technology, but then will not invest in the time or money to train their staff to make the best use of them. Hence the IWB’s become expensive screens. But that’s not the fault of the technology.
A full day’s training would cost a school around £600 for up to 20 staff. That’s £30 a head. Split the day into two 1/2 day sessions and you could give 40 staff a good grounding in how to use their IWB for only £15 a head.
Is that not worth doing?
Contact me to find out more about interactive whiteboard training options and how your school and your pupils could benefit from staff who know how to use their interactive whiteboard as more than just a screen to show videos on. If you are in the USA or Canada then check out Teacher Online Training instead.
Read More
Interactive Whiteboard Training Courses
A quick mention for my day job. As an interactive whiteboard trainer I regularly deliver bespoke training sessions on how to use interactive whiteboards in schools and colleges around the UK. I’ve also delivered for Military and Corporate clients. I have also been into universities to deliver introductory whiteboard sessions to PGCE students studying to be teachers. So if you are in need of whiteboard training, then please get in touch.
I am an accredited Smart Masters trainer for Smart Notebook v10. I am also happy to deliver training on Promethean boards – for ActivInspire but also on the older ActivPrimary and ActivStudio. I can also offer training on voting systems such as Smart Response, ActiVote/ActivExpression and Turning Point and also on Visualisers and their use.
In addition I also run non-whiteboard sessions, such as blogging, podcasting and web 2.0 technologies. With my science hat on I can also run sessions looking at ICT in Science, or datalogging.
You can find find out more on the Courses page, or check out the Think Bank website.
Here are some quotes from a recent Interactive Whiteboard training day:
“Fantastic – I learnt more today than on my PGCE”
“An extremely useful and enjoyable day”
“Very Impressed. Possibly the best course I’ve ever attended”
“Lots of really great ideas. New skills learned, others revised. Lots of thinking about application. Great”
“A great beginning to my interactive adventure”
If your school or college is in need of training, then please get in touch and we can discuss options. Get in touch via info (at) think-bank.com.
Interactive Whiteboard Training
Just a quick plug, if you’ll indulge me for a minute, for my services as an interactive whiteboard trainer.I regularly deliver bespoke training sessions on how to use interactive whiteboards in schools and colleges around the UK. I’ve also delivered for Military and Corporate clients. In recent weeks I have been to universities to deliver introductory sessions to PGCE students studying to be teachers. (I am a PGCE tutor myself)
I am an accredited Smart Masters trainer for Smart Notebook v10 and also for the older v9. I am also happy to deliver training on Promethean boards – for ActivInspire but also ActivPrimary and ActivStudio. I can also offer training on voting systems such as Smart Response, ActiVote/ActivExpression and Turning Point. Non-whiteboard sessions, such as blogging, podcasting, web 2.0 and datalogging are also available. Find out more on the Courses page.
If your school or college is in need of training, then please get in touch and we can discuss options. Get in touch via info (at) think-bank.com.
Support for Men in Primary Teaching
This isn’t Whiteboard, or even ICT -related, but seems like an interesting project. As someone involved in primary school teacher training I’m quite aware of the lack of male primary school teachers. On my current course there are 23 female to 2 male trainees. I received information about this project today and wanted to pass it on to help promote it.
The TDA have recently supported the production of three films celebrating and promoting Men in Primary, the films will be screen at three events across London this month. This will also be supported by the creation of a peer support network.
Don’t miss the opportunity to engage in the Men in Primary agenda and to work with other men in your area.
We provide the refreshments, you provide the conversation, come along:
12th October 2010
5pm-7pm (film screens @ 5:30)
The Institute For Education
20 Bedford Way
London WC1H 0AL
14th October 2010
5pm-7pm (film screens @ 5:30)
Cass School of Education
University of East London
Stratford Campus
Water Lane
London E14 4LZ
21st October 2010
5pm-7pm (film screens @ 5:30)
School of Education
Roehampton University
Roehampton Lane
London SW15 5PU
RSVP: rory@osmogroup.com for free tickets to any of our events. The films will be available online after they are shown at the event. Watch this space.
Men represent a minority of the workforce in primary education. They are less likely to apply to teacher training, more likely not to complete their studies, and less likely to remain in teaching for a long time. The project aims to help this change. Join up to the facebook group to be part of the change – search ‘Men in Primary’
Read More
About Me
Danny Nicholson : Educator, Science teacher, ICT Consultant, PGCE lecturer, Author and Web2.0 / SMART Masters/ Interactive Whiteboard Trainer. Contact me for any training requests. 
Buy the book!
