Smartboard Reference Guide

Stephanie VanValin and Josh Billica MAED 417/419 Methods for Teaching Middle and Secondary Mathematics

SmartBoard Reference Guide:

When first setting up your SmartBoard, don’t be alarmed if it is not working correctly. You must configure the board by touching a series of points displayed so that the board can figure out where you are touching. See Figure 1.1.

Fig. 1.1

Software: Notebook 9 and Notebook 10.

- Notebook 10 has added some great new features in this new edition of the software. o Magic Pen . spotlight . magnifier . dissolving text o Write directly in PowerPoint Presentations . In notebook 9 you could only write on an invisible layer over the PowerPoint and none of the notes would be saves. Now you can write directly in PowerPoint and save the notes you have taken. o Sentno Software Question Insertion . It is now possible to put questions directly into notebook presentations o Shape Recognition . Allows teachers to draw shapes and then the program turns them into better representations. For instance, it is very hard to free hand a perfect circle, but with notebook 10 you don’t have to worry. It will recognize the shape you are drawing and turn it into a perfect circle. o Notebook Toolbars Graphing Calculators

- Texas Instruments offers a program that can be used on SmartBoards to show your students how to use their graphing calculator. o TI-SmartView Emulator Software o Available for 73, 84, and Nspire calculators. o Keeps a keystroke history making it easy for students to follow along. o Displays Home, Equation, Table and List screens simultaneously. o Has to ability to prerecord keystrokes for playback during a lesson. o Newest version features an always on top feature eliminating clicking between screens.

Helpful Websites:

Using Electronic Whiteboards in Your Classroom http://www.waukesha.k12.wi.us/WIT/SMARTBoard/specificapps.htm

SMART Technologies http://education.SMARTtech.com/ste/en-us/

SMART Board 9 Software – Tips and Tricks http://downloads.SMARTtech.com/media/support/product/sb/tipsandtricks/pdf/sb_tipsan dtricks.pdf The use of a SmartBoard is the combination of a white board with the technology of a computer. There are so many different uses that the SmartBoard can add a great amount of technology to the classroom. Now that this technology has been introduced to the classroom many teachers are finding that it can save on paper, since they do not have to print out copies of worksheets. They can just show the problems on the screen. Also it makes it easy for teachers who use online websites for their classes or even for students who are sick and miss class. It is very easy for the teacher to save the project or notes that have been done in PowerPoint or other documents so that those absent students do not miss all the notes in a class period.

Although this is great technology, educators much keep in mind that they are still the educator using this technology. Do not let the technology over run the education that a teacher would provide. Also having your back to the students a lot could effect your classroom management. They do offer some laptop form of the SmartBoard, like a computer that you can write on the screen so you can be anywhere in the classroom writing on the board. You can sit in the back and keep an eye on all of your students. Even though there are some disadvantages to the SmartBoard I feel that it provides a lot more advantages to a classroom.

Like a computer, this can pull up documents and applications that are saved. For example, provided applications such as algebra tiles on the SmartBoard, allow students to watch an interactive lesson, instead of static pictures in a PowerPoint or witnessing the teacher fight a losing battle with overhead algebra tiles and the overhead projector that has a mind of its own. Students can also see all the steps that you take to do a problem on the calculator because the SmartBoard allows you to use TI-SmartView Emulator that records each step that you take to do some action in the calculator. This would be great to create your own guide for using the calculator in your classroom.

Finally, there are some extra special features that just make a teacher’s life easier.

The magic pen, which provides a zoom in and out, spotlight and some cool disappearing ink for those students who think they have all the time in the world to write down the notes but not with this pen, as the ink disappears after a little while. Also the text and shape recognition can take sloppy white board writing and turn it into perfect Comic Sans font.

Also you can trick your students and make ‘perfect’ circles free hand with the shape recognition tool.

This technology is a great upgrade from the once amazing whiteboards. This

SmartBoard puts a twist on the idea of computers and whiteboards. Where the mix creates such a modern technological world that the students will be intrigued and cannot help but pay attention. So go grab that SmartBoard that will enhance the learning in your classroom.