Changing/Printing Underlay for SmartSlate

   1.  Turn on your SmartSlate so it is connected and functioning.
   2.  Right click on the Smartboard Tools icon in the bottom right         side of your screen by the computer’s clock.
   3.  Select “Control Panel”.
   4.  Click “Smart Hardware Tools” on the left side of the window            that appears.
5.  Select “Setup Underlay and Icon Strip” from the pulldown menu in the middle of the window.

**If you are wanting to just use the default tools on the Slate, simply click “Print” at the bottom right side of the window.  Cut out the underlay and place it under the thin, clear plastic film on the top of your Slate.

**If you would like to change the tools that are on your Slate, click the “Setup Icon Strip” button and change the tools that appear on your slate.  After you’ve finished making changes, click “Apply” at the bottom right and then print the underlay to match the changes.

Connecting Your Slate or Airliner

WS200 Wireless SLATE or WS100 Airliner Bluetooth Connection
HP6910 Teacher Laptops

                                          

  1.  Make sure your AirLiner or Slate is charged.
  2. Turn on the wireless on your teacher laptop (press icon on shiny strip until it glows blue).
  3. RIGHT click on Bluetooth icon in your System Tray –  select Add a Bluetooth Device.
  4. Turn over SLATE or Airliner and push CONNECT button on back.
  5. When picture of SLATE or Airliner appears in Bluetooth window, click on it one time to select, then NEXT.
  6. FOR WS100 AIRLINER: when confirmation window pops up, use the PEN FROM THE AIRLINER to click on the countdown timer. If your pen is now communicating with your computer, you can proceed to customize the pen settings. See SMART_SLATE_UNDERLAY handout for more information. Congratulations! You have finished.
  7. FOR WS200 SLATE: when confirmation window pops up, WAIT, do not touch pen or use mouse to click on countdown timer. After approximately 20-30 seconds a SECURITY ALERT bubble will appear above the system tray. Use your mouse to click on the bubble. Type four zeros in the security box (0000), then click okay with your mouse. Pick up the pen from the SLATE and click on the countdown timer. You may have to repeat this process (From steps 3 on) more than one time before you have a successful connection.
  8. If your SLATE pen is now communicating with your computer, you can proceed to customize the pen settings and create custom tool sets and underlays.

 

What in the Worldle can you do with Wordle?

I’d like to give a shout out to Mrs. Martin’s 5th Grade class at Windcrest Elementary!  Today we co-taught a lesson on Matter using Wordle.net.  The students brought their Science journals to the lab and used their notes on the different types of matter to create a word cloud.  I like using Wordle because it’s free and students don’t need to create accounts to use it.  I am attaching a “How to use Wordle” document in case you have never seen this tool before. One tip I have discovered is that it doesn’t always work in Internet Explorer.  If you come across this problem, download Firefox and update your computer to the latest version of Java.  Your ITS can help you with this if you aren’t sure how.  Here is an example:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here are some other ways you can integrate Wordle into your curriculum:

  • Language Arts-Create a main idea and summary word cloud about a particular story-copy and paste the main idea in 2 or 3 times to make it larger than the details, practice spelling words or word wall words, character traits for the main character in a story
  • Math-Type in different ways to make a certain dollar amount, factors of numbers or math facts
  • Science-vocabulary words and definitions for any concept (Landforms-mountains, rivers, ocean, lakes, plains, basin…)
  • PE-bones and muscles in the body
  • Music-different genres or artists
  • Social Studies-Indian tribes of Texas, Major battles of the Civil War, Facts about Presidents or inventors

 Wordle -How To

The Four Seasons App Task Card

I came across this adorable app called Four Seasons in the iTunes app store. ( I love it when I find something cute and it’s FREE!)  This app is perfect for a Science or Language Arts technology workstation. First, search the app store and download it on your iDevice.  It looks like this-

I have also included a task card for you to use. There are other free books as well as this one. You can access them on the last page of the book. Enjoy!

Task Card for Four Seasons App

SMART Lesson Activity Toolkit

Are you a new to the world of SMART? You may have access to a SmartBoard on your campus or you may have a Slate that’s still in the box.  The Lesson Activity Toolkit is a great way to begin learning the features of Notebook.  Here’s a quick You Tube Video to help you get acquainted.

Below you will find a link to the Lesson Activity Toolkit Quickstart Guide. I have also included the Notebook Activity I use in my trainings. Check back often for more ideas on how to use the Notebook Software.

Lesson Activity Toolkit PDF

Lesson Activity Toolkit

Big Huge Labs Trading Cards

Trading Cards

Big Huge Labs has lots of fun things to do with your photographs.  Many of these activities have great applications for the classroom. Big Huge Labs has a Trading Card Generator that can be used for biographies, Biomes/Habitats, Geometric Shapes, Animal Research, and other concepts that have mulitple components.

You will need to create accounts for your students that require an email address.  NEISD uses ePals for student email accounts.  Just contact your ITS if you are interested in using sites that require multiple account creation.

 

Interactive Whiteboard Language Arts Tips From Scholastic

Building Language for Literacy
Make the connection between letters and sounds. (PreK–K)


Practical Tips:

Have students practice their rhyming skills with Reggie the Rhyming Rhino. Display the activity on Whiteboard and have different students choose the words that rhyme.
Nina the Naming Newt will help students identify places within their community and common items found in those places. This is a wonderful activity to use with a social studies unit about community. Display the activity on Whiteboard and have different students drag the correct items into the box.
All of these activities can be used for small group instruction, especially the “Leo the Letter-Loving Lobster” activity. Help a small group of students with letter recognition by displaying the activity on the Whiteboard and having students choose the letters that match the object. Students can also keep a word dictionary in a notebook and add the new words that they spelled.
Go to Building Language for Literacy
Go to Teacher’s Guide

Clifford Interactive Storybooks
Play with phonics to build stories, in English and Spanish. (PreK–2)

Practical Tips:

Use these activities during circle time or a morning meeting to have students practice reading together. Students will enjoy choosing the words to complete the story they’re reading.
If you have voting capabilities, invite students to vote for which word they want to use to complete the story.
Do a “picture walk.” Before reading the story or listening to the audio, talk about the elements in the illustration. Have students circle and label the elements before reading the page.
Go to Clifford Interactive Storybooks
Go to Teacher’s Guide

Clifford Learning Games
Practice letters, sounds, and sight words with the Big Red Dog. (PreK–2)

Practical Tips:

Practice letter recognition with the word match game. Activity can be completed as a whole class or with a small group of students who need extra practice. Have students take turns dragging the words into the box with the appropriate starting letter.
Make new words using the “Make a Word” game. Display the activity on Whiteboard when students enter the classroom and challenge each student to create a new word. Students will look forward to creating new words when they enter the classroom in the morning. The “Make a Word” game can also be used whole class to review vowel sounds and even rhyming words.
Go to Clifford Learning Games
Go to Teacher’s Guide

Scholastic Videos
Bring authors into your classroom and build excitement around books. (PreK–12)

Check out the vast video collection for:

Video Book Talks
Video Book Trailers
Author Read-Alouds
Practical Tips:

Get students excited about an author study by showing a short video of the author on the Whiteboard.
Inspire young writers to enjoy writing and to understand the writing process by introducing them to published authors. Start a mini-lesson on where writers get their ideas by playing one of the many videos included in the collection. Have students make a list of how published authors come up with their writing ideas. Videos can also be used for mini-lessons on editing, revision, character development, etc.
Use videos to inspire students to create their own author videos. After students view several author videos on the Whiteboard, have them brainstorm ideas and topics to include in their own author video. Students will not only think about themselves as writers, they will be inspired to write more.
Go to Scholastic Videos

Story Starters
Generate creative writing prompts and then write stories. (K–6)

Practical Tips:

This is a perfect activity for students to complete as a morning activity. Display “Story
Starters” on Whiteboard and assign one student each day to spin the wheel. Students can write their creative stories in their Writer’s Notebook.
Do you have an extra few minutes between classroom activities and need something to do? Display “Story Starters” on your Whiteboard and have a student spin the wheel. Give students time to start writing their stories. Students can finish their stories during the day or for homework.
Go to Story Starters
Go to Teacher’s Guide

Character Scrapbook
Create illustrated pages that analyze favorite characters from any book. (K–8)

Practical Tips:

Help students learn how to determine character traits of a character in a book. Use a class read-aloud to model on the Whiteboard how to complete the activity. Have students come up to the Whiteboard and write down what they know about a character. Once this activity is modeled, students can complete it independently in the computer lab or at a center.
Challenge students to critically think about characters in books you are reading in class. Complete the “Ten things I know about . . . ” page, and have students use their critical thinking skills to determine which character of the book fits the descriptions displayed on the board.
Go to Character Scrapbook
Go to Teacher’s Guide

Flashlight Readers
Interact with your favorite books through games, slide shows, and videos. (1–8)

Practical Tips:

Show students the importance of revision in the writing process. Use Kate DiCamillo’s
“Slide Show of Drafts” to discuss the revision process and allow students to connect to a published author. Play each draft slide and have students write down how Kate DiCamillo revised the draft. When finished, have students use the strategies learned to revise their own writing.
Video and audio clips can be displayed on the Whiteboard to introduce an author study or to pique students’ interest in a book they’re going to read.
Do your students need extra grammar practice? Use Charlotte’s Web “Pick-the-Perfect-Word Game” to practice identifying nouns, verbs, adjectives, and prefixes. Display the activity on Whiteboard and have students move the correct words into Charlotte’s web.
Go to Flashlight Readers
Go to Teacher’s Guide

Poetry Idea Engine
Write haikus, free verse, limericks, and more. (1–8)

Practical Tips:

Display the “Poetry Idea Engine” and choose a type of poetry to teach. Each one explains the definition of the poem to assist with teaching. Have students create different poems for each type by dragging words into the blanks. After learning about each type of poem, have students create their own in groups, pairs, or individually.
Leave the poetry machine up to use at a center. Students can create a poem on the board, then write one at the center.
Go to Poetry Idea Engine
Go to Teacher’s Guide

Scholastic News Top Story
Focus on main idea, topic sentences, and essay structure with timely subjects. (3–8)

Practical Tips:

Select Top News story at your class reading level (each top story is available with leveled versions for grade 3, 4, 5–6, and 7–8). Display on Whiteboard and ask students to read aloud. Use the editing functions on your Whiteboard to highlight main and supporting ideas and key vocabulary. This is good practice for reading comprehension test skills.
Display the most-recent Top News story on your Whiteboard for transition time as students arrive, submit homework, etc. Ask students to do a five-minute free write in their Writer’s Notebook of reactions, personal connections, or fictional versions of what happens next.
Go to Scholastic News Top Story
Go to Teacher’s Guide

Myths Brainstorming Machine
Choose the elements to create your own myth. (4–9)

Practical Tips:

Use the brainstorming tool to model brainstorming ideas to write a myth. Have students work through choosing a setting, monster, and god/goddess as a whole class. Then model how to use the outline to write the myth.
Use this brainstorming tool with students who are struggling for writing ideas. Display the “Myths Brainstorming Machine” and have struggling students choose in a small group which setting, monster, and god/goddess they would like to use in their story. Print out the idea outline to get them started writing.
Go to Myths Brainstorming Machine
Go to Teacher’s Guide