Smartboards in the Classroom

Here's an excellent, brief video explaining what an RSS feed is and  how to set one up so that information you want comes directly to you.

 

Attachment(s): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0klgLsSxGsU

Here's a hands-on practice for using PowerPoint with an Interactive Whiteboard.

Attachment(s): How to - PowerPoint to SmartBoard.doc

Here's a hands-on practice of using Excel in Smartboard. 

Attachment(s): How to - Excel into SmartBoard.doc

Here is an excellent hands-on practice to help you learn how to use Word documents with the Smartboard.
Attachment(s): http://downloads.smarttech.com/media/trainingcenter/95word_classroom.pdf

Interactive Whiteboards (Smartboards and other brands) have become increasingly common in our schools.  Unfortunately, they can be intimidating devices to many teachers.  This course explores how to use the device and its software resources to create interactive, engaging lessons that address specific academic needs of our students.

This session focuses on:

• A discussion of Howard Gardner's book "Theory of Multiple Intelligences"
• A review of recent research on the "Effectiveness of Interactive Whiteboards on  Learning"
  
• A discussion of the teacher's role in utilizing the tool through the eyes of a teacher

See categories on right - Research on Multiple Intelligences and Effectiveness of Interactive Whiteboards on Learning.

In this session, each participant will learn how to:

• set up the SmartBoard
• connect it to the laptop
• connect it the projector
• position the projector cart in the classroom
• orient the SmartBoard
• reorganize the classroom so that:
• all students can see the whiteboard
• there is adequate space in front of the whiteboard to allow student movement
• wires are safely secured
  
• utilize the pens and other tools
• project from a PC tablet or laptop
  

Each participant will end this session after he or she has personally assembled the board, projector and laptop.

 

See categories on the right for supporting materials.  How-to's and Basics 

 

In this session, the participants will explore an existing SmartBoard lesson.  They will:

• assume the role of their students and tactilely complete the lesson
• use the pens, screen shade, camera, highlighters and magnifying glass
• discuss the use of colorful backgrounds and font colors

In this session, the participants will create their own SmartBoard lesson utilizing the "Essentials for Educators" session of the Gallery as well as online resources.

They will:

• Create a six slide lesson
• Insert templates onto the first and last slides
• Add textboxes to both templates
• Create a Vocabulary slide
• Add textboxes and boxes to this slide
• Learn how to change the background color of the box
• Place the textbox on top of the colored box - Order
• Group the textbox and the colored box so they move together - Grouping
• Explore a multimedia SB lesson in their content area and insert it into their lesson
• Add a Journal page
  
• Adding a Word document to an SB lesson
• Adding an Excel spreadsheet to an SB lesson
• Adding a PowerPoint presentation to an SB lesson

See How-to categories on the right.

 

Attachment(s): HowToCreateLessoninSmartBoard.doc

Content

Interactive Whiteboards (Smartboards and other brands) have become increasingly common in our schools.  Unfortunately, they can be intimidating devices to many teachers.  This course supplements the introductory "Out of the Box" course and explores how to use the device and its software resources to create interactive, engaging lessons that address specific academic needs of our students.

This session focuses on:

• Review of Howard Gardner's book "Theory of Multiple Intelligences"
• Reviews recent research on the "Effectiveness of Interactive Whiteboards on  Learning"
  
• Discusses the teacher's role in utilizing the tool through the eyes of a teacher
• Reviews set-up of the whiteboard and use of tools.
• Establishes basics for the six slide lesson
• Explores the gallery and "Essentials for Educators"
• Reviews how to use online resources.
• Shares comments and best practices

Attachment(s): SmartSOCIAL1_1.ppt

During this session, we will explore a seventh grade Geography lesson on "Explorers".  We will review basic functions and tools and then place ourselves in the student seat, actively participating in this lesson. 

Attachment(s): SmartSOCIAL1_2.ppt

Content

In "Understanding by Design" by Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe (ASCD, 1998), the authors discuss the theory of "Backward Design" or "Reverse Planning".  Very briefly, that means that we as teachers must first identify a concept that our students don't understand and then write our lessons to address that specific concept or need. 

This session of the course focuses on (1) reflection and group discussion of common ELA concepts that our students in middle school have not acquired, and (2)  designing a Smartboard lesson that teaches that concept in an engaging, interactive way. 

Key Points:

• Reverse Planning
• Writing to Address an Academic Need
• Practical Guidelines in Creating a SB lesson
• How to create a 6 slide lesson
• Using a template
• Making a text box
• Changing font color
• Textboxes, boxes, changing box background color, order and grouping
• Sharing our work - Exploring how our fellow teachers have created SB lessons to meet their students' needs.
  

Interactive Whiteboards (Smartboards and other brands) have become increasingly common in our schools.  Unfortunately, they can be intimidating devices to many teachers.  This course supplements the introductory "Out of the Box" course and explores how to use the device and its software resources to create interactive, engaging lessons that address specific academic needs of our students.

This session focuses on:

• Review of Howard Gardner's book "Theory of Multiple Intelligences"
• Reviews recent research on the "Effectiveness of Interactive Whiteboards on  Learning"
  
• Discusses the teacher's role in utilizing the tool through the eyes of a teacher
• Reviews set-up of the whiteboard and use of tools.
• Establishes basics for the six slide lesson
• Explores the gallery and "Essentials for Educators"
• Reviews how to use online resources.
• Shares comments and best practices

Attachment(s): Smart-MathLevel2.ppt

In this session, we will explore an existing mathematics lesson that can be found on the smarttech.com website. 

 

Lesson:

• The Pythagorean Theorem 
  

Attachment(s): Smart-MathLevel2B.ppt

In this session, we will explore and save to our desktop four existing SmartBoard Mathematics lessons that can be used throughout the year with our students.

 

Lessons:

• Percentages
• Ratios & Proportions
• Circumference
• Exponents

 
Attachment(s): Smart-MathLevel2C.ppt

In "Understanding by Design" by Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe (ASCD, 1998), the authors discuss the theory of "Backward Design" or "Reverse Planning".  Very briefly, that means that we as teachers must first identify a concept that our students don't understand and then write our lessons to address that specific concept or need. 

This session of the course focuses on (1) reflection and group discussion of common ELA concepts that our students in middle school have not acquired, and (2)  designing a Smartboard lesson that teaches that concept in an engaging, interactive way. 

Key Points:

• Reverse Planning
• Writing to Address an Academic Need
• Practical Guidelines in Creating a SB lesson
• How to create a 6 slide lesson
• Using a template
• Making a text box
• Changing font color
• Textboxes, boxes, changing box background color, order and grouping
• Sharing our work - Exploring how our fellow teachers have created SB lessons to meet their students' needs.
  

Attachment(s): Smart-MathLevel2D.ppt

Interactive Whiteboards (Smartboards and other brands) have become increasingly common in our schools.  Unfortunately, they can be intimidating devices to many teachers.  This course supplements the introductory "Out of the Box" course and explores how to use the device and its software resources to create interactive, engaging lessons that address specific academic needs of our students.

This session focuses on:

• Review of Howard Gardner's book "Theory of Multiple Intelligences"
• Reviews recent research on the "Effectiveness of Interactive Whiteboards on  Learning"
  
• Discusses the teacher's role in utilizing the tool through the eyes of a teacher
• Reviews set-up of the whiteboard and use of tools.
• Establishes basics for the six slide lesson
• Explores the gallery and "Essentials for Educators"
• Reviews how to use online resources.
• Shares comments and best practices

Attachment(s): SmartSCIENCE Level2A.ppt

Content

Attachment(s): SmartSCIENCE Level2B.ppt

Content

Attachment(s): SmartSCIENCE Level2C.ppt

In "Understanding by Design" by Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe (ASCD, 1998), the authors discuss the theory of "Backward Design" or "Reverse Planning".  Very briefly, that means that we as teachers must first identify a concept that our students don't understand and then write our lessons to address that specific concept or need. 

This session of the course focuses on (1) reflection and group discussion of common ELA concepts that our students in middle school have not acquired, and (2)  designing a Smartboard lesson that teaches that concept in an engaging, interactive way. 

Key Points:

• Reverse Planning
• Writing to Address an Academic Need
• Practical Guidelines in Creating a SB lesson
• How to create a 6 slide lesson
• Using a template
• Making a text box
• Changing font color
• Textboxes, boxes, changing box background color, order and grouping
• Sharing our work - Exploring how our fellow teachers have created SB lessons to meet their students' needs.
  

Attachment(s): SmartSCIENCE Level 2D.ppt

Portaportal.com is a free content management system that enables teachers to save and categorize appropriate websites that can be used with their students.

• It provides a system of collecting and categorizing websites that are useful in your teaching practice.
  
• It enables you to guide your students directly to a site that has been reviewed and approved by you beforehand. 
• It decreases class time wasted in getting an entire class to the same website, thereby increasing instruction time. 
• It minimizes distraction to other websites.
• Its use promotes improved classroom management in a laptop environment. 
  

Be sure to set up your own portaportal and take the tutorial.

 

The link to portaportal.com is provided below.  Be sure to use the guest access code "newsomlang" to see my portaportal.

Attachment(s): http://www.portaportal.com

Interactive Whiteboards (Smartboards and other brands) have become increasingly common in our schools.  Unfortunately, they can be intimidating devices to many teachers.  This course supplements the introductory "Out of the Box" course and explores how to use the device and its software resources to create interactive, engaging lessons that address specific academic needs of our students.

This session focuses on:

• Review of Howard Gardner's book "Theory of Multiple Intelligences"
• Reviews recent research on the "Effectiveness of Interactive Whiteboards on  Learning"
  
• Discusses the teacher's role in utilizing the tool through the eyes of a teacher
• Reviews set-up of the whiteboard and use of tools.
• Establishes basics for the six slide lesson
• Explores the gallery and "Essentials for Educators"
• Reviews how to use online resources.
• Shares comments and best practices
  

Attachment(s): SmartELA Level2A copy.ppt

In this session, we will explore an existing literacy lesson that can be found in the gallery under "Essentials for Educators" - English and Language Arts.

Content Strand:

• Poetry & Biography - "Stopping by a Wood on a Snowy Evening" by Robert Frost.  Includes glossary of poetic terms, author biography and supplemental lessons.
  

We will:

• Locate the lesson in the gallery "Essentials for Educators"
  
• Project the lesson and discuss classroom best practices
• Explore the lesson in depth
• Share our pros/cons of the lesson and reflect on how best to use the lesson with our students.
  

 

Attachment(s): SmartELA Level2B.ppt

In this session, we will:

• Locate four existing SB lessons from the "Essentials for Educators" section on the gallery as well as the Smarttech website.
  
• Explore and save to our desktops.
• Discuss intellectual property and how to avoid plagiarism.
  

Lessons:

1. Poetry & Writing - "Writing Concrete Poetry", an interactive, creative writing system that is appropriate for all reading levels.
   
2. Writing - "How to Give a Speech".  Includes a timer and structured writing time.
3. Listening and Writing -  Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream" Speech.
   
4. Research and Writing - "Mark Twain".  Includes locating lesson on the smarttech.com website.
   

Attachment(s): SmartELA LeveL2C.ppt

In "Understanding by Design" by Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe (ASCD, 1998), the authors discuss the theory of "Backward Design" or "Reverse Planning".  Very briefly, that means that we as teachers must first identify a concept that our students don't understand and then write our lessons to address that specific concept or need. 

This session of the course focuses on (1) reflection and group discussion of common ELA concepts that our students in middle school have not acquired, and (2)  designing a Smartboard lesson that teaches that concept in an engaging, interactive way. 

Key Points:

• Reverse Planning
• Writing to Address an Academic Need
• Practical Guidelines in Creating a SB lesson
• How to create a 6 slide lesson
• Using a template
• Making a text box
• Changing font color
• Textboxes, boxes, changing box background color, order and grouping
• Sharing our work - Exploring how our fellow teachers have created SB lessons to meet their students' needs.
  

Attachment(s): SmartELA Level2D.ppt