SMART Boards

New Service Pack 4

SMART Board software 9.5 service pack 4 is now available for download.  What's new is a 12-point alignment, Windows XP Ink Aware support for OpenOffice software and Hebrew and Hindi languages.  Macintosh OS updates include enhanced Flash Gallery items and automatic checks for software updates.  Linux OS updates include support for Debian (Sarge) and Ubunto distributions.

InkAware is the ability to use SMART products in conjunction with other software, write on your board and imbed the picture easily into the other program.  InkAware also can convert what you write on the board into text.  PDFs on InkAware and Microsoft Office products, Excel, Word, PowerPoint and Visio exist.

Smart also has a software accreditation program and a SDK (Software Developers Kit) for creating additional InkAware software programs.  Programs accreditted as "Enabled" and "Selct" are InkAware.  As of today, software that is InkAware include: Microsoft NetMeeting, PowerPoint, Word, Excel, Paint, Windows Journal, Office OneNote, Visio and Live Meeting. Also CorelDraw, Corel Presentations, Corel Grafigo 2, AutoCad, AutoVue, Volo View, DWF Composer 2.0, Imaging, ArcView, OpenOffice.org Impress, Draw, Writer and Calc.

Spanish Notebook Files

  My friend, Spanish language teacher, Ruth Wieland asks "What about Espanol notebook files?"  There are 80 Notebook files translated from SMART's Educational file collection, in all subject areas and grade levels.  This notebook files were not originally designed to teach Modern Language concepts, but designed for curricular areas and then translated into Spanish.

  Another site is UK's eRiding, which hosts downloads for Food, Drink and Shopping, Numbers, Pets and Animals, and Weather.  Spanish, French and German versions of these Notebook files are available for download.  These titles include Spanish vocal tracks for additional student practice.

Grant opportunity - Science and Math

  NASA's (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) Explorer Schools Program provides an $18,000 grant for technology tools to engage students in science and mathematics investigations.  This program targets underserved student populations (grade 4-9).  The grant will be awarded to 50 school teams across the US in 2007.  Application deadline: January 31, 2007.  Program details, application information, FAQs, application worksheet, online application submission form.

French Notebook Files

  "Are there any SMART Notebook files available for teaching French?" asked a high school foreign language teacher.  With a little research, I found some Notebook files to get started using a SMART Board with French instruction.  Bedfordshire UK's school resource site has 25 SMART Notebook files (I couldn't download the L'alphabet).  The Downs CE Primary School site had a few additional ones (as well as some that are re-translated into German).

  There are six French Notebook files on the Canada side of SMART's education website.  I actually found them by doing a Google search, but to make it easy for you, just click on the titles to easily get descriptions and download them.  Comment ecrire un texte d'opinion, Les Questions, Les verbes, les temps et les Modes (et le subjonctif), How to Conjugate the Verb Faire, Vacation Vocabulary, Your Daily Routine.

Flight Plans for AirLiner

  Flight Plans is a series of 24 templates to help you be more productive using your AirLiner wireless slate.  Here you see our "Weekly Calendar" Flight Plan.  When the templates are correctly installed on your AirLiner, our Flight Plans make it easy for you to line your writing right up to a projected Notebook image.  You print your templates out on a color printer, cut them to fit, and then use them as writing guides.

   The 24 guides include the Project Management templates: agenda daily, agenda weekly (shown here), weekly schedule, calendar month, English: handwriting-large, small, lined borderless-large, small; Sports templates: football-full field, football-half, basketball-full court, basketball half; Math : grid-small, medium, large, dots, T-grid, XYZ-75% (a 3-D grid); Music: manuscript paper; Social Science: USA-states, Canada-provinces; Economics: XY quad; and a blank template.

  Our website includes a tutorial on how to print, cut out and install the Flight Plans templates on your AirLiner wireless slate, directions on making your AirLiner work on a Windows XP and Macintosh OS X computer, and an AirLiner product review.  You'll get lots of best practices ideas on how to use the AirLiner as a personal productivity tool.

Inspiration for Flight Plan came from an educator using an AirLiner, who said at one of our workshops, "I just can't seem to write in straight lines with my AirLiner."  So, we set to work trying to solve this problem and created this "Borderless Lines Large" template from SMART Notebook Gallery, printed out some screen captures and experimented until we got our Flight Plans templates just right.  Using this template, we found that it makes the AirLiner much easier to use as a basic notetaking tool.  We're working with some universities to test Flight Plans with AirLiner wireless slates as a faculty notetaking tool, to easily allow for posting of lecture notes as PDF files in BlackBoard, D2L and other learning management systems.  Email me at mike.palecek@smartchoiceav.com if you want to try out our Flight Plans sample, "Borderless Lines Large."

  Flight Plans for AirLiner is $49 for a single user license, with site licensing available.  You can purchase it from participating SMART Board dealers, or from www.smartchoiceav.net at 866-676-9338.