In the upcoming seminar, Building Engaging Notebook Lessons for Classroom Use, techniques will be demonstrated for creating effective Notebook files for use with students.The following list contains the techniques which I will demonstrate. In addition, attendees will have an oppportunity to try out the techniques.
1. Revealing hidden information
2. Identifying and labeling information
3. Using the Infinite Cloner tool
4. Using sound
5. Using Flash multimedia
6. Linking to other files
See you there.
Chuck Gevaert
February 18, 2007
January 19, 2007
SMART Masters & Subject Matter Training
SMART Technologies has a low cost training program, called the SMART Master's Event. This day long course is designed for new SMART Board interactive whiteboard users, experienced users who want to find out about new features and learn how to use a SMART Board more effectively, and teachers who want to find out how to integrate SMART Boards into their curriculum in new says.
This session is led by a SMART trainer. Participants will receive a SMART Master's Interactive Whiteboard Learner Workbook, which includes reference material, step-by-step activities, and review exercises. The course fee is $149, with a 10% discount to districts who sign up three or more participants at the same time.
The next local session will be in Madison, Wisconsin on May 1 (other locations in North America). SMART is also offering $199 half-day subject specific courses in Math on March 14 (1-5 PM) and in Science on May 2 (8-Noon) in Madison (other locations in North America).
To register, download the registration form.
November 10, 2006
VanderCook - Music and SMART Boards
Discussing SMART Board use with faculty from the VanderCook College of Music is a very thought provoking experience. VanderCook is the only college in the United States solely dedicated to the preparation of music educators. Alumuni Julie Ann Sawall contacted VanderCook president, Charlie Menghini, to arrange for me to bring in a SMART Board. This was a very free-flowing demonstration, where Charlie grabbed a stylus, went to the board, and scribbled something in green, that looked somewhat like what I've reproduced for you, here. The staff ooohed and aaahed, and out loud, I said, "I don't get it." He explained that you could take a SMART Board stylus and "conduct" on the board, so in electronic ink, faculty could see how the students conducted, and make stylistic suggestions. Then, Charlie said, you could even use the Gallery (or scan in sheet music) so students could read the music and "electronic ink conduct" above the musical score. Later, Charlie exclaimed "that's the got-cha," when I showed the SMART Video Player to replay digital video, annotate over it, and capture images to Notebook software. "We would have students submit their best two minutes of conducting and then we would use Video Player to play it back and critique their efforts. Wow !!!"
Stacey Larson, VanderCook's Director of Music Education saw practical application for SMART Notebook's Gallery. Here, she opened up the Sports Gallery and started diagramming a marching band arrangement for a half-time show. The faculty also discussed using the Music Gallery's staffs, to directly write scores on, to replace work they are currently doing with chalkboards (with the added benefit of saving their work), using Smart Notebook for lectures and calling up scanned sheet music and annotating over the note. They saw the value of creating general lecture notes and converting it to HTML or PDFs for student distribution.
October 20, 2006
Playing with your Fingers
We enjoyed working with all of the educators at the Archdiocese of Milwaukee teachers' convention on Thur. Oct. 19. There were crowds of teachers around our booth wanting to learn why the Smart Board is such an engaging learning tool. Many of our customers made spontaneous testimonials on the show floor, telling about the changes they've experienced in their classrooms.
Sr. Robert Anne at Lumen Christi School in Mequon asked "I have a five year old student who just can't seem to make items move around on the board." So, Sister is demonstrating the tip we gave her, and dragging religious icons around from Notebook Gallery. REST YOUR FINGERNAIL ON THE BOARD INSTEAD OF YOUR FINGER, AND YOU CAN EASILY MOVE OBJECTS AROUND.
When I was a boy, I went to Catholic School and the nuns were saying "Mike, quit playing with your fingers." I was a very fidgety child. So, for me, it is a joyful irony to tell Sr. Robert Anne how to properly "play" with a Smart Board, using her fingers.
October 18, 2006
Elementary Math - Chuck Gevaert
Chuck finished his Fall 06 Smart Board Mathematics seminar series in Janesville on Tue. Oct. 17, by emphasising the tactile nature of Smart Boards and how that appeals to student learning styles. Chuck is a big advocate for using the many excellent math websites which have JAVA enabled applications on them. For example, he is showing Base Block Addition from the National Library of Virtual Manipulatives. Chuck told of working with second grade students with this program and how amazed he was at how quickly they manipulated the blocks, skinnies and flats, and then easily make the conceptual leap to addition.
Chuck posted links to all of the websites he used for the Elementary Math seminar on his Oct. 8 blog entry, and Secondary Math on his Sept. 23 entry, to make these great sites easy for you to find.
October 17, 2006
SMART Educational Consultant
Ginny Washburne (left) is a SMART Technologies Educational Consultant based out of St. Charles, Illinois. Shown here with SMART sales representative, Joe Haupt, they had coffee with me this morning to talk about how Ginny can help school districts using SMART's great multimedia/engagement technology in the classroom.
As we plan our Spring 07 workshop seminar series, Ginny will be one of our presenters. Her teaching background is in middle school social studies. However, her skill set includes working with districts in developing best practices for Smart Board uses as part of new curricular implementations, such as textbook adoptions and staff development initiatives. We believe that Ginny will bring some valuable long-range insight for technology coordinators and curriculum specialists, as Milwaukee and Madison-area educational leaders strategize on methods to best achieve curricular gains.
October 13, 2006
Louise's Sudoku Notebook File
Louise Weber, Southwood Glen (Franklin SD) librarian, stole the show at our Smart Board inservice on Fri. Oct. 13, with her animal Sudoku Notebook file. Louise got her Smart Board in August and this was her first "for public viewing" Notebook file. She created it on her home Windows PC, making the grid in Word (she said "that was really hard to get formatted right") and used the Notebook Capture tool to clip it into Notebook.
Her colorful little animal graphics looked cute, but this graphic Sudoku made one think hard, both left and right brained, to solve this logic puzzle. The icing on the cake was that Louise demonstrated it to the teaching staff using a Macintosh, demonstrating the cross-platform compatability of Notebook 9.5.
This was quite a Smart Board training experience. Louise was a great hostess, providing hot mulled cider and Panera coffee cake on a chilly autumn morning. This was school picture day, with many staffers showing up in pajamas. Louise even showed off her new AirLiner wireless slate that she just got. All in all, Southwood Glen made their first formal introduction to Smart Boards A LOT OF FUN.
October 12, 2006
Milwaukee K-5 Math Seminar
Chuck Gevaert shared his elementary math experiences with 29 math teachers at our Oct. 11 Smart Board seminar. Chuck believes that a Smart Board is a great tool to engage tactile learners in the classroom and that almost all students enjoy manipulating the Smart Board. Chuck really likes using Java-enabled math web sites as highly manipulative FREE SmartBoard resources. He listed his favorites links on his Oct. 8 webblog entry.
Teacher comments included: "Outstanding," "Loved it - thanks! It was great!," "I am thrilled that I attended. My mind is reeling with possibilities," "Very organized," "I learned far more than I anticipated," "Great... motivating," "Excellent math examples," "What a great tool! I'm anxious to use it," "Lots of creative ideas!!! Thanks for sharing - very inspirational."
Chuck's next Math lecture will be in Janesville on Tue. Oct. 17.
SmartChoice MoneyBox
Some people REALLY like SmartChoice MoneyBox. Kim K at Milwaukee Academy is demonstrating how this cash register simulation works. Gina and Kathy said they were going to use this Notebook file in their consumer education classes about 2 hours after the Oct. 12th inservice.
If you would like to beta-test SmartChoice MoneyBox and give your feedback on how to improve it (e.g. add additional lesson activities), drop us an email (mike.palecek@smartchoiceav.com) and we'll email you a copy. Inspiration for this program: as a grade schooler, my father introduced me to coin collecting. He would buy a $50 sack of pennies, we'd sort them on the kitchen table, and put the new found dates into a coin collecting book. So, I love money, as art. I couldn't wait to become a Boy Scout, so I could earn Coin Collecting Merit Badge.
October 11, 2006
Appleton Smart Board lecture
Julie Ann Sawall, SMART Exemplary Educator, wowwed a group of Fox Valley area educators at our October 10 Smart Board seminar. She discussed Smart Board techniques she used as a middle school teacher to engage the students, including extensive use of the 3,000 images in the Notebook Gallery to instantly turn the Smart Board into a "chalkboard on steroids."
Teacher comments included "Excellent! Thanks for the music input!!" "Good information," "Top rating all around...I wish we had more time," "Very interesting and helpful," "Would love to learn more!"
If you missed this great Smart Board session, the next session is Nov. 16 in Green Bay.
