SMART Response "Clickers"

A great way to get formative assessment is utilizing on-the-spot quizzing or surveying software and products.  If you have iPads for the classroom services like Socrative and Kahoot work really well between teacher and students.  However, if you lack a 1to1 device like an iPad, another useful product is the SMART Response handheld devices.  Students can easily and quickly respond to formative assessment by entering their answers or text via a handheld device.  SAD1 has about 8 or 9 cases that are readily available for classroom to use.

When introducing a new learning goal, have your students paraphrase the new goal in their own words to get some feedback on your students' understanding of the goal's purpose (Marzano, pg 75).  These, also, work very well with on-the-spot questions.  The software is integrated with SMART's Notebook software, where you receive the results and are able to visually collect data with a pie chart or bar graph.  Preparing in advance, you can assign each student an ID which will allow you to track student progress.

If you are interested in using these, or just doing a trial run, let me know and I would love to stop by and help you get set up for this.

Magaña, Sonny, and Robert J. Marzano. "Communicating Learning Goals, Tracking Student Progress, and Celebrating Success." Enhancing the Art & Science of Teaching with Technology. Bloomington, IN: Marzano Research Laboratory, 2014. 75. Print.

SMART Notebook Update for Mac - Floating Toolbar

Your SMART Notebook software for Mac has a new update if you have not noticed so far - 11.3.  Most of us should be at 11.2 currently.  Though this update is not much, it does have a couple of nice features.  The SMART Technologies package that comes with the update includes SMART System Menu, which, when launched, provides an icon in your system menu bar.  This icon acts as a hub for all of your SMART products, including Notebook, Screen Shade, and more; as well as the ability to show or hide the Board Tools.

If you are a frequent, or even minimal, Floating Toolbar user, you are familiar with the Board Tools icon that appears in the dock on your laptop.

From this application you are able to utilize the Floating Toolbar of SMART Tools to integrate with any application on your MacBook.  This is great when you want to annotate or interactively feature something on your projector from your computer for the classroom.

With the 11.3 update to Notebook, you can access the Floating Toolbar from the SMART System Menu - Show or Hide.  No longer will you see the Board Tools icon in your dock; so, don't be alarmed. It's nice having the one, integrated center to access Notebook and the Notebook features and tools.  And, the SMART System Menu icon will remain in your system toolbar when you log in to your laptop.

SMART Note

SMART Note is a SMART Technologies product that is readily available on our MLTI laptops in our school district.  Review this video for the details.

If for any reason you have attempted to use this option, but are having difficulties with it operating for you, please contact me.

Local SMART Technologies Professional Development

At our Mid-year point, I want to make sure that all teaching faculty from my district understand that they can take advantage of some local SMART professional development for any of your SMART Technologies products.  Please contact me at anytime, and I would love to sit down with you during a planning period and help you utilize and make the most your SMART Board or any SMART product you are using in your classroom.  I, also, love doing some low-profile class visits just to see your teaching style to help me understand how I can help you better implement your SMART product in your classroom.

nasonb@sad1.org

SMART Response Video Tutorial

On my You Tube channel I curate and collect videos from You Tube into specific playlists or collections for teachers to use when helping them learn more about specific products or technology for their classrooms.

I have such a playlist for SMART Response software and hand-held devices.  This playlist is constantly being updated any time I find more quality video associated with SMART Response.

Be sure to check out my channel for other playlists that may be of your interest.

Check it out.

Here's an example:

SMART Notebook - Infinite Cloner

SMART Notebook 10 Toolbar

Hot off the press.  By yours truly.

Please leave constructive comments below if this was helpful or if you think there could be any improvements.

SMART Notebook Gallery Feature # 2

The Gallery Essentials collection offers materials in Geography.

 Flags for 234 different countries.  Use these to build an activity or lesson allowing the students to move the flags to the appropriate country or description of a country in Notebook.

4 types of landscapes and animals associated with those landscapes.  At the elementary level, students can learn about different types of landscapes and locate animals that live in those habitats

Over 300 maps of counties, continents, and states; as well as images of states and countries that can easily be used for student placement.  Set up a map and have your students drag the states or countries to their appropriate spots

Gallery Essentials Geography also contains common map icons and Capital stars

 For more information on the Notebook Galleries and how to access them visit this post

SMART Notebook Gallery Feature #1

As some of you may already be aware, the Notebook from SMART offers an extensive collection of images and interactive gadgets that you can add to any activity or presentation in your Notebook.  They are very helpful when creating an activity that has a little more involvement and meaning for your students. You can access these galleries right in your Notebook file.

Locate the four tabs on the side-menu of your Notebook.  Some side-menus are on the left, some maybe on the right.

The Gallery Tab wears the "picture frame" icon on the tab.  In this collection you will find a hefty resource of interactive imagery that you can freely drag into your work for use.

Today, I am featuring a couple of useful elements of these galleries.  In the Gallery Essentials folder there are some useful organizational tools for planning with the students.  Locate the Administration and Evaluation folder (as indicated below).  In this folder, locate the Planning folder.  Here are some Daily and Weekly Agendas that can be used as planners for events, homework, deadlines, or general agendas.  You will also find calendars for each month, as well as an blank monthly calendar.  There are some flow and comparison charts, as well as a Todo list.

Also, check out the clocks and timers in the Enhanced Resources folder.

SMART Resonse - Getting Started

Though there are more details, this is the premise for getting your classroom setup for SMART Response.