March27notes

Here are notes from today's meeting March 27th (many thanks to TG of Liverpool):

**Technology PD, March 27, 2009** **Websites**: **Portal** – research tools – one search will search all databases at once instead of doing them all separately. -nbed (username) bigchalk (password) *can give them to students - elibrary elementary edition – can select how many results and what type of results you want – good with laptop pods for research, resources for classrooms ex: magazines (many titles, many editions) 9 reading level is equivalent to about grade 4. -elibrary curriculum edition – more magazines (not even on newsstands), will store in your bookcarts. Don’t give this website to students, they have the elementary edition. Has special editions, such as History Center. There are handouts for teachers and students on how to use these sites and username and passwords. Cannot post it on a website (against Copyright agreement), but can write it down and send it home. -teacher, multimedia – has a lot of images that have been donated to district. Media Awareness for teacher use only!
 * Smart Solutions – District** **18:**
 * Document camera made by Elmo – projects page on Smartboard. About 830$, auto focus.
 * Senteo 2.0
 * Free copy of Smart Ideas – put your serial number in and is available for free. Powerful for doing word webs, etc.
 * USB wrist bands – 20$ - plug it in and starts Smartboard for kids. A way to organize their files, works in any computer.
 * Touch recognition – don’t need to put pen back in order to erase an object.
 * Notebook for Math 2009 – A tab for it will be with the gallery tab. Not ready yet. [|www.smarttech.com/notebookmathbetas]
 * Smart Table 230i – many kids can work on it at once
 * Toolbar comes up in any Microsoft program (and about 20 others) to save the writing with the pen. With no **__Inklayer__**. Outside of Microsoft (and others) program the Inklayer will be used and can save it that way to be brought into Notebook. Automatically in Notebook 10.
 * Want to **__edit a camera captured picture__** from somewhere, highlight the area, bring it down to your notebook file with your finger and it will be in notebook.
 * Right click on the toolbar in notebook and you get more options. Can customize your toolbar!!!! Press and hold. Right click.
 * Right click on Smartboard on bottom right and can manage many different aspects of the board and hide floating tool bars!
 * Pull downs on objects and pages are very important. If you can master them you will be at 90 %.
 * **__Page grouping__** – Groups key at the top – create groups in one Notebook page. Edit groups, add a new group, move slides in groups by drag and drop. Can select more than one and drag and drop together. Grab left to right to bring them down in the proper order. Grab right to left to bring them down rearranged, backwards. Easily switch between groups by using Groups key at the top.
 * **__Move and align__** – Format – alignment – top and bottom choices work best together. Click and drag, follow lines!
 * **__Shape Pen__** – draw with finger and will match the shape you want.
 * **__Magic Pen__** – zoom – blanks out the rest of the page and can change size by pressing in middle. Same tool can draw a square around a part of an object and it will zoom. Ink can also fade with it.
 * A lot is on Smart Technologies website with videos to demonstrate how to use them.
 * **__Themes__** – in gallery – drag it out to Notebook – select what you want, press okay. Can make your own custom themes – themes, option create new theme. It will stay in with the other themes. When you create a group, all slides will have the theme. Create a clear theme (blank page) in order to make a page with no theme in a group of slides. It will show in My Content as well. Multiple pages.
 * **__Gallery__**– Notebook files have top right corner folded, they will give you a new page. Bottom right hand corner folded, is a background. It will go behind your object. Applies to one page at a time.
 * **__Keyboard__** – Can change keyboard to a write format by using the drop down. Can write instead of type…much faster!!!! Don’t need to press enter. Can put in websites as well and it will bring them up for you.
 * **__My Content__** – Make a folder and drag objects into the folder with your finger. Can group things to bring them in together. To keep it – press it and export as a collection file to USB stick.
 * **__Page sorter__** – drop down add to gallery, it will go into whatever folder you have open. The top right corner will be folded. They will come in as Notebook pages, not objects. Will have new page every drop.
 * **__Tables__** – press table key on toolbar, click and drag the amount of columns and rows you want and let go. Can move lines by dragging them. Drag and drop and object into the table, the object auto sizes.
 * **__Dual Page Mode__** – button on toolbar that looks like two computer screens (dual page) will make Notebook page into two. Press pushpin button will select the right screen, go back to full screen and you can go back to the next slide. Gives the opportunity to leave something on one side move around on the other side.
 * **__Animation/spin__** – Properties is a tab with gallery tab, has the A on it or you can select the object and drop down to properties. Go to object animation – a list of things you can do.
 * Can add accents on letters in French by clicking on the “property” tabs
 * Page Recording in property tools will record and play back what you do on the Notebook slide.
 * Notebook presentation
 * Aliant resource **
 * Innovative Learning Fund**:
 * see Portal for example applications
 * Wikispaces** :
 * www.wikispaces.com – all web based
 * SD18TechPD Wikispace has wikis in your classroom
 * Copyright is an issue…be careful!
 * Need to have parent’s permission (written) to use photos, videos with students as well as work with kids names on them. Voice (audio) is a good way to get around putting kids on the Wiki. Using photo story as well could help.
 * Examples:
 * Takes photos of kids work and puts them on the site for parents to see.
 * Parent information – get messages, homework, ect.
 * Put all worksheets on it and all unit information so parents can download and print off.
 * Can embed movies, PowerPoint, etc.
 * Kids are put into a group and can do writing projects with kids from another school, province, country.
 * ClusterMaps enables them to see where the other kids are from.
 * New Literacy Tools: **
 * **Voicethread** – set up as a private space with username and password, can grant rights to someone if needed. Kids drew a picture of themselves and used those instead of real pictures. Post questions, information and have another class go on and reply to them. Looks similar to a slideshow with the kids’ voices. Can have text comments instead of voice comments. Education, free version. [|http://voicethread.com]
 * **School District 18 tech PD website** – new tools
 * **Wobook** – eBooks made simple, can be embedded into a Wikispace (be careful because of language on website).
 * **Xtranormal** – Make online movies with custom made avatars.
 * **Slideshare** -- Find and share online Powerpoint lessons on virtually any topic.
 * Record your lesson using the **Smartboard Recorder** then place online. See this example by Adam Dionne