Ideas for Using Interactive White Boards or Promethean Boards as a Center

       Your interactive board can be used for many different types of Center activities AND a good way to differentiate.  Here's some ideas on how to use your Interactive White Boards as a Center...

Promethean Boards (1 User)

• Flipchart with a student's name assigned to each page
• Easy to differentiate instruction
• Over a couple days each student would get a turn to do their page.
• Flipchart that students each get a turn to use.
• I would put a color coded star next to their name on my center chart.  Each group would be divided in half so 1/2 the group would be at the board one day, then the other half the next day.
• Can differentiate by having 2-3 pages where groups are assigned to a specific page
• Interactive Website or Program - like ThinkCentral, Starfall, Pixie, Kidspiration
• Project worksheet or graphic organizer for students to annotate using Desktop Annotate through ActivInspire

Epson Projectors in Computer Mode (Using Touch for Second Student)

• Flipchart with a student's name assigned to each page
• Flipchart that students share 
• 1 student on pen, 1 student on touch if the activity requires writing
• Up to 6 students could be at the board at once if they are only manipulating objects.
• Interactive Website
• Project worksheet or graphic organizer for students to annotate using Desktop Annotate through ActivInspire OR turn off Touch Input and have them write using the white board and dry erase marker.  Can also use the document camera to project something for students to write on.

Epson Projectors in Projector Mode (2 students on pen, 2-6 students using finger but must agree to the tool they will use - erase or write).

• Flipchart, document, document under document camera, or website that students can annotate over but not have to manipulate the document (turning the page, scrolling up or down). 

Epson Projectors with Dual Mode in ActivInspire (max - 2 students on pens, 1+ students on touch (but students using touch must agree on what tool they are using :)).  **Requires a request for a driver update through SchoolDude to make Dual Mode functional on our computers.**

• Flipchart with a student's name assigned to each page
• Flipchart that students share 
• 2 students on pen, 1 student on touch - all 3 can write and interact with the flipchart independently
• Up to 6 students could be at the board at once if they are only manipulating objects.
• Interactive Website (only 1 student can use a website because websites are designed for only 1 user at a time).
• Project worksheet or graphic organizer for students to annotate using Desktop Annotate through ActivInspire OR turn off Touch Input and have them write using the white board and dry erase marker.  Can also use the document camera to project something for students to write on.

Work done in flipcharts can be printed out as evidence of student work for assessments or be sent home.  Click here to see how to print out flipcharts.

Click here to learn how to change what buttons are available to students in the ActivInspire toolbar.
Click here to turn on/off page gestures in ActivInspire.


Some ideas for Centers...
Don't forget to check out Promethean Planet!

Language Arts

• Word Work activities - there's an alphabet chart you can use as a template available in the browser of ActivInspire or ask me (Corey) for a template.
• build words - say it, make it, write it.
• Embed sound files - record your self saying a word and students have to write it or make it with letters
• Finding letters, words, spelling patterns, syllable parts by highlighting or circling.
• Name Recognition / Get to Know You Activities - take students pictures and put them into the flipchart to match with their name or spell using the letter tiles
• Writing letters or spelling words practice
• Written response to a task
• Reading Center - poem, article, online text (like texts from Raz-Kids or Starfall).

Math

• Interactive tools - calculator, ruler, protractor, dice, timer
• Writing numbers
• Solving Math Problems
• Acting out Math problems
• Showing how to make a number in different ways

Art 

• Drawing a picture to be used in a story (digital or print out)

Science

• Measurement tools - thermometer, balance, scale templates available in the Browser and on Promethean Planet

Adding Blogger to Chrome Dashboard

**(8/9/2016 update)** - Please note - the Blogger App has been dropped from Chrome Web Store and Apple's store.  You can only get it on Android devices.  You can still use Blogger, you just have to log in through the browser on your iPhone or iPad.  If you previously had the app, you still have access to it, it's just not being updated.  I'm still using it.  The Blogger website is still being maintained.**
   
     If you'd like to add Blogger to your Chrome Apps, but are having trouble finding it in the Chrome Web Store click this link!  Make sure you are logged into Chrome with the account that you blog with.  Once at the website, click ADD TO CHROME.  It will add the Blogger app to your Chrome Apps.

Classroom Chart for Each Student!

      With TCRWP's several different charts, here's how you can make it so each student has one in their own Writing Folder!

1. Take a picture with your phone and email it to yourself.

2. On your computer, print out the email setting it to have the picture take up the whole page.

3. Put the chart in a sheet protector and add it to your students' writing folders.

***Students needed to be able to reference this chart during a lesson.  We used dry erase markers to check off if we did each step when writing our stories.***

Plickers - Class Voting Using Your Tablet or Smartphone

      If you have a tablet or smartphone and would like to do Class Voting, try out Plickers!  Ms. Johnson has used in with a couple classes.  You download the app to your tablet or smartphone.  Print out the cards from the website.  Setup an account on the Plicker's website.  Create your questions.  Then, when you ask the question, the students holds up a card to show their answer, your device reads the cards to record the answers.  Visit their website for more information!

Saving PDF from Site to Google Drive / Printing to Drive

       This post is helpful if you have a large PDF file that you want to save or only a portion of a large PDF file you want to save to Google Drive.  This is just like printing only certain pages of a document, but instead of printing the document out, you are saving it to your Google Drive to use again and again.

Ways to Use This Post

• Save a specific unit from a larger PDF document.
• Save an activity you want to reuse each year from a larger PDF document.
• Save an article or PDF from a website (in this case, I saved the K ST Math Scope and Sequence to put in the Curriculum's Grade K Math Folder).

1. Make sure you are logged in to your Chrome account.

  

2. PDF's will pop-up in preview mode.  Move the mouse over the document, you will see the print icon appear in the top right corner.  (If what you want to print isn't in preview mode, go to FILE > PRINT).

3. A Print Preview window will open.  Go to DESTINATION and click CHANGE.

4. Scroll down to the section "Google Cloud Print."  Select SAVE TO GOOGLE DRIVE.

5. The destination will then say "Save to Google Drive" and will list underneath it the Google account it will send it to.  Click SAVE.

6. The file will be saved in your MY DRIVE folder.  To find it easily, go to RECENT.  It will be the first file in the list.

7. To change the file's name and location...

• Click on the file.  
• Click on the three dots OR right click on the file name.
• Select your action - CHANGE NAME or MOVE TO.

• If you move the file to a new folder, it will still appear in your RECENT folder, but it will also be in whichever folder you assigned it to.

ActivInspire Setup with Touch

      If you have an Epson projector, these steps will help ActivInspire work better with the interactive touch.

1. Under FILE, go to SETTINGS.

2. Go to DUAL MODE ACTIVBOARDS.

3. Check to see that these are the options you have selected.

• Touch Input - Touch and ActivPen
• Touch Interoperability - Default
• Default Tool for Touch - recommend SELECT
• Default Object Interaction Mode - Any
• Enable Page Turn Gestures - your choice (if you don't like pages to turn with a swipe, uncheck this box).
• Enable Touch Pen and Zoom - recommend uncheck this

4. Click DONE to save the changes.  

Epson Brightlink Projector Training

Click here for notes from the Dec. 12th training.  Includes links to Epson's website for other tutorials.

Click here for the Epson Brightlink Projector User's Guide