We LOVE a school-based 3D printer, especially when a great friend pops into the library throughout the day and cranks out 30 page ups and 60 cord wraps. Well, it took him a few days overall, but these items were worth the wait. I found templates on Thingiverse.com for a paper holder called a page up and skinny cord organizers called cord wraps. The plastic used for these items cost less than $0.50 a student. (A store-bought page up can be around $7 and cord wraps are $2+ each.) Plus, these tech tools can be reused every year. They are quite durable. I haven’t had any breaks so far. The wraps really help eliminate dangling cords on desktops (taking up space) or over the edges of desks (which can be a hazard as students walk by). Students store their headphones and mice in a our “Tech Bay,” which is a traditional mailbox cubby system labeled with their classroom student numbers (1-30). More organization for the kids to keep our class running smoothly!
Kristen Foley
Scientist of the Week
Each week (October-April), one student in our class is the featured scientist of the week. This is an optional challenge, but most students jump at the chance to pick their own experiment and present it to their peers. The scientific process is our guide and I provide students with kid-friendly websites for ideas. Safety is essential. I pre-approve age-appropriate investigations (no fire or strong chemicals) and ensure we don’t have duplicate experiments on the docket. On the day of the presentation, parents or other family members are welcome to come assist or watch. The third-grader takes the lead and manages all questions. Sure, I offer support as needed, but the students come prepared and handle inquisitions with confidence. Even if they are unsure, it’s great to see their honesty. Science is complex, so if an eight-year-old doesn’t understand all the ins and outs, we get it! What a great opportunity to build confidence and interest in science!
Basic Operation and Care
Components
The computer sends an image to the projector through a RGB or VGA cable. The projector transmits the image onto the interactive whiteboard. The board relays any input messages (use of pen tools or hand) to the computer through a USB cable.
When you press the board with a pen tool or your finger, the top layer of the screen makes contact with the back layer of the screen. Press with intent to ensure that your actions are recognized by the back layer.
Safety
- Never look directly at the projector’s light beam.
- Never touch the projector. It can become very hot during operation.
- Never use a chair to increase a student’s reach on the SMARTTM board.
- Never use other writing utensils (markers, pencils, ink pens, etc.) on the board. Keep these materials and others (scissors, liquids, etc.) away from the area.
- Be mindful of cords and the legs on portable models.
Cleaning and Orienting
Glass PlusR Multi-Surface Cleaner and a soft paper towel or cloth are recommended for cleaning the board. This should be done as needed. Try to make it a habit to clean and orient your board once a week.
Etiquette
Only one user can touch the board at a time. Since only one point of contact can be recognized by the board, so you may need to adjust how you hold the pen tools when writing. Do not rest your hand on the board. If you are right-handed, it is best to stand on the right side of the board. This way your body will open up to your audience.
The Pen Tray
The four SMARTTM Board pens are simply hollow plastic tubes. Optical sensors on the pen tray notify the computer when a pen is removed. If you pick up two or more tools without returning the others, the board will recognize the last tool selected.
One pen try button will launch the keyboard. The second button allows you to access right-click. Pressing them both at the same time will open the orientation screen to align the board with the projector.
Indicator Lights
The status light (ready light) is located on the bottom right side of your SMARTTM Board.
|
Color of Light |
Status |
| Not Lit |
|
| Solid Green |
|
| Flashing Green |
|
| Solid Red |
|
| Flashing Amber |
|
| Solid Amber |
|
First Aid Center
How many times is your instruction interrupted by students needing a bandaid, ice pack, mint, or lotion? And the walk and wait at the nurse’s office takes valuable time away from learning. Of course, there are times when the nurse does need to evaluate the student’s health, but about half of the time I can triage the need in just a few seconds. And having a First Aid station in my classroom helps me teach student to be assertive and self-sufficient. My area includes ice packs in the mini-fridge, lotion, tissues, and sick bucket. The drawers house bandaids, Lifesaver mints, Lifesaver fruit candy (for kids who don’t like mint), latex gloves, cheap sandwich baggies to wrap around the ice packs, and hall passes to see the nurse with a pen. Everything is in one location. During the first days of a new school year, I spend time talking to the students about how to evaluate, communicate, and treat their needs. Together we create a “HOOT – How Oakland Operates Together” poster with action statements such as, “Return ice packs to the fridge and throw away the baggie.” Our First Aid station has been a great addition to the classroom!
Luscious Library
Color and variety! Lots of books at many levels! I LOVE an organized classroom library that stays as organized on day 100 as it is on day 1. Does that mean no one can touch the baskets? No. However, I train my students to understand how the books are grouped and my expectations for taking/returning. Every teacher has a method that works best for him/her. My baskets are arranged by genres with a thematic display on the top that rotates out every 3 weeks. I prefer to let students check out one book at a time using a place-holder checkout card. Any books that I read aloud are stored in a special “Read Alouds” tub after I share them. This allows students to easily locate those titles to re-read themselves. Plus, I can pull those books and reference the stories or literary features at any time. This is great for compare/contrast or reminding the class of great writing techniques. The library is one of my favorite sections of the room, and I’m sure the kids would agree!
Got Wordle?
Wordle, www.wordle.net, is a website for creating word clouds. Simply type in a series of words using commas. The more often the word is included, the larger it will appear in the final word cloud. Then customize the themes, fonts, and colors. Use the SMART camera tool to take a picture and add it to your SMART file. There are a variety of classroom applications. Ask your students to write down five words to describe a character from a story, a scientific concept following the unit of story, or an upcoming holiday. This can be an individual or small group task. Or create a Wordle on a topic of study and use it to preview the chapter. Students can view it and make connections to prior knowledge. Or type each of your student’s names to create a class word cloud that can be an image on your classroom website or your classroom computer’s desktop background. TIP: Type your words in a Word document and paste them into the field on the site. Because if you decide to “go back” and add, delete, or change words, you will be sent back to the home page. Your work is not saved on the site. Also, for two words that you’d like to stay together such as United States, put a ~ between the words (United~States).
Group Generator
I love the random group generators available in the SMART Notebook gallery. After searching “random,” look under the “multimedia” category. I use the one pictured above and include student numbers rather than names. Since this grouping tool is part of many different SMART files (reading, math, science, writing), I want to keep it general enough to be used year after year. After entering number/names, chose the number of groups you’d like to make. Then “generate” to see the random groupings. If a student is absent and you want to remove his/her number/name, do this on the first page before generating. Then be sure you don’t leave an empty fields. The function will only group the students prior to the open slot. The quick fix it to move the last number/name of your class into the empty spot.
Pete’s Presentations
Phillip Martin has outdone himself with his collection of sites offering educators FREE PowerPoint presentations, education websites, and clipart. The main site, Pete’s PowerPoint Station, has links to numerous resources. I’d recommend viewing all of the themes and topics at Pete’s Presentations because you can look at all of the possibilities. Sub-sites include Gretta’s Game Station and Hannah’s Homework Help Station. Don’t miss the clipart link. Mr. Martin’s unique, colorful cartoon style appeals to all children.
As long as you use it for your classroom (newsletters, website, interactive whiteboard lessons, self-made worksheets, etc.), these amazing resources are yours at no cost. He does ask that you tell someone else about the site. I’d say that is the least we can do to thank Mr. Martin for his outstanding artistry and organization. This is a teacher’s jackpot!
Pete’s Presentations
http://www.pppst.com/themes.html
Gretta’s Games
http://games.pppst.com/index.html
Hannah’s Help
http://resources.pppst.com/index.html
Circle Tap to Erase
Do you need a shortcut for erasing a large area of writing on your SMART Board™? Try “Circle Tap” to erase words or drawings created with a pen tool.
- Make a complete circle on the board using the eraser around an area with writing. You can use the actual eraser tool in your hand or by clicking on the eraser in your top toolbar. Make sure the circle ends wear you began. And don’t dawdle. If you take too long to draw the circle with your eraser, this will not work.
- Tap firmly in the center of the invisible circle you drew. Your writing within that area will disappear.
- This will only work on words or drawings that were created with a pen tool. Typed text, shape tool objects, graphics, etc. will remain on the page.
- This skill sometimes takes new users a few attempts to master. Remember . . . draw complete circle with the eraser tool and firmly tap in the center.
Orienting the Board
This process of orienting the screen will tell your computer where the projected image is located on the SMART Board™. I recommend orienting your board at the beginning of each school week. Some boards are mounted in an area of the school building that has more movement on the floor or roof above, which will cause the projector to become out of alignment from time to time. You can orient your board even in the middle of a lesson if you notice your point of touch is off. It will only take 10 seconds.
- On the pen tray attached to your SMART Board™, click the keyboard and mouse buttons at the same time. A gray screen will appear which will allow you to orient your SMART Board™.
- Using the pen tool tip, firmly touch the yellow center of each red + sign and release. I prefer to touch near the + sign, firmly drag my pen tool tip into the yellow center, and remove the pen when I have it perfectly centered. The SMART Board™ actually recognizes the point of release, not the first point of contact on the screen. Some teachers prefer to use a finger instead of a pen tool for orienting. Continue marking these points as they appear on the screen. A normal-sized board will have 9 points. Widescreen boards will have 12 points.
- If you make a mistake during this process, press a key on your pen tray to go back and re-do the previous + sign.
- When you finish with the last point, this orientation screen will disappear. You will be returned to the last program you had up on your computer screen.
Kristen Foley 