Smart Fun!

If you can use a computer and a mouse, you can use an interactive white board! Yes, it really is that simple. BUT there are many more features for you to learn and use. There are tools to make your lessons more interactive and attractive to your class. There are pens, a highlighter, a screen to hide part of your lesson, and a spotlight to focus attention on a specific item.

There are settings you can customize, too, to make the board more efficient. If you are having trouble with the touch, try customizing the orientation of the board. Click on the link for Other Smart Tools and choose the Control Panel. then select Smart Hardware Settings. In the drop-down list, choose Orientation. The default number of points for orienting the board is 9, but you can choose 12 or 20. The more points, the more accurate the orientation will be.

Another feature you will want to check out is the Design Gallery. There are graphics and interactive activities for you to use. You can use the Search feature to find items or browse through the items listed by subject. Check out the interactive lessons!

Tips for Microsoft Word 2007

If you missed the workshop this past week, here is a tip for working in Microsoft Word 2007 and I will put the rest of the tips on the Tech Tidbits Ning:

Line spacing:
• default spacing is1.15 with space after each paragraph
• To change spacing – highlight text and select No Spacing in the Styles section of the Home tab
• To make the change permanent – make the changes, click the bottom arrow at the end of the styles. Choose Save Selection as a New Quick Style. Name it My Style and a new button will appear in the Style section.

Laptops @ school

Laptop use is on the rise at school! Using it to take roll saves lots of time. If you just close the lid (ssh, it's sleeping...), you can leave My Backpack open and it will save you some time for the next class, especially if you have to move to another room.

Did you know that when you log on to your laptop at school, it reacts the same way at any of the desktops at school. You can use Outlook to check your email (NOT the web access) and if you open My Computer, you can see all the drives available to you. No need for Citrix at school - you still need to use Citrix when you use your laptop at home.

Have any of you found any other good suggestions?