SMART Board Interactive Whiteboard For Dummies

Radana Dvorak

• Publisher: For Dummies
• Year: 2012
• Print ISBN:
  9781118376683
• Edition: 1
• eBook ISBN:
  9781118387412
• Topic: Computer Science
• Subtopic: Hardware
• Index: Computer Science

The easy-to-use guide to SMART Board® interactive whiteboards

SMART Board interactive whiteboards—which combine the functionality of a computer with the simplicity of a whiteboard—are rapidly becoming fixtures in classrooms, boardrooms, and lecture halls everywhere. While these high tech devices are transforming the ways we teach and learn, getting the most out of them can be down right intimidating. SMART Board® Interactive Whiteboard For Dummies is here to help, explaining everything users need to know to make the most of their technology.

Covering topics including how to calibrate a SMART Board interactive whiteboard using a computer, navigating software options, creating interactive presentations and lesson plans, incorporating sound and animation, managing content, and using digital ink with the touch of a finger, the book is designed to get your interactive whiteboard up and running in no time.

• Introduces and explains SMART Board interactive whiteboards, computer-based white boards that are becoming widespread in classrooms and boardrooms around the world
• Covers essential topics ranging from setting up a SMART Board interactive whiteboards to managing content
• Provides the tools SMART Board interactive whiteboard users need to make the most of these new devices

The go-to guide for anyone working with SMART Board interactive whiteboards, SMART® Board Interactive Whiteboard For Dummies is designed to make using the chalkboards of the twenty-first century a cinch.

Part I

Getting Started with Your SMART Board Interactive Whiteboard

In this part . . .

Here you find out about all the capabilities and possibilities available with your SMART Board interactive whiteboard. Chapter 1 gives you an overview of the interactive whiteboard, briefly explaining its conventions, terminology, and tools. Chapter 2 fills you in on the hardware and how to identify what product versions you have; I also walk you through setting up the interactive whiteboard if you’re in charge of this task for your organization. Chapter 3 shows you how to configure your interactive whiteboard so that it performs exactly how you need it to. Finally, in Chapter 4, I cover the nuts-and-bolts information that gets you started using the interactive whiteboard and designing your first project.

Chapter 1

Unveiling the SMART Board Interactive Whiteboard

In This Chapter

Discovering what the SMART Board interactive whiteboard can do

Getting acquainted with your interactive whiteboard system

Identifying and comparing the different series

Familiarizing yourself with the the tools and menus

Congratulations! You’ve decided to get serious about using that great big interactive whiteboard standing proudly in your classroom or meeting room. You’ve seen others use it. You’ve heard students talking about how cool one of your colleagues is because he does the wildest things with it. You’ve heard your boss praise one of your co-workers, saying how well she was able to explain the new workflow using the interactive whiteboard. You want a piece of that action!

In this chapter, I introduce you to all the capabilities of the SMART Board interactive whiteboard. I explain how it works, what you can do with it, and the tools you’ll be using to get the job done.

Exploring the Interactive Whiteboard: The Big Picture

You may be thinking, “I’ve seen one of these interactive whiteboards, but what exactly is it and how does it work?” Well, you’re about to find out. The SMART Board interactive whiteboard is a digital whiteboard that gives you all the capabilities of your computer on a whiteboard. Plus, you can use your finger to write on the screen in digital ink. Then you can save, print, or distribute your notes at the touch of a button; access multimedia files; collaborate on activities by allowing two or more people to write on the screen at the same time; access the Internet; and teleconference.

Some teachers have held lessons with classrooms of students spread across the world. How cool is it to be able to write on the screen in the United States and have students in Canada or England seeing what you’ve written and participating in your class?

How it works

The interactive whiteboard (see Figure 1-1) connects to your computer and a projector. Your computer desktop is projected on the interactive whiteboard surface. You control the desktop by touching the screen with your finger, a pen, or an eraser, or you can use a keyboard and mouse. The display is touch sensitive, allowing your finger to become the mouse to control writing on the display and control your computer.

Interactive whiteboards versus electronic whiteboards

You may have heard people talking about electronic whiteboards and wondered if those are the same as interactive whiteboards. Here are the differences between an interactive whiteboard and an electronic whiteboard:

The interactive whiteboard displays your desktop.

You can write directly on an interactive whiteboard with your finger or various tools and then save your note from the screen to your computer.

On an interactive whiteboard, you can use all the features and software on your computer, including the ability to access the Internet.

With an electronic whiteboard, all you can do is use your dry-erase markers on the board and save the notes to your computer. You can’t use gestures on your desktop or access any software.

Electronic whiteboards are pretty limited. You’re better off using your laptop connected to an overhead projector than using an electronic whiteboard. Of course, the best option is an interactive whiteboard, which takes your laptop’s functionality to a whole new level.

Figure 1-1: A SMART Board interactive whiteboard system and components.

Originally developed in 19...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Table of Contents
• Title Page
• Introduction
• Part I: Getting Started with Your SMART Board Interactive Whiteboard
• Part II: Creating Lessons and Presentations with SMART Notebook Collaborative Learning Software
• Part III: Adding Interactivity Tools and Collaborating Activities
• Part IV: The Part of Tens
• Part V: Appendixes
• Cheat Sheet