An Introduction to SMART Board Notebook

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The following feature shows how teachers and pupils use the SMART Board Notebook in schools, and highlights a few useful hints and tips.

• View An Introduction to SMART Board Notebook

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Voiceover

The following is a demonstration of some of the main features of the interactive SMART Board Notebook. We'll be looking at some of the questions teachers ask about getting the most out of the Notebook. It's always a good idea to spend time investigating the features and using them in different areas of the curriculum.

How do I add a new page?

To add a new page click on the icon at the top of the screen. A new page will appear and you'll also see the new page at the side of the screen. You can also add a new page by going to the insert menu. Click on Insert at the top of the page, click on Blank Page and a new page will appear. As you add new pages they will build up down the side of the screen.

My text keeps on moving around, how can I stop that?

You can fix objects like text and pictures to the back of the page to stop them moving around. First, drag accross the items you wish to fix, go to Draw, Order, Make Background, and now the objects will stay fixed to the page and wont move around.

How do I format text?

You can format the text in the same way as many other applications. First, use the mouse to select the text that you want to format, you can then choose from the drop down menu which fonts you would like to change it to. You can also change the size of the font, and by going to the colour menu you can change the colour of the text. When you click on the icon, different colours will show.

Is there any Clipart? How do I find and use it?

You can add pictures to your Notebook presentation. Go to the Insert menu, click on Clipart, and you will see a selection of folders. Navigate between them until you find the pictures you wish to put in your presentation. You can select a picture and put it straight in. Some computers will allow you to see a preview of the pictures before you insert them into your presentation. Click on the pictures, then click on Open, then the picture will appear on the page. You will possible find that the picture is too big, if so, you need to find the re-sizeing handle at the bottom right hand side of the picture that appears as a circle. Click on this circle and drag towards the middle of the picture. When it is the right size, you can then move it into the position you want it to be.

How do I view the page without the icons around the side?

You can view your Notebook page without all the icons around the outside of the page. Go to the Full Screen button at the top of the page, and you will see the page without the icons. To return, click on the cross on the floating tool bar. Another way to view the full screen is to go to the View menu at the top of the screen, then Full Screen. This will also take you to full screen without all the icons around.

How do I move between pages?

Pages in a Notebook presentation appear down the left or right hand side of the screen, click on the page to navigate. You can also use the icon at the top of the page to navigate between pages.

Can I set up a hyperlink?

You can insert a hyperlink on a Notebook presentation. Go to the Insert menu and choose hyperlink. Then you can type in the address you want to link to. You can also do this but cutting and pasting from the address bar on a webpage. The hyperlink appears on your page, and when clicked on, will go to the page.

How do I save my work?

You can save your presentation by going to the File menu, then choose Save As. You can choose a location in the dialog box where you wish to save your presentation. Give the file a name under File Name, and click on Save.

Give me four good features of this software for classroom use?

You can use the highlighter tool to highlight text on the page. Click on the highlight tool at the top of the page, the default colour will be yellow. You can then use the tool to highlight text, words, letters, and punctuation on the page. You can change the colour of the highlight by clicking on the colour at the top of the page. You then have various colours you can choose from. You can then use the tool to highlight words and letters in a different colour.

The Screen Shade feature can be used very effectively. Click on the icon at the top of the page, and the screen will hide everything that is on the page. You can click at the top of the screen and pull that shade down bit by bit, this will reveal the various lines of text as it goes down. The shade can also be used in other areas like maths, and can reveal parts of objects that you've put on the page.

Another good feature of the notebook is you can make a pile of images. Click on the Insert menu, then Clipart, then navigate between the folders to find the image that you want. You can see a preview of the images by clicking on View, then Thumbnails. Select the picture you want, in this case it's a 1p coin, and insert it. You can click on the image and make it smaller. While it is selected, click on Copy, then Paste. The image is pasted several times on top of each other. Then select the pile then you can move them to another location on the page. When you're working with this page, you can then click on the image and move it, and you will see that there are more objects on the pile. You can move these one by one to wherever you want them on the page.

You can use the Notebook for sound and spelling work, here is an example. First select the elipse tool and choose a colour, then use the mouse to drag and create an elipse on screen. You can the type in using the keyboard the sound you are working on, select this text in the usual way. You can change the size, and also change the font which you can then move into the elipse. Now you need to select the elipse and the sound by dragging across both of them. Then go to the Draw menu, choose Order, and Make Background. These two objects are now fixed to the back of the page. You can then either write with the pen or type other sounds onto the page around the elipse. When you choose one of these you can then move it across to make a new word in the elipse.

This session has looked at a few main features of the SMART Book Notebook. There are lots of other things you can do with your board, try using the Notebook software tutorial under the help menu.