Tequipment: Blogging About SMART Boards, Resources, Lessons, Training, Games

One of the most requested features that teachers want in SMART Notebook is the ability to play sound automatically when a page is entered.

Only MP3 sounds can play within Notebook when embedded onto an object.  MP3′s can only play/pause and restart when you leave and re-enter a page. If  a teacher wanted the sound to play again, he or she would have to either wait for the sound to end or leave the page and return, then click on the object again.

Flash files (either FLV or SWF) are the only type of files that play when a page is entered.  So, if you want sound to play automatically when entering page, what kind of audio file would you like?

You guessed it, an FLV or SWF file.  The subtle difference between the two is that the FLV version has a controller bar to stop/play/rewind/fast-forward, and to drag the timer to any part of the file and the SWF does not have the controller bar. Another bonus to using Flash here is that MP3 sounds cannot be controlled, only paused.

But there are free audio converters out there that will allow you to create FLV and SWF files,  such as  Sofonica, and Format Factory.

In the two videos below, we use Format Factory to convert a sound into an FLV file and a SWF file.

Converting to an FLV

Converting to an SWF

The Teq Summer SMART Board Academy is less than two months away (sessions start July 26) and courses are filling up quickly. So, it comes as no surprise that we have been fielding some great questions related to individual teacher’s existing SMART Board knowledge and which course(s) would be most appropriate.

Folks are asking questions such as:

“I’m a beginner SB user, what classes would you recommend?”

“I teach Social Studies and I’ve been using my SB for about a two years, do you think the SB for elementary social studies, SB and Web 2.0, and Google Earth and SB would be of benefit to me?”

“We just received our SMART Doc Cam and Response clickers. Should, we take the SMART Peripherals course or the SMART Response & SMART Response LE course?”

“I’ve had a SB in my room for the past three years and I teach accelerated 8th grade mathematics. Would you recommend I take the Utilizing Math Software on the SMART Board?”

We hope the following will help you plan your summer academy experience.

This years Academy covers a wide range of topics and there is a little something for everyone. While there isn’t a specific class for new SB users there are classes we think you will benefit from and enjoy. So, here’s a breakdown of how our courses will align with your interests.

New SMART Board Users: All of our courses are hands-on, so you will be interacting with the SMART Board — getting more comfortable using the hardware and software. We recommend the following courses:

• How to Organize and Most Effectively Use Your Computer (for Teachers) is a great choice for those who are just receiving their SMART Board and still feel a little nervous around computers.
• Bells, Whistles, and Balance explores how to create well-designed SMART Notebook lessons and will provide a great review of the Notebook software.
• Mac & Me is a great choice for anyone looking to start using a SMART Board with a Mac.

For the best experience, we recommend beginners register for Teq Certification. This four-day course will cover everything from the connection of the SMART Board and basic use through planning and designing lessons.

More experienced SMART Board Users: All of our Subject-specific courses are perfect for those who have been using their SMART Board for a little while and want to learn how to integrate the SMART Board and SMART Notebook software into their daily lessons. And, since you are probably teaching the same concepts in class, you can use what you learn right away.

We would also recommend SMART Peripherals because this course will include other products to enhance the use of your SMART Board.

Créme de la créme SMART Board Users (just kidding): More advanced users who teach math will enjoy Utilizing Math Software on the SMART Board. The course gets into math-specific software and how to integrate them with your lessons. It will also cover the new Notebook Math Tools. Those who teach social studies should checkout Google Earth for SMART Boards. Experience using Notebook is recommended.

Our course on SMART Response will also benefit teachers already familiar with the SMART Board and SMART Notebook as it will cover how to create dynamic classroom assessments with sound, video, and Flash. SMART Boards and Web 2.0 explores online applications that can enhance existing lessons and foster more collaboration in the classroom.

Whether you are just starting to use your SMART Board or have a few years of experience, we have something for everyone in our Summer Academy. Don’t miss this opportunity to build your skills and improve your lessons for next year. Register online now!

OE-CAKE acts as a physics-based paint program. Users can insert objects and see them interact under the laws of physics. It has an advanced fluid simulator with support for things such as gases, rigid objects, and even elastic materials. With the escape-codes, users can also mix the properties of elements together. You can even add your own pictures to the simulation!!!

Download OE-CAKE for the Mac here and download it for the PC here.

Now you can get our blog posts, a list of the latest ERC lessons, and our Twitter feed right on your iPhone. Go to the iPhone App Store and search for “Teq.”

Animated Gifs work within the pages of SMART Notebook!  The video below shows how you can add color and motion to your Notebook pages using a variety gifs illustrating concepts in Math, Science, and just about every other subject you can imagine.  You can even add the Star Wars Trilogy in gif form!  Mac users may also enjoy creating their own custom animated gifs from still images, using the application Giffun.  The video explains how.

To download Giffun for free visit:

http://www.stone.com/NewDownload.html. (Third row from the top, right column)

Does anyone know of other ways to create animated gifs?  Ways to create animated gifs on a PC?  Please let us know what you’re using!

On the Mac version of SMART Notebook 10, there is a small Jelly Bean shaped button in the top right hand corner. Clicking on this button will alternately “hide” or “show” the toolbar.  So if your toolbar is ever missing, simply touch or click on the “Jelly Bean.”

One reason a teacher may want to hide the toolbar during a lesson is to increase the area of workable space on the board.  While entering full screen will also maximize the work space, you’ll find that the the Flash-based activities of SMART’S Lesson Activity Toolkit work best on Macs when Notebook is not in full screen.  So try the “Jelly Bean” button!

We are pleased to announce that SMART Response (the interactive response system formerly known as Senteo) is now ready for download with the updated driver sets for both Mac and Windows! Please take the time to read all install notes! If you are upgrading to SMART Response you must also upgrade to the latest drivers (Mac / Windows).

Mac users follow this link to upgrade

Windows users follow this link to upgrade

Check back here for product highlights!

Great news for Mac Users: SMART Board Software is now compatible with Mac OS X Leopard. We downloaded it today. It’s sweet.

See, it’s January 2nd and already the year is off to a positive start. Now, the TeqSmart staff only needs to lose our holiday weight, catch up on our reading, and finally clean our apartments and we will have fulfilled our New Year’s resolutions.

Click here to download the latest update (select SMART Board software 9.7 with service pack 2).

If you have Leopard, post in the Comments section here and let us know how the new software is working for you.