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

While soundboard.com is a great source for ready-made sound clips, sometimes a teacher may want to add their own soundtrack to a lesson to further engage the students. Similar to GarageBand, programmers have developed Myna; a web-based and easy to use dynamic music creation tool.

With Myna, you can:
1. Quickly create tracks and add your own content or instrumentation
2. Export your work as an MP3 for use in a Notebook presentation

The flexibility of this program makes it a valuable resource to educators. It is easy to use and a great way to engage students.

Any soundtrack created in Myna can be downloaded as an .mp3 file. Once it has become an .mp3 file it can then be used in SMART Notebook pages. Download this file to see how Myna can be used with SMART Notebook.

*Important Note: Only .mp3 audio can be added to any SMART Notebook file.

Many teachers enjoy listening to music while their students are engaged in group work or completing a lesson. However, problems can occur such as controlling which songs are played or inadvertently exposing students to inappropriate music. This is where Grooveshark comes in.

Grooveshark (www.grooveshark.com) allows a teacher to set a playlist of songs that cannot be altered by students.

Teachers signup for free and can immediately begin setting up a playlist.

1. First, search for a song then begin building your playlist.
2. To setup, edit and play a Grooveshark playlist watch the tutorials by clicking here!
3. The embedded player can also be paused and set to ‘continuous’ mode.

My Grooveshark Player:

Once the playlist has been setup by the teacher, you can embed your playlist to a blog, wiki or web page of your choice. Simply click the ‘embed’ option next to your playlist.

Happy Listening!

In elementary school classrooms students are often found singing and doing finger plays and rhymes. Teachers know that music encourages learning and has been linked with a child’s language development. Music stimulates the brain, and is correlated with children building vocabulary, gaining listening skills, and understanding basic mathematical concepts. Not only does music arouse the brain, it gets kids involved and excited.

Here are some links to find songs for the classroom:

• Bus Songs (http://bussongs.com) – This website has many songs divided by genres. For all the songs it lists lyrics and for some they have videos and/or audio clips.
• KIDiddles (http://www.kididdles.com/lyrics) – This website has song lyrics and audio. Sign up for free printable lyrics sheets and  put them up on your SMART Board for the whole class to follow along.
• Mama Lisa’s World (http://www.mamalisa.com) – This website has songs from around the world. The songs can be searched for by continent and the lyrics are written out in the original language and also translated into English. Some of the songs have sound clips and sheet music.

Many times when we think of using a SMART Board we tend to stick to the core subjects – Math, Social Studies, Science and ELA. But what about Music? There are many sites on the Web that are great for teaching students the power of music. Here are a few sites that we think work really great w/ the SMART Board!

Creating Music – This site introduces students to the basics of music. One part that we especially love is the Musical Sketchpads. For more advanced students, check out Sketchpad with Variations. The Sketchpads allow students to choose different instruments and then sketch (compose) a piece of music in the workspace. When they have completed their sketch they can then hear what they have drawn. Rhythm Band is another great way for students to learn about beats. They can create lines of music with different percussion sounds and then listen to their creations. Use the SMART Board w/ these activities creates a very cool and intuitive interface for the students!

Freaky Frank’s Music Machine – This is a fun site that lets students explore their creativity as well as thinking about how different feelings in music relate to each other. Students are able to turn different musical features on or off creating variations according to their individual style. Your students will love transforming the SMART Board into their own loop studio!

Compose Music – This site allows students to arrange musical notes on a staff. They are able to then play the notes that they placed. This is a great way to explore the relationships of notes placed on different lines and spaces of a musical staff.

Hope you enjoy these sites. Feel free to post comments or other sites you have found useful in our comments section.