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

We recently posted some state assessments to the ERC. All of these are intended for use with the SMART Response system. This got us thinking, “Isn’t there an easier way to create a quiz/test/survey than doing it all in Notebook?”

Thanks to some intrepid explorers from the Mexico Academy and Central School, we’ve found that there is indeed.

New York State tests are often formatted so that numbers represent both questions and answer choices. However, both Senteo 2 and Response use the A B C D format for answer choices. Fortunately, Notebook will recognize answer choices formatted as (1) and (2) and change them into A B choices.

What this means is you’ll be able to copy and paste specific questions from tests, and with minimal formatting, turn these into Response assessments. Be sure to check out the linked Word document demonstrate this. It uses questions from the 2008 8th grade science test.

Assessment and evaluation have never been easier. Take a look at the Downloads section of our Educator Resource Center for NYS tests that have been converted to SMART Response! So far we have posted NYS Math tests from 2006 to 2009 for grades 3-8, and NYS ELA tests are in the process of being uploaded!  Keep your eye out for Social Studies and Science tests coming soon.

Here are some quick facts about the exams:

• If you click on the attachment tab in the file you will find a copy of the actual exam as well as the answer key to the exam.
• Each question is tagged with its corresponding standard or performance indicator which will allow you to easily gather and analyze your student, class, and school data.
• For the ELA’s, any written answer questions were inputted as opinion questions for the sake of numerical continuity when giving the test.  Students should enter an answer, but it will not be counted towards their grade.
• The stories for the ELA tests are not included, but you can print them out from the attachment tab.
• Don’t forget, these are Notebook files, so you have all of the Notebook tools to use, such as the interactive protractor, ruler, shape tools, and pen tools to model how to solve problems or to review after you have gathered your class data.

This will save you time, and allow you to collect the data that you need.  Let us know how it goes!

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!

Hello everyone: Do not install SMART Response yet. For the past couple of days we have been testing the new version of SMART Response, and we have found a major glitch. On the PC, the select tool will not work within the workspace of the Notebook. On the Mac, none of the tools will work within the workspace.

We have notified SMART and will keep everyone updated as we receive word from them.

In the interim please uninstall Response and reinstall Senteo 2.

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UPDATE

SMART has acknowledged the issue with SMART Response and has released a new service pack for the SMART Board drivers.   SMART’s website has not yet been updated to reflect this change.  For now, the service pack can be downloaded from the following links:

Service Pack 5 for the PC

Service Pack 5 for the MAC

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It’s no secret that teaching has been steadily moving towards a data-driven model. As teachers, we’re encouraged to find ways to determine precisely what our students know, how well they know it, and where they’re struggling. With high-stakes tests determining not only student progress, but school success as well, it’s imperative that we’re able to identify strengths and weaknesses early on.

That’s where using Senteo comes in. The wonderful teachers of PS 19 in Staten Island recently completed a six-hour training sequence learning to use Senteo 2. They worked together to make the 2008 NYS math tests into Senteo assessments. It was more than just copying and pasting the questions — they tagged each question with the appropriate performance indicator. This will allow them to collect meaningful student data, and have the software generate a report for each individual student, as well as their classes as a whole.

Now that each performance indicator is tagged, they can clearly see the areas in which students are excelling, and where they’ll need to add some focused instruction. Small-group instruction can be a lot more effective if there’s a specific topic to address, with a specific goal envisioned.

Note: In order to tag these questions, the teachers used Senteo 2. There’s no backward compatibility with the prior version of Senteo, so you’ll need to have the most up-to-date version. Their tests have been posted to the Senteo section in the ERC.

We welcome you to download these tests, and let us know your feedback too.

We at Tequipment have had one particular question asked, “Is it possible to have a Jeopardy-like game board and Senteo working together?” And after many attempts of trial and error, the answer is, “YES!”

The 6×5 Jeopardy Template that many have enjoyed has been updated as a new 6×5 Jeopardy-Senteo quiz.  There are some changes to the original 6×5 Jeopardy template–such as a Double Jeopardy option; no more “question” pages and of course Senteo integration. This new template here for you to use and modify is a sample 30-question Senteo quiz.

Attached to the download is a Word document that explains how to modify the template.

Check back soon for other great tips and techniques for integration Senteo into your lessons and activities

We’ve been asked a few questions about Senteo lately and thought we’d take a moment and answer some of them here.

Q: “If I create a class list on my Mac at home, can I save it on a flash drive and use it on my PC in school?”

A: You definitely can! Just like Notebook files, Senteo has cross platform compatibility. Remember, Senteo files are just Notebook files. For more information about roaming Senteo profiles read our post on Saving & Accessing your Senteo Teacher Profile

Q: “How do I activate my Senteo Software?”

A: It’s very easy to activate your software. If you are using Senteo 1.0, all you need to do is plug in your receiver. This will load the necessary drivers and validate your software. If you are using Senteo 2.0, you will have plug in your receiver and start a new class.

A Senteo Teacher Profile encompasses the class lists, student profiles, and assessment results.

Some of our blog readers have had questions about where Senteo stores this information, how it can be retrieved, can it be saved in a specific location, and can several teachers have their profiles on a single computer.

When creating a teacher profile, you can save it to any location. Open Senteo Teacher, select “New,” and a new Teacher Profile will be created. Make sure you use a unique name when naming your teacher profile. If a profile is created with the same name as an exiting profile, the older profile can be over-written, and the previously-retained grades, class lists, etc. will be lost.

Next, when filling in the appropriate teacher details, there is an option to save to a specific location: “Save in…” Click the “Browse” button and fine a nice, safe place to save the profile (Pictured above, click the image to enlarge it).

REMEMBER THIS!: Senteo 2.0 will always open the most recently used teacher profile. So, make sure you open your teacher file when you start Senteo Teacher, click File > Open and then browse to your teacher profile.

This allows multiple teachers on one computer to save their Teacher Profiles. It also provides you with the location on your computer or school network where the profiles can be accessed.

Hi again, this is your Tequipment North office here in North Syracuse posting. As March Madness heats up, with our beloved 3-seed Orange (even though many prefer seedless Oranges… wow — bad joke even for me!) heading to Memphis for the sweet 16, it may be time for a history lesson for your students about the team name (and mascot) of Syracuse University.

http://www.suathletics.com/sports/2001/8/8/mascot.aspx

Share this web page with your class, which traces the history of the mascot from the Saltine Warrior to a gladiator, a troll, and ultimately to the Orange we know and love today!

You can also download our SenteoMadness 2009 file from the Educator Resource Center. It’s a review game intended to simulate March Madness.

So, feel free to customize your SMART Board’s pens and highlighters to Orange, and get ready for the Madness to continue!

A question we often encounter when discussing Senteo quizzes is “What if some of my students are absent?”

The simple answer is to re-run the quiz.  We recommend saving assessments under different names, so that you can easily review the Notebook file later.  If you don’t want to save the Notebook data, you can re-run the quiz, and elect to “clear th results and start this assessment.”  You won’t lose the data that was saved in Senteo Teacher.

When you re-run the quiz for the missing students, they won’t be included in the data set with the other group(s) of students.  To fix this, you’ll need to change the date of the assessment in Senteo Teacher, so that it matches the original date on which it was given.  When you print out class progress reports, the data for the “missing” students now appears on the same date as the “present” students.