ActivInspire Layout and Tools Orientation

Transcription

1 ActivInspire Layout and Tools Orientation Here are some ideas on how to start using your board: Project What s on the Computer Most simply, you can use the interactive whiteboard as a screen to project what is on your computer. Use a Blank Page as a Whiteboard Open up ActivInspire and use the blank space as you would a whiteboard to take notes and solve problems. Mimic a student s notebook to take notes with the class Annotate Outside the ActivInspire Program You can use the Desktop Annotate mode in the ActivInspire software to write/draw/highlight over other programs or documents displayed on the screen. Design, Present, and Interact You can use ActivInspire, which is similar to PowerPoint, to create interactive activities and presentations. The Promethean board and ActivInspire software are meant to be interactive, so there is great deal that you can do to enhance the interactivity. Assess Students Promethean offers a number of accessories you can use in conjunction with the software and the board. One of these accessories is the Student Response System, ActivVotes or ActivExpressions. You can get immediate feedback from your class, by name or anonymously, to guide class activities and pacing. Create a review activity to fill out graphic organizers Illustrate word problems with moveable shapes 1

2 The Layout of ActivInspire To use the ActivInspire program, launch ActivInspire. You will first see The Dashboard, which offers you options to: - Open documents, or flipcharts - Use Desktop Annotate mode - Start a poll with the response system - Go to Promethean s resource website - Configure accessories Choose Create a new flipchart to start a new document. You can also click File and select New Flipchart. In the center, you have a large white area on which to write, called a Page. On the right side, you have your Toolbox. You can use these tools to write, erase, create shapes, and more. You may have another window of Browsers, which allow you to add content, manipulate objects, and navigate the flipchart. The gear icon in the top right- hand corner allows you to toggle between Design and Presentation mode. Design Mode allows you to work on your flipcharts without activating any interactive features. This is the optimal mode to create your flipcharts in. Presentation Mode allows you to activate any interactive features or settings on your flipchart; use this mode when presenting to your students. 2

3 ActivInspire Browsers The browsers are usually found on the left side of the screen. To view the browsers, go to View and select Browsers (or press Ctrl + B). If you want to close your browsers, you can always click the X in the top left corner. There are seven browsers, each with unique capabilities. Page Browser The Page Browser lets you see thumbnails of each page in your flipchart. You can use this browser to rearrange your slides, insert new slides, duplicate slides, and do many more things. Think of this as the Slide Sorter view in PowerPoint. Resource Browser The Resource Browser holds pictures and pre- built activities that you can add to your flipcharts. Click on the folder to see thumbnails of the pictures or activities available in that folder. To transfer the content into your flipchart, you can drag and drop the thumbnail or double- click the picture. Think of this as adding clipart or images in PowerPoint. Object Browser The Object Browser holds a list of the objects on your current page. These objects include shapes, text, pictures, annotations, or anything else that might be in your flipchart. It allows you to see if an element will be displayed above or below another element. It also allows you to discern whether an element is locked or hidden. 3

4 Notes Browser The Notes Browser gives you a place to record notes about a page. For example, you could put in notes to remind yourself what you wanted to say about the page, or insert text instructions that are too long to go in the main area of the slide. This is like the Speaker s Notes view in PowerPoint. Property Browser The Property Browser allows you to see and edit a wide range of information about whatever an object is selected on your page. You can control the position, size, caption, transparency, layer and countless other properties using this browser. Action Browser The Action Browser lets us assign actions to be performed when an object on the screen is clicked. For example, you can create a button that will clear a page or jump to a different page. Or you can add the Highlighter tool icon; when clicked in Presentation Mode, the Highlighter tool will replace your Select tool. Voting Browser The Voting Browser facilitates the process of conducting surveys, votes, and quizzes using ActivExpression devices. 4

5 Creating a Page with a Background Color 1. Open ActiveInspire and under File click on New Flipchart for a blank presentation. 2. Click on Edit in the top toolbar and select Page Background. Make sure Fill is selected and change the background color by clicking on the boxes. You can change the gradient and pattern fills. 3. Click OK. You can also right- click on the blank page and select Set Background. Inserting Shapes and Lines To draw, there are three helpful tools aside from your pen and highlighter tool: The Shape Recognition tool recognizes shapes you draw free- hand and inserts the appropriate shape. To use this tool: Shapes gives you the option of adding many different shapes by clicking and dragging on your page. The Connector tool allows you to create lines and arrows with various thicknesses and colors. 1. Select Shape Recognition Tool from the More Tools icon. 2. Draw your shape. Inserting Images You can insert most standard image formats (.jpg,.png,.tif) into any ActivInspire file. If an image is too large, it will need to be resized. Resizing images is very similar to other programs: there are anchor points that can be dragged to resize the image. Note: If you want your image to keep its proportions, make sure to use the bottom right hand anchor point. 5

6 Inserting and Resizing Text To type onto your flipchart, select the T tool, click where you d like your text to appear, and begin typing. You can change color, size, and font using the text toolbox that appears. Text may be resized in one of two ways: Double click on the text and change the font size in the upper left hand corner. All items become images and can be resized in the same way pictures can be. Right click and use the icons to enlarge or shrink. Editing Objects on the Page Shapes, lines, images, and text are all considered objects on the page. You can edit any of these objects in a number of ways. The Object Edit Menu allows you to manipulate the object. Locking Since everything on the board can be moved by students, you want to lock down objects you don t want manipulated or moved. After an object has been locked, it cannot be dragged around the screen. Lock an object by selecting it, and clicking on the third icon from the left, the Object Edit Menu. Choose the menu item Locked. Note: To unlock an object, toggle to the orange Design Mode icon in the top right hand corner. 6

7 The Infinite Cloner Another interesting object editing option is the infinite cloner. This option allows any object to be replicated as many times as the user wants. This is useful for when students need to fill in an object or drag objects to complete a question. To allow an object to be infinitely cloned, click on the image. Then select the Object Edit Menu and then select Drag a Copy. Note: To remove this mode, toggle to the orange Design Mode icon in the top right hand corner and select the object. Saving your Flipchart The default is to save your file as a.flipchart file. If you save your file this way, it will continue to be modifiable using ActivInspire, allowing you to add pages or make changes later. Print and Save as a PDF If you want to share your flipchart you can: Print a copy of all your pages Save your document as a PDF and share the file Either way, you will tell the computer you want to print by going to File and choosing Print. This will bring up a dialog box. If you want a paper copy, press Print. If you prefer a PDF file, press Export to PDF and save. 7

8 Build an Activity: Attendance Page Create an attendance page with names of students in each class period and a question or prompt. When students walk in, they take their own attendance by moving their name to answer the question. To create a roster: 1. Make a shape with the Shape tool that includes the desired outline and fill color. 2. Duplicate the shape for the number of students by pressing Ctrl + D (PC) or Command +D (Mac). 3. Select the Text tool. Create a separate text object for each of your students. 4. Layer the shape and the text for each student. If the text shows up behind the shape, use the Object Browser to move the text objects to the Top Layer. 5. Group each shape and text object by creating a Select Box around the two objects, and selecting the Grouped icon. To create the rest of the page: 6. Set a background by using the Resource Browser or right- clicking on the page and selecting Set Background. 7. Use the Text tool to create a question or prompt at the top of the page. 8. Use the Shape or Connector tool to create a division on the page for multiple answers. Tips and Suggestions: Use this space as a warm- up, review from the last class period, or personal questions (like the example above). Make a separate flipchart document, with a page for each of your roster names/symbols. Keep the background white. When you create a new page, copy and paste the names from this original flipchart. If you have a large class, you can use the Page Extender to make the page larger. However, you could just keep the names and questions of smaller text, since the page doesn t necessarily need to be read by the back of the room. Ideas of how to use this activity in your own classroom: 8

9 ActivInspire Studio Toolbox Main Menu Desktop Annotate Previous Page Start/Stop Flipchart Vote Switch Profile Desktop Tools Next Page ExpressPoll Color Palette Pen Width Select Pen Eraser Shape Insert Media From File Clear Undo Tools Highlighter Fill Connector Text Reset Page Redo 9