Interactive Whiteboard Program Information Sheet

Browsers
Browsers are new to Inspire (for those that are familiar with ActivStudio) and are a big time saver when delivering or developing lessons. Page navigation, lesson resources, page notes, properties, voting results and more are now easily accessible through the browsers. This information sheet is intended to give you more information on the features of the browsers. These concepts are broken up into two sections: General features and the browsers. The page and resource browsers are more basic and are covered during the WCSD Core Essentials courses. The objects, page notes, properties, actions and voting browsers are more complicated and are covered during the WCSD Intermediate Essentials courses.

General Features
In most cases the Browsers will automatically open when the software opens. If your browsers do not automatically open, you can open the browsers by clicking on View > Browsers (or press Ctrl + B). If you would like the browsers to automatically open each time you start the software, please see the Setting Toolbox Preferences information sheet. Once you open the browsers, you will see the browsers appear (in most cases) either to the right or to the left of the screen momentarily:

Then it will slide out of the way (slightly off the screen). This happens in most cases if the browsers are not pinned. More on this below. This is how browsers look when they are open and hiding.

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Similar to the main toolbox, you can pin and dock your browsers. One difference is that you are able to close your browsers. It is recommended that you dock your browsers to the opposite side of the page so that the window does not compete with your main toolbox.

The X closes the browsers. To get your browsers back, click on View > Browsers (or press Ctrl + B).

This space allows you to freely move your browsers and manually dock the window to either side of the screen.

This menu allows you to dock and close your browsers quickly.

This is the pin. Click it to pin your browser in place (the browser must be docked to the left or right to pin it). This prevents it from hiding. When you are using the browsers consistently, it is recommended that you pin it so that it does not repeatedly hide as you work. Pinning your browser also resizes your screen so that the entire screen is still visible on your page. You will notice more blue space on the top and bottom of the screen. This will go away once you have unpinned or closed your browsers.

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The Browsers
A quick overview (more detail starting on the next page)! Across the top of the browser window, there are seven browser icons. Here is an introduction to each of them:

Page Browser: Navigate (jump) between pages. Rearrange page order. Cut, copy/paste, duplicate and delete pages. Copy objects onto other pages. Resource Browser: Digital resource repository. Includes images, backgrounds, activities, grids and more. Import/export and organize resources to meet your instructional needs. Object Browser: Displays all objects on your screen. Select, cut, copy/paste, delete, hide and lock objects on the page. Change objects order and arrangement. Notes Browser: Type directions, objectives, notes and answers. Edit text style. When there are notes on a page, the yellow icon will appear next to the page number. Click it to view them. Property Browser: This is the brains of the operation. Once an object or page is selected, its properties are displayed and edited here.

Action Browser: Add actions, and multimedia links to objects on the page here (Current Selection). Add action objects or add actions to existing objects (Drag and Drop). Voting Browser: Manage student response devices (register, rename, etc.) Review and export voting results. Edit student databases Change voting settings.

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The Page Browser

Navigate your flipchart lesson. Jump ahead a few pages just by clicking on the page you want (the thumbnails show you a preview of the content on the page). Click and drag a page to a different location in the flipchart to rearrange page order. Select a page and click on the menu icon in the upper, right-hand corner of the page to access the page menu(the most used features are highlighted):

Scroll through the pages here.

Increase and decrease thumbnail size here.

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The Resource Browser

The resource browser contains thousands of digital resources, interactive activities and lessons for your classroom. These can be used on the fly during a lesson or accessed in advance as you prepare your digital lesson. There are a few different sections to the resource browser. The first part of the resource browser answers the question Where do I want to find my resources? Take a look:

My Resources: Located in My Documents > Activ software (or Activstudio3) Located here are files that you have saved/added to the resource browser.

Other Resource Folder: You can select any location on your computer. If you scan images or take/save pictures, you might want to direct this icon to My Documents > My Pictures (or virtually anywhere else on your computer) for easy access to your other digital files.

Shared Resources: Located in My Computer > Shared Documents > Activ software > Activstudio3 Located here are files came with the software.

The next section allows you to search the items in your browser in addition to accessing additional tools and resources. If your browser does not have this section (or looks different), click on the Help menu and select Check for updates . . .

Type in your search keyword and press the blue arrow (it will be grey until you type your keyword). If you are doing this for the first time, the resource On-Screen Keyboard : library will need to be Access this tool to help you indexed (which can take type while you are at the some time). board (and away from your keyboard). Search Options: Refine your search options here:

Promethean Planet: This is

a quick link to Promethean Planet. If the resource you are looking for is not in your resources, you might be able to find it here . . .

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The next section is the file structure. These are the folders that make up your resources. The folders will be different based on your selection in the first section. Double-click (or click the [+] icon) to open the folders and view thumbnails of the resources. In this example, the shared resources sub-folders Activities and Templates and Activities have been expanded (opened) and the folder 100 grids has been selected. Once a folder with resource files has been selected, thumbnails of the resources appear. Click on the resource and drag it onto the flipchart page. It is now an object on your flipchart page. This resource browser is also a functional file management tool. By clicking on the menu next to a folder, you can:

Export to Resource Pack . . .: Creates a file that allows you to share the contents of a resource folder with another teacher. Email the file or transfer with a flash drive . . . Rename Folder: Name it something that is functional for you . . . Delete Folder: If you decide you do not need it anymore, delete it (probably not a good idea in Shared Resources). Create New Folder: Creates a new sub-folder in the selected folder. Make sure you have the appropriate folder selected (you can tell which is selected: it will be highlighted grey or blue). If you want a folder in the same line as Activities and Templates, you will have to select the Shared Resources folder. If there is an object on the page that you would like to save for future use, you can drag it from your page and drop it in the thumbnail section. It will be added to the selected folder. To avoid confusion, make sure you have the appropriate folder selected (you can tell which is selected: it will be highlighted grey or blue).

Thumbnail section

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You can also adjust the resource browser setting by clicking here . . .

View Mode: View as list or grid. Thumbnail Size: Choose small or large. Image Transparency: Keep this checked! This ensures that the resource is added to the page without a background. If you would like to make multiple copies of a resource. Select the Rubber Stamp tool. Click and drag the resource you want on the page and every time you click the page (or tap the board) and a copy of the resource will be created. Click on the select tool to turn the Rubber Stamp off.

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The Object Browser

The object browser allows you to manage/edit the objects on your flipchart page. You are able to click and drag them to change the order on the page (i.e. move an object on top of another). Click and drag an object up on the list to move it on top of another. In the example to the right, Image33 is on top of Text8. If Text8 needs to be on top, click and drag it above Image33. Now the text is on top of the image, like this:

You can move objects to different layers as well, by dragging them to the Top Layer, Middle Layer, Bottom Layer or Background Layer. This is great for utilizing Magic Ink/Magic Revelers or to protect objects from Magic Ink. This is covered in more depth in other information sheets. In addition to order and arrangement, you can click on objects in the object browser to select them. You can also click on the menu to do any of the following:

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The Notes Browser

Type anything in the notes browser. Generally, this is used for lesson directions (for students or teachers). Here are a few more ideas: Dont like the way that it looks? Highlight the text and select Format Toolbar to change the features of the font. Once you have created a page note, an icon appears at the top of the screen to indicate that there is information in the notes browser:

The Property Browser

The property browser displays the preferences for selected objects. This includes text size, font, line size and color, shape fill and color, object keyword, grid features, object position and appearance, object rotation, and much, much more. Most of these things can be accomplished elsewhere in the software, but can also be done here. The property browser also simplifies the process of creating containers and using restrictors. The property browser is covered in more depth in other information sheets covering concepts that require its use (especially containers and restrictors). Since its features are extensive this is a cursory overview. It may be worth it to select different objects on your flipchart page and see how the property browser changes (and how you can change the objects).

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The Action Browser

The action browser allows you to attach actions to object or use one of the preset Drag and Drop action items. Actions can help streamline lesson navigation or access multimedia/document resources that are stored outside the flipchart. There are two basic sections of the action browser: Current Selection and Drag and Drop. Drag and drop is a great place to start . . . Click on the tab labeled Drag and Drop in the action browser. Click and drag an object and drop it on the screen. In this example, a quick selection of tools was added to the flipchart to help facilitate student interaction during center time. Student just click the icons to change tools. By placing them lower on the screen, they could also be more easily accessible by the students. If you would like an object to be an action item, you can still use the drag and drop section. Just select a tool and click, drag and drop it on the shape (or other object) and it is set. Now when the Pen text is clicked the tool switches to pen. When the star shape is clicked, the shapes tool is selected. Unfortunately, there is only a limited number of Drag and Drop action objects. Dont fret, you can do more with the Current Selection section!

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You can create an action item for virtually every software function. The current selection tab allows you to attach an action to a selected object on your flipchart page. When you click on the tab you will be able to see the plethora of actions that are available. If you would like to filter out some of the choices to make it easier to find what you want, you can click on the drop down menu. Popular categories are: Document/Media Actions (for websites specifically) Page Actions (to help navigate the lesson)

No matter the action you choose, the process contains the same basic steps: 1. Select (click on) an object on your page. 2. Select the action you would like to attach (this is an example of a web page). 3. Complete the Action Properties section (the properties will vary based on the action you choose). 4. Click Apply Changes. This is the most important part. If Apply Changes is not click the action will not be attached.

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The Voting Browser

You are able to manage your student response devices (ActiVotes or ActivExpressions), student databases, voting results and voting settings through the voting browser. You can register your devices here (see the information sheet on registering ActiVotes/ActivExpressions for more information on the process). Select the type of device you would like to use. You can conduct voting in anonymous mode (student numbers/devices will be assigned a random number for the voting session). You can set up a database of students for each of your classes (see the information sheet Setting Up Student Databases for more information on the process). Registered devices will show up here (you can turn a device off at any time by clicking on itperfect for that naughty student). The device name will turn yellow once the student has answered the question.

Voting results will be stored here. You can remove results, double-click to open them again or, if you would like to retain a copy, you can select Export (to Excel).

In the Settings window, you can display assigned devices only (use with student databases only) and choose to hide voting results after a vote is concluded (good for test/other assessments).

If you need more information and resources for Activboards and ActivInspire software, visit the WCSD Interactive Whiteboard Program Web Site: http://www.washoe.k12.nv.us/district/departments/educational-technology/activboards Visit the WCSD podcasting server for Activboard and ActivInspire podcasts: http://wiki.washoe.k12.nv.us/groups/activboards/ Interactive Whiteboard Program Coordinator Mike Martindale mmartindale@washoe.k12.nv.us

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