Adding Interactivity to Your SMART Board Lessons

One of the greatest challenges of today is to keep our students engaged.  Many of us have the luxury of a SMART Board in our classrooms, but many of us use it as a projection device to lecture from.  And, the reason that this is done, is because we do not know how to access interactive lessons or activities.  In a series of upcoming blogs, I am going to share some ideas to effectively and efficiently create interactive activities within your classroom lessons.

One of the most forgotten components of Notebook Software is the Lesson Activity Toolkit.  The Lesson Activity Toolkit is found within your Gallery Tab.  Within the LAT (Lesson Activity Toolkit), click on "Activities". "Activities" will provide you with enough variety and interactivity for all of your lesson needs this year.

1.  Go to your Gallery Tab and click on Lesson Activity Toolkit:

2.  Next, click on Activities:

To help you even further, here is a video to help you and your use of the Lesson Activity Toolkit.

Try the Anagram Activity for a review at the end of class of key vocabulary you focused on within your lesson.  Or, this can be used as a warm-up to review key words you discussed the day before. 

The Lesson Activity Toolkit (LAT) is truly a valuable resource and one that I will continue to address in future blogs.

Good luck!

Resources for Google Docs

Here's a quick overview of Google Docs - a great introduction to those new to Google Docs.
   

Eight Easy Steps to Creating a Google Form:
Creating a Google Form

Adding Photos to a Blog

Photos from a computer can be added to a blog by using the "Insert Image" icon.  The "Insert Image" icon looks like a framed picture

"Insert Image" icon is the second icon from the left.

If you've taken photos using an iPad, the photos can be added to the blog in one of two ways:

Option 1:  Upload the pictures to Picasa; select "From Picasa Web Album" after clicking the "Insert Image" icon in Blogger.

Choose "From Picasa Web Albums"

Option 2:  Download the free "Blogger" app onto the iPad.  Editing a blog from the iPad provides an option to add an image directly from the iPad.

Adding Subscribers to Your Blog

Some of you have wondered how to add subscribers to your blog now that it is finished and published. The easiest way is for you to get a mass e-mailing list for your grade level. Once you have gotten this list (that Mike has generated) you could simply send the link to your blog in a brief email to parents. (The link to your blog would be the URL of your blog.) Once parents receive your e-mail, have them subscribe to your blog. However, in order for parents to subscribe to your blog you will want to include the gadget, “Follow by e-mail”. This gadget will alert parents when you have posted a new blog. Here is the process for adding this gadget.

First go to your blog’s dashboard.

Next:

Be sure to Save before leaving your Layout page!


You have now allowed parents to follow all posts of your blog! Congratulations! Any questions? Use the contact form on the side of the blog for further help.

Welcome!

Welcome to the Digital Touch Education blog!  We hope that you will find this site a place for resources, FAQ's and a place to share that shining moment that you have experienced within your classroom.  In this first entry I would like to offer  video on how to place a video within your blog.