Thank a Teacher Sponsored by Promethean

Do you know a teacher making a difference? Maybe it is a coworker, your child's teacher, or a bloggy friend (hint, hint). All you have to do is submit a 100 word or less essay describing why the teacher should be honored. Email it along with the teacher's photo and contact information to ThankATeacher@PrometheanWorld.com by April 26, 2012.


The winner of the contest will win a two-day, all expenses paid trip to the Ron Clark Academy Educator Training Program. Now, do you see why I want to win?


For official details, please {click here}. Thank you to all my teacher/bloggy friends!

~Cara

Promethean ActivTable

I recently had the opportunity to view the Promethean ActivTable in use. Not only did I get to see a group of children use it, but I got to use it, too. I must begin by saying it is SO COOL!

At first glance, the ActivTable looks like a giant iPad. However, it is so much more. The ActivTable is a collaboration tools where up to six users can interact at one time.  There are build in activities that cover math, science, writing, social studies, reading, etc. A teacher can also create tailor made activities just for her students. There are built in tools like keyboards, calculators, web browsers, etc. Each user can select what he needs.

In the above activity kindergartners and first graders were sorting animals by their size. You can see the number of hands on the board. It will hold up to 60 touches at one time. So, it easily allows for interactive learning.

One of my favorite activities was the sentence building activity. With the build in keyboard, the students could type words and sentences that automatically became word cards. The students could join the word cards, and the ActivTable would read it to them. You see five children and an adult working together to create a story. The cool part is that each child could work individually or collaboratively as a group. 

The screen on the ActivTable is 46" which is plenty of room for six students. Above, you see six 4th graders working together. The height of the ActivTable is made to support students in wheelchairs. The ActivTable is on casters for easy mobility.

The ActivTable will not be available for purchase until summer. It is definitely worth its price of $7999. You are receiving an interactive tool that promotes collaboration as well as individualized learning. If you price six stand alone computers that are interactive and collaborative, you can see how cost effective the ActivTable will be. I can't wait for the release. Maybe, I'll be one of the lucky ones that will get one of the first ActivTables!

~Cara

Creating Screenshots

Have you ever wondered how bloggers use only a small screenshot from a website in their posts? I have the answer for you. This is an easy to use, FREE option. I use Promethean's ActivInspire. You do not have to be a Promethean user to download and use their software. On a side note, the software will work on your Smart Board or any other interactive whiteboard that you use.  But, back to the purpose of this post.


To create a screenshot (or portion of a screen shot), open ActivInspire. On the toolbar, select the DESKTOP TOOLS icon. It looks like a little blue square with tools on it. 

You will see a little blue circle with the same icon on your webpage. Be sure you have the webpage open where you will make the screenshot. When you hover over the middle of the circle, you will see a ring of icons. Hover over the camera icon, and you will see the several camera options. I always use the AREA SNAPSHOT.  The other options are also available, but they require a still hand to use because you are actually drawing the boarder.

The screen will go gray, and you will see a white box. Stretch that white box around the image you want to capture. Once you have selected the area you are going to capture, choose MY RESOURCES. I always change the location to a place easy for me to find-My Desktop, My Documents, etc. The image will be saved to that location. It does take a couple of minutes depending on the size of your picture.

Now, simply insert your image into your blog posts.

You can take it a step further by adding arrows. To do this you will need to save the image to CURRENT PAGE.  Add your arrows using the SHAPE icon in ActivInspire. Then, you will take another screenshot of that image by using the camera in the menu bar. On the menu bar at the top of ActivInspire, select TOOLS>CAMERA>AREA SNAPSHOT. Again, select MY RESOURCES.

ActivInspire also offers a free screen recorder. We will explore that in a future post. To download  a free version of ActivInspire, please {visit Promethean Planet}. 

~Cara

65 Free Interactive Whiteboard Resources

You have to take a look at this article from Teach Hub! http://www.teachhub.com/free-interactive-whiteboard-resources#comment-67065 They have developed a list of the best FREE interactive whiteboard resources. Some of the sites I already use: SpellingCity, Promethean Planet, FunBrain. However, there are so many that are brand new to me. I can't wait to use them with my students! The list was just too good not to share.

~Cara

Tech Tuesday-Promethean Planet

Promethean Planet is not just for Promethean users. It is a site for all teachers. One will find resources like lesson  plans, PDFs, weblinks, images, and flipcharts that will enhance you curriculum. Many of the tools don't even require an interactive whiteboard. There are blog posts that cover a wide range of subjects. Teaching ideas abound in the forums section. Registration is completely free. .

I have created a user group on Promethean Planet for Language Arts integration. {Click here} to join this group. This will be a place to share ideas, take part in discussions, and house resources that relate to language arts.  You will definitely find something you can use!


~Cara

Drum Roll Please!

The winner of the Promethean Prize Pack from my 100 Followers Giveaway is #71 .

That is Mrs. Lazenby from Mrs. Lazenby's Animals .

I hope you enjoy your prizes. I'm looking forward to 200 followers and another giveaway!

~Cara

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Why the ActivExpression2?

I received an amazing gift in my classroom last week! I received a set of Promethean ActivExpression2. My students respond with, "Thank you, Mrs. Whitehead, for getting these for us." or "Thank you for letting us use these again." Their excitement in learning is refreshing.


What is an ActivEpression2? It is a student learner response system that gives every child in the classroom a voice. I can ask questions on the fly or prepared in a flipchart. Each child can answer in text entry, number entry, multiple choice, etc. I get immediate feedback. We use the for vocabulary practice, math lessons, science and social studies integration, and sometimes just for fun. My students feel comfortable stating if they don't understand something when answering with an ActivExpression2. As the teacher, I can control how the responses are viewed. They can be viewed in a bar as a class or as who answered what graph. 


What are some of the benefits of the ActivExpression2 over other clickers? The ActivExpression2 has a fully QWERTY keyboard. The first thing my students said when pulling them out of the case is, "These look like a Blackberry." They feel comfortable typing on the keyboard. My students also like that they are given a chance to review their answer before sending it. The kids are also fascinated that the "glow in the dark." The ActivExpression2 is backlit. A lot of times, the lights are off to make the ActivBoard easier to view. Students can easily see what they are texting with the backlight. The biggest benefit according to my students is that they "make learning fun."


In a time where many school systems are strapped for cash, I know that purchasing a set of ActivExpression2 may not be feasible. I can assure you that the benefits far outweigh the cost. If you are given an opinion in how money is spent, this would be my recommendation. The ActivExpression2 supports 3rd party whiteboards. In fact, they don't even require an interactive whiteboard to function!


Don't forget your chance to win a Promethean Prize Pack with a copy of The Response Revolution. This book will give you ideas on how to integrate ActivExpression2s into your classroom. The giveaway ends tonight, so enter quickly by clicking {here}


From time to time, I will be blogging about projects and assignments we complete with our ActivExpression2. Stay tuned for this exciting adventure!

~Cara

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The Response Revolution

The Response Revolution by Robert Powell was written for teachers to explore using Promethean ActivExpressions in their classrooms. Learner response systems (LRS), or clickers, are a great way to motivate and engage students while providing immediate formative assessment results. This book leads you through the set up of your ActivExpressions to incorporating them into your daily lessons. The ideas come from classroom teachers across the country. There are even lessons submitted by Ron Clark!


The book provides excellent ideas that can be used with any brand of clickers that you may have in your classroom. If you don't have a set yet, the ideas can be easily incorporated into active engagement lessons. 


To win a copy of The Response Revolution as well as other Promethean prizes, please enter my giveaway {here}. You will be glad you won!

~Cara

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100 Followers=Giveaway!

How can I ever thank you enough? My blog has grown faster than I ever imagined. I appreciate each and every one of you for your support.


Since I reached 100 followers (special thanks to Farrah from ThinkShareTeach for being the 100th), I am hosting a special giveaway. For those who know me, you understand my love for Promethean. I am honored to have a Promethean ActivBoard, ActiVotes, ActivExpressions, and a brand new set of ActivExpressions 2 in my classroom. I have worked with Promethean on several projects. This company cares about education! For this giveaway, I will give the lucky winner a Promethean Prize Pack. This will include a Promethean Thank the Teacher bag (because I thank you), a copy of The Response Revolution (great ideas for using active engagement and clickers in your classroom), an ActivExpression stress ball, ActivExpression notepad, and a Promethean pen.

You can enter by leaving a comment for each of the following. Each comment will count as one entry, so make sure you make separate posts. Please include your email address, so I can contact you if you win. The contest will end in 100 hours! That is on Sunday, January 22, 2012, at 10:00 PM CST. I will announce the winner on Monday, January 23, 2012.

1. Follow my blog (or tell me you are a current follower) using the Join This Site button on the left.
2. Grab my button to display on your blog. Please leave the link to your blog in your comment. (I'm sure others will want to follow you!)
3. Like my blog on Facebook, or tell me that you already do. Please leave your Facebook name if it is different than your post name.
4. Follow my blog on Twitter, or tell me you already do. Please leave your Twitter handle in your comment.
5. Pin this giveaway (or another post from my blog) onto Pinterest. Please leave the link to this blog in your comment.
6. Spread the word about this giveaway. You can create a post on your blog, send a Tweet, create a Facebook post, etc. Paste the link into your comment.

Wow! Six ways to enter! Remember, each entry will count as one chance, so leave separate posts. I will use www.random.org to determine the winner. Good luck!

~Cara

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PS-For another chance to win Promethean products, please visit ThinkShareTeach and enter Farrah's giveaway.