I’d like to share with you an exciting new interactive whiteboard product from Learning Resources called now!Board™! The now!Board™ turns any flat surface into an interactive whiteboard. It’s portable and easy to set up, and best of all, it’s inexpensive compared to other interactive whiteboards! If you are unable to purchase a SMART Board or Promethean ActivBoard due to budget constraints, this may be the alternative you are looking for.

Benefits

The now!Board™ components

It’s a valuable classroom resource! You no longer have to stand at a laptop and projector cart to teach your lessons! You and your students can interact with your computer from the front of the classroom.

It’s portable! This is a perfect system for a teacher without a homeroom class or those who have to travel in order to present. The now!Board™ comes in a small case that is easy to grab and go.

It’s easy to use! Simply install the software, connect it to your laptop/projector, calibrate it (However, this step was a

little tedious) and you’re up and running. Make sure you have a nice sized area to project on to, such as an empty wall (as seen in the photo) or a traditional whiteboard. The now!Board™ does require the use of a stylus.

It’s cost effective! Unlike other interactive whiteboards that cost around $2,000, the now!Board™ is available to you for only $499! This is an affordable alternative for teachers, districts, and families who homeschool who wish to have touch technology without the cost associated with the SMART Board and the Promethean ActivBoard.

The now!Board™ in use.

now!Board™ Software

The software that comes with the now!Board™ is free for anyone to download directly from their website. You can even download it without actually purchasing the product if you’d like to see everything it offers (although it will not be touch-sensitive until your product is connected). With the now!Board™ toolbar, you can draw lines, shapes, take screenshots, and more.

For more information on the now!Board™, please visit the now!Board™ product page on the Learning Resources website or visit them on Facebook. I highly recommend watching the demonstration on YouTube video and reading other customer reviews before making a purchase.

Thanks to the folks at now!Board™ for sending me one to try out!

Here is a newspaper template that I created using SMART Notebook. Feel free to download it to share classroom announcements or anything else!

Below is a compilation of Scott Foresman Reading Street resources for grades K-5. If you know of another resource that should be added, please leave a comment and I will update the list.

Kindergarten
Literacy Maiden Kindergarten
SMART Exchange Reading Street Search
Scottsboro Reading Street Resources
Waltke’s Web
Kindergarten Kove
Kinderglynn
Cheryl Tice’s Resources
Little Book Lane Kindergarten
Falmouth Public Schools Kindergarten
Richland Parish Schools
Mitchell Elementary School Wiki Kindergarten
Collier File Hive Wiki Kindergarten
Kindergarten Road

First Grade
Mrs. Langston’s Teacher Resources
Literacy Maiden 1^st Grade
SMART Exchange Reading Street Search
Scottsboro Reading Street Resources
Waltke’s Web
Cheryl Tice’s 1^st Grade Resources
Sound City Reading
Little Book Lane 1^st Grade
Tech Tool Kit 1^st Grade Resources (SMART Response files only)
Mrs. Moyer’s Resources
Falmouth Public Schools 1^st Grade
Richland Parish Schools 1^st Grade
Mitchell Elementary School Wiki 1^st Grade
George Hall Elementary Wiki 1^st Grade
Collier File Hive Wiki 1^st Grade

Second Grade
Literacy Maiden 2^nd Grade
Reading Street 2^nd Grade Wiki
SMART Exchange Reading Street Search
Potsick Place 2^nd Grade
Scottsboro Reading Street Resources
Waltke’s Web
Ms. DePrez 2^nd Grade Resources
Peru Central School District 2^nd Grade
M.S.A.D. #29 2^nd Grade Resources
Cheryl Tice’s 2^nd Grade Resources
Little Book Lane 2^nd Grade Resources
Tech Tool Kit 2^nd Grade (SMART Response files only)
Julie Hughes 2^nd Grade Resources
Falmouth Public Schools 2^nd Grade
2^nd Grade Reading Street Portaportal
Richland Parish Schools 2^nd Grade
Mitchell Elementary School Wiki 2nd Grade
George Hall Elementary Wiki 2^nd Grade
Collier File Hive Wiki 2^nd Grade

Third Grade
Literacy Maiden 3^rd Grade
SMART Exchange Search
Scottsboro Reading Street Resources
Waltke’s Web
Plymouth Schools 3^rd Grade
Cheryl Tice’s Resources 3^rd Grade
Little Book Lane 3^rd Grade
Peru Schools 3^rd Grade Spelling Words
Peru Schools 3^rd Grade Leveled Readers
Apple Orchard 3^rd Grade Printables
Mrs. Hulsey’s 3^rd Grade Trifolds
Prince’s Post 3^rd Grade Materials
Tech Toolkit Wiki 3^rd Grade (SMART Response files only)
MrsThonus’ Resources
Miss Hunt’s 3^rd Grade Resources
Reaching Our Goal Companion Website (Unit 6 only)
Falmouth Schools 3^rd Grade
Ms. Marquis Resources
Kimberly Lane’s Reading Street Family Times for Third Grade
Richland Schools 3^rd Grade Resources
Tri-Central Elementary 3^rd Grade Resources
Mitchell Elementary 3^rd Grade Resources
George Hall Elementary Wiki 3^rd Grade
Collier File Hive Wiki 3^rd Grade

Fourth Grade
Literacy Maiden 4^th Grade
SMART Exchange Reading Street Search
Scottsboro Reading Street Resources
Waltke’s Web
Cheryl Tice’s 4^th Grade Resources
Mrs. Lamb’s 4^th Grade Resources
Mrs. Howard’s 4^th Grade Reading Street Trifolds
Tech Toolkit 4^th Grade Resources (SMART Response files only)
Falmouth Schools 4^th Grade
Richland Schools 4^th Grade
Mitchell Elementary Wiki 4^th Grade
George Hall Elementary Wiki 4^th Grade
Collier File Hive Wiki 4^th Grade

Fifth Grade
Literacy Maiden 5^th Grade
SMART Exchange Reading Street Search
Scottsboro Reading Street Resources
Waltke’s Web
Cheryl Tice’s 5^th Grade Resources
Prince’s Posts 5^th Grade Materials
Tech Toolkit 5^th Grade Resources (SMART Response files only)
Falmouth Schools 5^th Grade
Richland Schools 5^th Grade
Mrs. Dingman Reading Street Spelling 5^th Grade
Mitchell Elementary Wiki 5^th Grade
Nebo Elementary 5^th Grade Files
George Hall Elementary Wiki 5^th Grade
Collier File Hive Wiki 5^th Grade
MCBOE 5th Reading Street Resources

Sixth Grade
6th Grade Reading Street Resources

Here are some Sliding Train templates that I created that I want to share with you all. These templates use the “Magic Box Reveal” method, and there are two different types.  Below is a preview of the file. To download the file, click here.

ClassTools.net offers free templates and generators that can be used to create resources for the classroom.  Resources made on ClassTools.net can be saved as a web page or embedded into a blog. Below is the Burger Diagram that can be used in planning a writing assignment or essay. From the site:

A burger diagram is a simple essay planning tool. Students make basic notes covering their introduction, three main sections, and a conclusion. It is a useful way of ensuring that students think about structuring their essays in a logical format.

Tip for SMART Board use: It may be a bit time consuming if you use the Notebook on-screen keyboard to type in the information for the diagram. I recommend filling in the information ahead of time, then saving or embedding it. You could then use the screenshade and reveal each section as you go along.

Don’t forget to check out all the other templates as well, such as the Random Name Picker and Timeline Creator.

I guess you can tell I’m really into these word/fridge magnets! I found these while browsing the http://elementary-technology.com blog.  This interactive is offered by MagPo.com (MAGnetic POetry) on their Kids’ Poetry Page. There are several different word kits (or word banks) to choose from, such as the Kids Kit, First Words, Best Friends, and Storymaker. Each kit contains words related to the kit title, and these words can be placed on a variety of backgrounds to create poems, stories, or sentences. The creation can be saved and sent to up to 3 people via e-mail. For more magnets, please see my previous posts. Below is a screenshot of the Kids Kit.

This web-based manipulative from LearningBox.com lets students easily visualize addition or subtraction using counting blocks.  There are some other free interactives on the website that work great on the SMART Board as well. Click here to launch the base ten activity.

Thanks to @waltonjm for sharing on Twitter these Fridge Letters found at Awenmedia.com. Similar to the Word Magnets I posted about a few days ago, but different in that this is a downloadable file that you will need to install and run from your desktop. It is free, and there is also a few other freebies found on the site.

What an exciting resource to use on the SMART Board! I ran across Word Magnets by Triptico.co.uk while searching through some SMART Board delicious links. Here is the explanation from the site:

Word Magnets will take a piece of text and break it into individual magnets which can be moved around the screen, resized, removed, colour coded, grouped, sorted and so on. New magnets can also be added at any point.

Have fun with this one!

UPDATE: The new multilingual Word Magnets have just been released!

Here is a calculator from Metacalc.com that works well on the SMART Board. Make sure you use the enlarged version! Update: Here is another calculator that can be found at HelpKidzLearn.com.

MetaCalc Calculator

HelpKidzLearn Calculator