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.

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!

The web-based, slimmed down version of Notebook Software has launched. This version of Notebook will allow you to open and edit a Notebook file from any computer that has internet access.

Here is the description from the site:

SMART Notebook Express is the new lightweight, web-based version of SMART Notebook software, and is the latest addition to the SMART Notebook family of products. It offers open access to some of the same delivery and editing features that have made SMART Notebook the world’s most popular collaborative learning software. You don’t need to log on and there’s no software to download – all you need is access to the Internet.

The tools available at this time are the Page Sorter, Text-editing tool, Pen Tool, and Single object selection, move and delete. Please click here to launch the application, or visit the SMART Tech site to learn more.

SMART Notebook Express

Here are 3 quiz scorers from CurriculumBits.com for you to use to keep score on the SMART Board:

• Quiz Scorer (2 teams)
• Quiz Scorer (4 teams)
• Christmas Quiz Scorer (2 teams)

Whiteboard Quiz Scorer (2 Teams)

A technology teacher from my district spent the day with me yesterday. She noticed my Technology ABCs and asked if I could share them with her. Of course I said yes, so I figured I’d share them here, too! Here they are in PDF and Word (in case you want to make changes).

I cut them out and put them above my white board, just like a “regular” teacher would. Hope you find them useful. If you look real hard you can see them in this picture.

Before I had children (and for a short time when they were immobile), I was an avid digital scrapbooker. I would spend hours at a time picking out the pictures I wanted to use, searching the digital scrapbooking sites for the perfect kit to match the pictures, and then another few hours actually creating my page(s). I still love it and often make scrapbook-style invitations for my own family and upon request from others. I also use my skills for my websites (including my blog header!).

My program of choice is Adobe Photoshop. I remember about 5 years ago I was using an ancient program called Microsoft Image Composer. I knew all the tips and tricks, so I was reluctant to change, although I knew I wasn’t doing myself any favors by not knowing Photoshop. I remember opening up the program thinking “this is the day I will learn it”, only to get frustrated and close it. Then the day finally came: I looked up a simple tutorial, learned all about layers, and I haven’t looked back.

These days, I don’t have the time like I used to, which lead me to the program Smilebox.  I came across this program as I was looking for different slideshow programs similar to Photoshow.

From the site:

Smilebox is an easy and creative way to safely send photos, videos and personalized information to your parents in a secure way. It’s perfect for newsletters, overviews of teaching units, performance and field trip recaps, classroom activities and more.

The things I like most about Smilebox are:

There are TONS of themes to choose from.

It is simple as pie.  Seriously, anyone can do it.

You can choose to add music from their library of over 700 songs or upload your own.

You can save the pages as JPEGs to print and put in an album.

You can use photos AND videos.

You can do a fancy slideshow or a basic one.

You can imbed the slideshow cleanly into a blog or website.

IT’S FREE FOR TEACHERS! (it’s very inexpensive anyway at $4.99/month)

After subscribing to the service for several months, I happened upon their blog which announced the Smilebox Teacher’s Toolbox Program.  Smilebox is offering a free premium account ($39.99 value) to qualified teachers.  Please visit this site to sign up and see example slideshows.  I submitted my application and was approved within a few days.

So far I’ve used the program to showcase student work, for an end-of-the-year slideshow, and as a video player. I would love to hear your thoughts on Smilebox if you have used it and how you can use it in your classroom!