SMART Notebook Web

SMART has made available for free aspects of their Notebook software through SMART Notebook Express which allowed users to use SMART Notebook on the web without having the software installed on their computer.  Through this service users could start a new file or open an existing presentation.

It now appears that SMART is going to shift towards another option called SMART Notebook Web, which is currently in Beta and will allow users to do a lot of what Express did.  Since it is currently in beta, there are several features still not active...like the ability to save!  However, if you are an avid user of the Express version, it might be worth keeping an eye on the direction that SMART Notebook Web goes and if it adds features currently missing from Express.  Currently the services it provides are simple in terms of drawing, shapes, arrows, and erasing.  This might be a good version to introduce teachers into using a SMARTBoard since it only provides the simplest of features.

SMART Notebook Web is currently optimized for Google Chrome and Safari 6.  Soon, it will be optimized for iOS software, Android, and Firefox.  Also available (for $6.99) is SMART Notebook for the iPad.  As this new web version develops, users will be able to use SMART Notebook on their mobile devices and tablets.

If you want to help in the development of SMART Notebook Web, you can take a survey and let SMART know the devices and browsers you use, help develop a new name, explain how you have used it, what you liked and disliked, features you would add, and ranking your experiences.

Google Search Features You Might Have Missed

Google Search is a great tool.  Being able to use it appropriately is a whole other issue.  Luckily, Google has realized this and provided a great resource for Educating how to use Google Search.  Most of us that have done a Google search recently know about Google Instant which provides results as you type.  But, there are also several other Google Search features that you might not have been aware of.

Google Handwrite lets you write your search right on the Google homepage and it is available on a mobile device and is activated in your mobile search settings. I can't say it is accurate unless you are good and writing with your fingers or a stylus, but still an interesting feature.  See the video below.


Google Voice Search is an option for Android and iPhone devices which allows users to search using voice commands and then get the answer to a search question spoken back to you.  Also, have you noticed the microphone on the search window recently on your browser?  You can also doing a voice search if you have a microphone hooked to your computer.  See the video below for more information.

Related Search Previews is another search option that shows previews for related searches in the search results.  This can be helpful when looking for information that could be related to each other.  Just mouse over "Related Searches" for a preview of the new set of results and click through to see the full results for that search as well.  When I was conducting research I would always "right click" and "Open in a New Tab" these related searches so I would not lose them.

Search by Image is a great way to find copyrighted images or find when your photos or images have been used without permission.  This is a valuable tool for teachers and students looking for where other images are posted on the web and to see if they can be printed or copied without permission.  To search for an image users can "Drag and Drop," Upload an Image, Copy and Paste the URL for an image, or right click and image on the web with an extension for Chrome and Firefox.  See video below for more information.


Google Knowledge Graph is a way to discover answers to questions you never thought to ask and explore collections and lists.  The purpose is to help you research a topic faster and with more depth.  Knowledge Graph allows users to use the search on any type of device.  Depending on the search users can get an image based list that relates to the original search.  See video below for more information.


If looking for some other Google Search information, I highly recommend checking out their Tips and Tricks.  If wanting to get the latest information about Google Search, check out the Inside Search Blog.

The Super Bowl Across the Curriculum

The other day, this Super Bowl Interactive came across Twitter from Larry Ferlazzo and it got me thinking about ways teachers could use the Super Bowl as a "Teachable Moment" and make content relevant to students.  Below are some of the ideas I came up with.

Art: Take a look at the Super Bowl Interactive above and have students draw their own version of a Super Bowl Ticket for this years Super Bowl using previous versions as examples.

Practical Living - Make a comparison of the history of football uniforms and how they have changed over time.  Cooking classes could also have a Super Bowl Party and prepare food that is most commonly prepared for Super Bowl Parties.  A great place to start for recipes is Pinterest.

Economics/Math - An interesting take would be a comparison of the cost of tickets to the Super Bowl through the years and how it is adjusted for inflation.  Here is another link with Super Bowl Ticket Prices.  The same could be done for the cost of advertising during the Super Bowl.  Here is another resource about the cost of advertising.

English - Teachers could use images from the Super Bowl Interactive (page 2) as a writing prompt.  English teachers could also have students write a paper where they take a stance on whether spending money for Super Bowl advertisements is worth it or not.  Ask students to reflect on commercials they might remember and why.

Physical Education - Teach the Fundamentals of Football (Page 4 of the Super Bowl Interactive) on the days leading up to the Super Bowl and play flag football on the day of.

History - Check out the Super Bowl Quiz on page 3 of the Super Bowl Interactive for a quiz about the history of the Super Bowl.  Students could also do a "Day in History" for events that happened on and or around the dates of the Super Bowls.

Government - Part of government is teaching propaganda and the studying of Super Bowl Commercials (the cleaner ones by the way...no beer commercials) would be an interesting investigation into the impacts that super bowl commercials have.  Here is an interesting article about impact of Super Bowl Commercials

Science/Physics/Geometry - An interesting addition to a lesson would be the football related videos of Sports Science by ESPN.  Teachers could focus on videos related to football.  Ray Lewis is playing in the Super Bowl and they have a Sports Science video with him related to Force.

Foreign Language - Teachers could have students research articles about the Super Bowl and then have them translated into the language they are studying.  Students could also research the impact of the Super Bowl in the country of the language they are studying as well.

Agriculture - An examination of field turf and how it has changed might help understand how equipment has changed and how the game of football has changed.  Agriculture could do a project to try and get field turf on the schools football field if it does not already have it.

Music Education - Various artists have performed the National Anthem at the Super Bowl.  Have students do a "Then and Now" presentation about the performers.  The same could be done for the half time performances.

Anatomy/Health - Students could do a study on the impact of concussions on sports and how helmets have changed to help with concussions.  Students could also discuss the symptoms of concussions.  A simple Google Search will help teachers find information.

What other ways could you use the Super Bowl as a "Teachable Moment?"

After writing this post, Edutopia had a great article as well sharing Seven Super Bowl Lesson Plans.

MagPointer ($) - Interact with PowerPoint

PowerPoint, despite some negative reviews and thoughts about its use in the classroom, can still be a valuable tool for teachers to use to present information.  It's not really PowerPoint that is the issue, it is generally the creator of the presentation and presenter that is the problem.  Well, MagPointer hope to help with the presentation aspect of PowerPoint.  With MagPointer, which is a downloadable extension for PowerPoint, allows users to interact with the content on slides by framing, zooming, focusing, and enlarging aspects of a presentation.

MagPointer is currently in Beta and can be used for free for 60 days.  After that, it will be an introductory price of $9.95.  If you feel like this is something you would be interested in, here are some other features that could be used with your presentation.

• Selecting and enlarging a specific slide object

• Creating frames to focus on specific areas in a slide

• Highlighting text paragraphs, table cells, rows or columns

• High-quality picture enlargement

• Dimming the screen outside of the selected object

• Navigation through slide elements

• Laser pointer

• Easy-to-use powerful magnifier

• Magnifier spots (“frozen” enlarged highlighted areas)

Even though there is a price, I think it is a reasonable one, and as much as PowerPoint is still the tool of choice for so many teachers, improving how it is used can be very beneficial.  MagPointer is easy-to-use and intuitive. Use the floating smart bar located at the right edge of the screen, or:

• Left-click to select objects
• Left-click and drag to create frames
• Right-click and drag to activate magnifying glass

Two Bookmarking Tools

Clipular is a service that allows users to quickly and easily take a snippet of a website or take a complete screenshot and then save them as bookmarks so that user can annotate them.  Using Chrome there is an extension that will provide users with the ability to use the tools and access their "scrapbook."  Users can also "right click" their mouse to get the clip service as well.  There is also a keyboard shortcut as well.  The Magic Wand allows users to add effects, stickers, crop, draw, and add text to their capture.  Once created, users can search for the text inside the clips or by the tags given to the captures.  Users can also share their captures from within the app.  Worth taking a look for capturing information from the web.   For more information, see the video below. 

KeepOne is another option for storing bookmarks.  Users can sign in with Facebook, Twitter, Google+, or through an email and password.  KeepOne is currently in Beta and easily allows users to organize photos, videos, texts, and other web information all in one place.  You can also share what you save with others that use the service.  Sign up now and new users will be rewarded with VIP privileges and services.