Activotes and BrainPop

The Activote Quiz is now integrated into BrainPop!

BrainPop has just released a great new feature for use with the Activotes.  Do you remember opening BrainPop and then opening ActivInspire to use the Activotes with BrainPop?  With the new add-in you can choose Activote Quiz from the list of options and be off and running.  Now the teacher can focus more on giving the quiz and less on going back and forth between ActivInspire and BrainPop.  Click here for the instructions on how to use it and click here for the download itself.  Once it is set up you don't have to worry about it again.  Trust me, it will be well worth your time to use this add-in.

ActivInspire Updates to Version 1.4

Promethean has just released the newest Version of ActivInspire.  Several changes have been made to ActivInspire that will make this program that much better.  One of the best changes is the return of the pen modifier tools.  These tools were available within ActivStudio and were somehow left out of the first version of ActivInspire.  Another great addition is the ability to select more than one page from the page browser.  You can now use the Ctrl key to select multiple pages and drag them to the location that you want.  One of my favorite new changes is the page turn effects option.  You can now set up your flipchart to turn the pages of the flipchart and add a little zing to your lesson.  If you would like to download the updates just make sure that ActivInspire is open then click on the Help menu and select check for updates.  It will tell you that there are updates available and select download.  You will have to either download it to your computer and then run the file from there or just choose run as your option when you download.  If you would like a more in depth look at what is new click here to view the new features guide.

Activotes

Incorporating the Activotes into your classroom!

If you are like most teachers you would really like to use the Activotes within your classroom but you feel that you cannot fit them in.  Most teachers that I talk to feel that they either aren't comfortable with the Activotes or they just don't have the time.  Today I will give you some ideas to help you become more comfortable with the Activotes.

1. Pass out the Activotes first thing in the morning and don't pick them up until the day is finished.  (If the Activotes are already on the students desks you don't have to worry about passing them out and wasting the time to do so.)
2. Since they are already on the students desks use them to answer simple questions like... Do you understand?, Are you ready to move on? or Should we stop and review?  With questions like this you don't have to have a right or wrong answer but yet the feedback from your students will benefit their understanding of the concept.
3. You don't have to use them for everything that you are doing but if they are on the desk I am sure that you will use them for more than you think.  (Lunch count, understanding, quizzes, polls and much more.)
4. The more that you use the Activotes the more comfortable you will become with them and eventually you can use them to create tests and take scores or use them with websites (BrainPop) that already have quizzes attached to them  based on the Activotes.
5. If you need help with the technical aspects of using the Activotes I have attached an Activote Guide that I have created to help you out. (This guide is also available on the Helpful Hints section of the blog)

If this is helpful please let others know and they can get the same valuable information from our blog.

http://theprometheanteachers.blogspot.com/

Using the Tooltip

ActivInspire has a great new feature that they have added and that is called the Tooltip.  The Tooltip works with any object that you have put on a page.  It could be text or images.  As you hover over the text or the image that has the Tooltip, a box will appear with information in it.  This information can be anything that you want it to be. Here is how to create the Tooltip...

1. Place a text box or an object on your flipchart page.
2. Open your browser and click on the Property Browser.
3. With you browser still open click on the object.
4. In the Label section of the Property browser Type in the words that you want to appear in the "Caption" box.
5. At the bottom of the Label section make sure that the Behaviour is set to Tooltip.
6. You can also make changes to the way the Tooltip looks by changing the font name, size and color along with the background of the Tooltip box.

To see a great flipchart that has Tooltips already done click here!

Using Activotes with ActivInspire

Activotes

With ActivInspire in full swing we have had several questions about how to use the Activotes. To start your Activotes you need to first click on the icon with the blue question mark. Once that has been clicked on it will open up the Express Poll circle. When you hover over the circle you will see three different choices.

· The top choice is for multiple choice questions, as you hover over the icon you can now choose from A-B to A-F. Once you choose the option that you want it will start the Activotes for you.

· The next choice is for Yes/No or True/False questions. Once you choose the type of question that you want it will start the Activotes for you as well.

· The last option that you will see is for the Activote settings. The red X will close the Activotes.

· IMPORTANT: If you try to use you Activotes and the message tells you that they are not registered you need do the following.

With ActivInspire open click on File> Settings. You will have a new screen that opens and you should be in the Learner Response System box. Scroll down to the bottom of that screen and make sure that next to “Devices to target for voting sessions” it show Activotes. Click done and you won’t have to change this setting again. The next time that you try to start your Activotes the computer will see that they are registered.