Write on the Board

1. Set up ActivBoard/Projector.
2. Open the ActivStudio software from the desktop icon.
3. Calibrate the board: From the board, hover your ActivPen over the circled
flame emblem in the upper-left corner of the board. You DO NOT have to
touch the pen to the button. The button color will become “orangish” and the
board display will change to white with written instructions. Follow the
instructions.
4. The display now changes to a blank flipchart page. You can switch from
design mode to presentation mode if you want a cleaner-looking page with
fewer tools on it. To do this, select the Main Menu icon from the Main

Toolbox. If there is a checkmark next to Design Mode, highlight the text

and click on it to remove the checkmark. No checkmark means the software
is in presentation mode.

5. Select the Pen Tool .

6. Select the color you want from the color palette , and modify the width
of the pen stroke by sliding the width selector.
7. Begin writing!
Use a Graphic Organizer Template

1. Open the ActivStudio software from the desktop icon.

2. Open a blank flipchart. This can be done by selecting new flipchart from the
Dashboard, or clicking on the hide/show flipcharts button on the Main
Toolbox.
3. Open the Resource Library. It can be opened by clicking on the stack of

books icon in the flipchart tool strip

4. The Resource Library will open. Make sure both sides are open, as shown, by
clicking on the little arrows in the black box:

5. To access the collections that came with the software, click on the Shared

Resource Library icon in the black header box.

6. The icons directly under the black header on the left side represent the
different “collections” of objects, images, backgrounds, and more. Roll your
cursor over each icon and a pop-up label will describe each collection.
7. Page templates, blank graphic organizers, and learning tools can be found in:
a. Shared Collections – Lesson Building Tools – Page Templates
b. Shared Collections – Secondary – Tables Charts
c. Shared Backgrounds – Graphic Organizers
d. Shared Flipchart Pages – Flipchart Builder (TONS can be found
here!)
e. Shared Flipchart Pages – Graphic Organizers
f. Shared Flipchart Pages – Lesson Building Templates
8. To place the chart on the page, simply drag the thumbnail of the template
onto the flipchart page.
9. Some templates have text that can be edited. To edit the text and type in
your own heading(s), click on the text. The object edit toolbox will

appear.

10. Click on the text edit icon in the object edit toolbox.

11. The Text Edit Toolbox will appear.

12. Delete the old text and type in your new text. To edit the text you’ve typed,
click on the ALL button in the Text Edit Toolbox which will highlight your
typed text and changes can be made.
13. Close the Text Edit Toolbox.

14. Select the pen tool and begin writing (or students begin writing) on the
template.
Hide Vocabulary Words or Questions Behind an Image to Pull Out
One at a Time

1. Put a background on the flipchart page if desired.

2. Select the Text Tool from the Main Toolbox.
3. Click your cursor on the flipchart page. A blinking cursor and the text edit

toolbox will appear.

4. Change the font settings in the text edit toolbox, if desired, and begin
typing a vocabulary word or question. It’s best to stay with font sizes around
12 or 14 for words so they are small enough to “hide” behind your image.
5. When done typing the first word/question, click somewhere else on the page.
Another textbox will appear, type in the next word/question. It doesn’t
matter where you click on the page because text boxes can be maneuvered
after they are typed.
6. Continue doing this until all of the words/questions are typed. Because you
clicked on the page each time you typed a word, a new text object was
created and each word can be moved around the page individually. If you
type and hit the ENTER key each time you type a word, all words will stay in
ONE text box, and cannot be moved individually.
7. Open the Resource Library .
8. Select an image and drag the thumbnail to a blank area of the current
flipchart page (try not to cover any text yet. You will need to lock the image
before you put text under it).
9. If the image needs to be bigger or smaller, click on the image once and

handles will appear. The bottom-right handle will

resize the image without distorting it. To move the image, grab the
handle on the top and drag the image.
10. Position the image where you want it on the page.
11. Right-click your mouse or push the barrel button on the ActivPen to bring up
the editing menu. Select EDIT – LOCK. Now the image will not scoot around
in presentation mode when you or the students are “pulling out” the typed
words or questions.
12. Drag each text box over to the image. They should disappear behind the
image since the text boxes were created BEFORE the image was placed on
the page.
Display and Interact with a Web Page

1. Set up ActivBoard/projector.
2. Open the ActivStudio software.
3. Calibrate the board: From the board, hover your ActivPen over the circled
flame emblem in the upper-left corner of the board. You DO NOT have to
touch the pen to the button. The button color will become “orangish” and the
board display will change to white with written instructions. Follow the
instructions.

4. Close the dashboard.

5. Make sure the marquee select tool is selected.

6. Open Internet Explorer from the desktop.
7. Locate and display your Web page.
8. You can “roll up” the main toolbox if it is interfering with the view of your
Web page. Just click on the arrows at the top of the main toolbox to roll it

up and/or roll it in.

9. Now you or your students can stand at the board and use the ActivPen as
you would a mouse to navigate and interact with a Web page.

***Remember to check out our Backflip page for LOTS of great interactive or
multimedia sites. Go to http://www.backflip.com/members/CFFButler and
select the curriculum area folder you need.****
Complete a Group Crossword Puzzle, Word Search, or Worksheet

The document should already be saved to your wireless network folder or a flash
drive. If it is on a textbook CD, open the document and select the SAVE option to
save it to your flash drive in advance.

1. Set up ActivBoard/Projector (only if you are creating the page on the board,
and not from your laptop.)
2. Open the ActivStudio software from the desktop icon.
3. Calibrate the board if you will be working at the board instead of your
laptop: From the board, hover your ActivPen over the circled flame emblem
in the upper-left corner of the board. You DO NOT have to touch the pen to
the button. The button color will become “orangish” and the board display
will change to white with written instructions. Follow the instructions.
4. Open a blank (new) flipchart page by clicking on the hide/show flipchart icon

located under the main menu icon on the main toolbox. Minimize the
flipchart page so you can see your computer desktop, but keep the main
toolbox visible.
5. Open the document containing the puzzle, word search or activity. Make sure
the part of the document you will be using is fully displayed.

If it isn’t, there are VIEW options in both Word and Adobe (.pdf document)
to change how much of the document is displayed.

6. Select the camera tool from the ActivStudio main toolbox. A drop-down
menu will appear when you click on it. Select area.
7. A blue outline box with handles will appear on your document page. Stretch
the box to fit around the puzzle or area of your document you want to
capture and display on a flipchart page. If you are planning to display a
 crossword puzzle or word search, you may want to outline the puzzle area
only so that it is a larger display on the ActivBoard and has more “writing
area” in the crossword boxes.

8. You will also see the camera toolbox on your page. Click
on the first camera image icon in the toolbox to send a “snapshot” of your
document to the current (minimized) flipchart page.
9. Maximize the blank flipchart page. You should see the image somewhere on
the page. It usually places the image near the upper-left corner.
10. Use the “handles” around the image to resize it for better visibility. If the
handles are not visible, click ONCE on the image and they will appear. The
bottom-right handle will enlarge or reduce the size of the image without
distorting it.
11. Once you have the puzzle/worksheet area placed where you want it, right-
click your mouse (or click on the barrel button on the ActivPen if you are at
the board) and select EDIT – LAYER – LOCK ON BACKGROUND to
permanently lock it to the flipchart page background, or select EDIT – LOCK
to lock it without making it the background. If you select the EDIT-LOCK
option, it will still move when you are in the DESIGN MODE.
12. Save the flipchart to your flash drive by clicking on the main menu icon

and selecting FLIPCHART – SAVE TO – OTHER LOCATION.

TO COMPLETE THE ACTIVITY WITH STUDENTS:

1. Set up ActivBoard/Projector.
2. Open the ActivStudio software from the desktop icon.
3. Calibrate the board: From the board, hover your ActivPen over the circled
flame emblem in the upper-left corner of the board. You DO NOT have to
touch the pen to the button. The button color will become “orangish” and the
board display will change to white with written instructions. Follow the
instructions.
4. Close the dashboard, but leave the main toolbox open and visible.
5. Open the saved flipchart containing the puzzle/worksheet. Go to the main

menu icon and select FLIPCHART – OPEN FROM – OTHER

LOCATION.
6. Change the ActivStudio mode to PRESENTATION MODE. To do this, select

the Main Menu icon from the Main Toolbox. If there is a checkmark
next to Design Mode, highlight the text and click on it to remove the
checkmark. No checkmark means the software is in presentation mode.

7. Select the pen tool and begin writing (or students begin writing) on the
puzzle/worksheet. You can change the “ink” color and width of the pen
stroke by selecting a different color from the color palette, and sliding the

pen width indicator.

Create and Display an Interactive Timeline

If you plan to use images in your interactive timeline, you should locate and
save the images first to your flash drive for later use.

1. Set up ActivBoard/Projector (only if you are creating the page on the board,
and not from your laptop.)
2. Open the ActivStudio software from the desktop icon.
3. Calibrate the board if you will be working at the board instead of your
laptop: From the board, hover your ActivPen over the circled flame emblem
in the upper-left corner of the board. You DO NOT have to touch the pen to
the button. The button color will become “orangish” and the board display
will change to white with written instructions. Follow the instructions.
4. Open a blank (new) flipchart page by clicking on the hide/show flipchart icon

located under the main menu icon on the main toolbox.

5. Open the Resource Library. It can be opened by clicking on the stack of

books icon in the flipchart tool strip.

6. The Resource Library will open. Make sure both sides are open, as shown, by
clicking on the little arrows in the black box:

7. To access the collections that came with the software, click on the Shared

Resource Library icon in the black header box.

8. The icons directly under the black header on the left side represent the
different “collections” of objects, images, backgrounds, and more. Roll your
cursor over each icon and a pop-up label will describe each collection. Select
Shared Flipchart Pages from the thumbnails.
9. The right side of the Resource Library is the Resource Tree. Select
FLIPCHART BUILDER – MISCELLANEOUS TOOLS AND LAYOUTS. The
thumbnails will appear on the left side. The “interactive timeline” should be

the third thumbnail.

10. Drag the timeline thumbnail to the flipchart page.
11. Close the Resource Library.
12. The timeline template has marking points that can be dragged to certain

points on the timeline.

13. Text boxes can be typed and moved to each “point” on the timeline. You can
also add images along the timeline.
14. To add an image from your flash drive, open the resource library, and click

on the “…..” in the black header box. Thumbnails of the images

will appear in the left column. Drag the thumbnail to the flipchart page.

Here are several variations for the timeline:

1. Have the students drag images to a marker point and text (ex.
A timeline for artistic movements could show images of
different painting styles; a timeline for literary movements
could require students to move images of authors to certain
points.
2. Have students label events with a date OR dates with an event
(using the pen tool).
3. Type up “events”, and have the students drag them in correct
order to the timeline.
Right on Top! Answers

1. Set up ActivBoard/Projector (only if you are creating the page on the board,
and not from your laptop.)
2. Open the ActivStudio software from the desktop icon.
3. Calibrate the board if you will be working at the board instead of your
laptop: From the board, hover your ActivPen over the circled flame emblem
in the upper-left corner of the board. You DO NOT have to touch the pen to
the button. The button color will become “orangish” and the board display
will change to white with written instructions. Follow the instructions.
4. Open a blank (new) flipchart page by clicking on the hide/show flipchart icon

located under the main menu icon on the main toolbox.

5. Select the Text Tool from the Main Toolbox.
6. Click your cursor on the flipchart page. A blinking cursor and the text edit

toolbox will appear.

7. Change the font settings in the text edit toolbox, if desired, and begin
typing an answer.
8. When done typing the first answer, click somewhere else on the page.
Another textbox will appear, type in the next answer. It doesn’t matter
where you click on the page because text boxes can be maneuvered after
they are typed.
9. Continue doing this until all of the answers are typed. Some answers should
be correct and some should be incorrect.
10. Because you clicked on the page each time you typed a word, a new text
object was created and each answer can be moved around the page
individually.
11. Close the text edit toolbox when you are finished typing answers.
 12. Open the Resource Library and select the shared images icon. Choose an
image to suit the theme of your lesson. I used a blackboard.

13. Because the correct answers should go ON TOP of the image, right-click on
each correct answer and select EDIT – LAYER – TOP. Do this for each
correct answer.
14. The incorrect answers will go behind your image and not be visible. To do
this, right-click on each incorrect answer and select EDIT – LAYER –
BOTTOM. These answers will go behind the image when they are dragged
over, and will NOT be visible.

TO COMPLETE THE ACTIVITY WITH STUDENTS:

1. Set up ActivBoard/Projector.
2. Open the ActivStudio software from the desktop icon.
3. Calibrate the board: From the board, hover your ActivPen over the circled flame
emblem in the upper-left corner of the board. You DO NOT have to touch the pen
to the button. The button color will become “orangish” and the board display will
change to white with written instructions. Follow the instructions.
4. Close the dashboard, but leave the main toolbox open and visible.

5. Open the saved flipchart containing the page. Go to the main menu icon
and select FLIPCHART – OPEN FROM – OTHER LOCATION.
8. Change the ActivStudio mode to PRESENTATION MODE. To do this, select

the Main Menu icon from the Main Toolbox. If there is a checkmark
next to Design Mode, highlight the text and click on it to remove the
checkmark. No checkmark means the software is in presentation mode.

You can discuss/debate each answer, then take a vote on who thinks it’s
correct/incorrect. Either you or a student can drag the “answer” over to the
image to see if it remains (correct) or disappears (incorrect).
Use the Eraser to Rub and Reveal Answers

1. Follow the text entering steps #1 through #8 in “Right on Top!” Answers to

create your own questions and answers, or use a part of a document from a
textbook CD or your saved files following the steps #4 through #11 in
“Complete a Group Crossword Puzzle, Word Search, or Worksheet” to use an
existing document.

2. Select the pen tool from the main toolbox.

3. Select a color from the color palette and widen the pen stroke by sliding the

pen width indicator.

4. Use the pen to cover any words or answers you don’t want the students to
see.
5. When sharing with students, switch to presentation mode, and use the

eraser tool to erase the pen mark and uncover the answers.