SMART Notebook vs Flash v 11.9.x in Windows 7

Here's the situation. Earlier this week I updated my SMART Notebook software and tweaked my presentation for a seminar with Northern Illinois University pre-service math education students. Last night, I was working through a final check of my SMART Notebook presentation. Much to my surprise, none of the Flash objects worked. Yikes.

Online I searched the Smart Technologies troubleshooting web site. There it was. "If the Flash objects in SMART Notebook no longer work, you need to downgrade the version of Flash installed on your system." The newest update for FLASH player 11.9.x is incompatible with SMART Notebook interactive FLASH objects. You need to stay with Flash v. 11.8.800.168. I was obviously not the first person to have this problem, as there were specific instructions given at the smarttech.com web site.

I backed up what I could not lose and tackled the downgrade, being sure to check the "Never upgrade" option in the Flash installation. Thought all was well.

Now, the Teacher Tools in SMART Response would not load. Yikes. I was borrowing the SMART Response clickers from DeKalb High School in the morning. I was sure when the receiver was plugged into my computer, Response would update and fix itself. No luck for me today. Teacher Tools was not loading.

I could not find the specific problem in the troubleshooting files. A call was made to SMART Technologies Support line. After trying many tricks to get it to work, the wonderfully helpful tech support people decided I needed a clean uninstall of all SMART Notebook v11 software. This was only 2 hours before I was to be at NIU - no stress here.

I got through the uninstall and reinstall. All is fine, except the Math Tools did not re-activate. I needed the activation code. I had it in an email somewhere, but I was not sure where. Now back to the phone to see if SMART tech could give it to me. They didn't have it, but it would begin with NM-. Quick email search found it. I entered the activation code, but still didn't see the Math Tools tool.

One last call. The tech walked me through what I had already done, then asked a question I should not need to be asked. It had been a long day. "Did you restart Notebook?" I couldn't really remember. One quick relaunch and my day got much better!

Thank you to those GREAT support techs at SMART Technologies!

Great fun with NIU Math Education Students

Today I had the privilege of working with Northern Illinois University Math Education preservice students. These students are observing and working with teachers and students in middle school and high school math classes. They will soon be engaged in full-time student teaching.

What an outstanding bunch of energetic and enthusiastic young adults! We had a great time working with SMART Notebook Collaborative Learning software and learning best practices for integrating this great tool into the math classroom. Stress not just how to do something on the SMART board, but ask why do it and how does it help students learn.

Their NIU teachers/coordinators are Mrs. Renee Olsen and Mrs. Bonnie Kersten. You could not ask for two more dedicated and excellent instructors. I taught with both of them in my tenure at DeKalb High School and always admired their passion for teaching and their skill at getting the best from their high school students. I can see this is what they now are doing at NIU.

What an opportunity these new teachers will have in classrooms - today and tomorrow. Technology in students' hands can do so much to make learning relevant and powerful, while giving teachers  responsibility to address that power and make it productive. Here are some web sites that might help you get started.  http://tinyurl.com/matheducniu With so many avenues to learning today, so many ways to collaborate and share, it is an exciting time to be a teacher.

Good luck to all of you - Kim, Courtney, Carrie, Janet, Lindsay, Dylan, Branko, Brian, Raghav, Nick, Mike, and Abbey!!! Have a fabulous student teaching adventure.