As teachers continue to learn how best to integrate Smartboard technology into their classrooms it can often be a struggle to find unique and fresh content. While using this technology to introduce different types of media into a lesson is great for the variety of learning styles in the classroom, the real game-changer with these boards is the potential for quality interaction. Creating meaningful interaction and using it to hold students’ attention takes more than just showing a few videos, charts, and images. Today’s students grew up with interactive technologies; Friendster, the pre-cursor to today’s popular social networking sites such as MySpace and Facebook launched nine years ago this week. Thankfully, there is already a lot of interactive content on the web out there perfect for interactive whiteboard use, but it can be difficult to sift through the not-so-great applications to find something that will actually add value to the lesson. To take out some of the time and hassle the Mono Blog has reviewed countless web-based interactive activities and here are some of our favorites.

Sum Sense – Division

Created by Mark Cogan with the Oswego City School District

As the name suggests, this is a simple division activity. The great part of this app is that it doesn’t just ask students to find the solution to a given problem, it makes the student use the available numbers to create possible problem/solution combinations. This requires both math and problem solving skills and promotes higher level thinking. The game can also be easily adapted to increase in difficulty as the student progresses, allowing for both the number of questions and the time allotted in which to complete them to be adjusted.

Sum Sense Division

Typical Animal Cell

Created by Gerald Heins with Wisc-Online

This simple application shows the parts of a typical animal cell in detail. The first page allows the student to learn the parts in two ways: Hovering over the cell part, which highlights its name in a list to the right, or hovering over the name and seeing the part highlighted within the cell. What really adds value here though, is the quiz that follows. Parts of the cell will light up, and the student then has to choose the correct name from the list.

Typical Animal Cell

Counting Coins

From apples4theteacher.com

With increasing class sizes it’s becoming more difficult for teachers to spend as much one on one time with their students. This change counting activity allows the learner to choose a cartoon “teacher” that asks for given amounts of money to be put on his desk. Very easy to use and a great solo reinforcing tool for young students.

Counting Coins

Algebraic Expressions Millionaire

Created by Doina Popovici, from math-play.com

This was the one of the most visually appealing and attention grabbing apps we came across. Set to a “Who Wants to be a Millionaire” theme, students are asked to read an algebra problem in words, and find the formula matching the question. Like the actual game show, contestants earn an incrementally increasing amount of “money’ for each question answered, up to a million “dollars.” This game could actually get 12 and 13 year olds to want to do algebra.

Algebraic Expressions Millionaire

Find the Value of Y Memory Game

Created by Lumosity, from algebra4children.com

Once students learn how to recognize the format of algebraic equations, it’s time to start solving them. What we like the most about this app was the combination of problem solving and memory recall. The game consists of 12 hidden cards, half with an answer, and half with a problem. The student not only has to figure out the answer, he or she has to remember which card the answer is on, or they get the problem wrong.

Find the Value of Y Memory Game

Multiplication Grand Prix

From arcademicskillbuilders.com

Using a Grand Prix racing scenario and animations, this game is popular among students first learning multiplication, especially boys. Unlike most other interactive web-based applications, Multiplication Grand Prix is an online multi-player game, pitting the student against 3 other students from around the country, or possibly even the world. With the continually rising popularity of online gaming, this one is sure to be a hit in the classroom.

Multiplication Grand Prix

Penguin Jump

From arcademicskillbuilders.com

Similar to the Grand Prix, this multiplication game is also online multi-player but geared more toward young girls. Help your penguin hop iceberg to iceberg by finding the one with the correct answer for the problem shown. You can even print your trophy after the race!

Penguin Jump

Country Toad

From arcademicskillbuilders.com

This is another great game from arcademicskillbuilders.com. In similar fashion to the math games, the student controls a frog that jumps from lily pad to lily pad. The lily pads, however, are shaped like and labeled as countries around the world. The capital of one of the four is displayed, and the correct country must be chosen, or froggy falls into the water!

Country Toad

Sigma Prime

From mangahigh.com

Mangahigh.com offers some slightly more advanced games, including great math games for middle school students. Sigma prime is a space invaders type game in which the student must break falling asteroids into prime numbers by blasting them with one of two numbers they have “loaded” into the turret. If you have “2″ and “3″, and a “9″ is falling down, you have to blast the asteroid twice with the”3″. Even adults will have fun with this one.

Sigma Prime

Flower Power

From mangahigh.com

Flower power is a game in which the player makes flowers grow and bloom by setting the decimals or fractions on the stem in order, with the highest number at the top. The game can have up to seven flowers growing at once, and mixes them up between decimals and fractions. It’s a lot to keep up with, so students are forced to solve the puzzle without much time to think about it.

Flower Power

Each of the sites mentioned here have countless other great games available to play for free. They’re great for Smartboard use, but can also be played on any computer or tablet. If your school doesn’t yet have interactive whiteboard technology, talk to the PTA/PTO and get support from the community. Many schools receive donations from local and national businesses so their students can gain from these wonderful new tools for instruction.

Interactive Whiteboards

1.  Laminator Warehouse

Pouch Laminator or Roll Laminator?

A pouch laminator is a desk-top machine that is light-weight and easy to move. It uses pre-cut pieces of laminate called “pouches” to encapsulate objects in laminate on both sides. A pouch laminator is typically used to laminate objects no larger than 11″ x 17″.
A roll laminator is larger and more heavy-duty than a pouch laminator. It uses two rolls of laminate to encapsulate objects in laminate. The sealed product is then trimmed away from the rolls of film. Roll laminators are available in 12″ up to 60″ widths, and so can handle very large objects.

2.  Digital Output – Choosing a Laminator Solution

A Need for Speed
While speed always matters, don’t assume that you need the fastest solution on the market, and don’t assume that the solutions are capable of running at maximum speeds in all scenarios.
Rated speeds can be muddy criteria on which to base your laminator selection. Most solutions are said to have variable rates of speed—from zero to seven feet-per-minute (fpm), for example. Some solutions allow the operator to set the speed appropriate to the job; others may involuntarily vary, dropping speed when performing labor-intensive tasks or handling a challenging substrate.
“Drying time is a key issue,” Paris suggests. “If a print can be left to dry, then generally, you can put a heat-activated laminate over it without a problem. But the print has to be totally—totally—dry. The problem is, in a production environment, you may not have the luxury of time. This is certainly the case for on-demand situations. So if the print may not have ample time to completely dry, a pressure-sensitive process may be a little bit more forgiving.”

3.  Buzzle.com – How to Find the Best Laminating Machines

The Different Laminator Sizes
A lot of people buy an A4 laminator, even though their printer can print A3 size and they might want to laminate an A3 document someday. It is a better to go for the best laminator you can afford, so that when you laminate, your documents come out looking professional. When choosing the size of the laminator, you should take into consideration the maximum size that your printer can print. For example, if your printer prints up to A3 size, you should buy an A3 laminating machine. You can also get a 9″ laminating machine which is perfect for laminating A4 pages, since an A4 page is 8.4″ wide and you need to allow for borders. It is also important to choose a quality laminating machine which is simple to use and gives excellent results.
If you need a larger machine, you can get 42″ laminators although most homes or small businesses do not need something so big. If you are going to be laminating banners and larger items, you should think about a large roll laminator. If you are mainly laminating IDs or small documents, a pouch laminator might be the best option.

4.  Online Skyline – How to choose the right laminator

3 easy steps to choosing the right laminator.

1. First decide which items you’ll be laminating most, Id cards, Photographs, Menue size or large sizes.

2. Next, pick the mil thickness that’s right for you.

3. Then, select your HeatSeal laminating system.

5.  Fellowes – Laminating Guide

What size documents will you be laminating?

If you’ll be laminating items such as business cards, file cards, luggage tags or photos up to 4″ x 6″  — A smaller personal laminating machine may be ideal for your needs

For small and slightly larger laminating jobs (including letter and legal size documents and photos up to 8″ x 10″)   — Look for personal or general office machine that accommodates these sizes

If you need to laminate any size document-even up to tabloid or poster size, larger menus or photos up to 11″ x 14″ or documents to be placed on a mounting board   — Consider a heavier duty, general office laminating machine

For a large selection of Laminators Check out our Laminators Page Click Here!

Looking for a folder that is fool-proof?  We found one that Marquis brings into the U.S.  The 600 total sheet capacity 3 tray feeding system is pretty darn cool.  I’m not sure why it is called the Ifold 300 when it can do 600 total sheets, but the Ifold300 is def. a top pick of ours.

You can find the IFold 300 here at discount prices.

—————–Update———————

Marquis Business Systems no longer supplies the Ifold Machines.