In this module, learners will practice editing skills and use them to modify a flipchart. Completion of this module is expected to take at least 30 minutes.
Tasks:
1. Select a Flipchart to Modify
Select a Flipchart to practice with and download it. Remember, you can use a Flipchart from the D109 Collaborative Team Portal, Promethean Planet or an Internet search. D109 staff - if you are using a red Netbook, remember to delete the file at the end of today's In-Service activities.
Please make sure that the flipchart is complex enough (several pages, text and images, interactive components) to provide sufficient content for you to edit.
Remember: There are a great many resources available on this Web site. Like all resources we find on the Internet some will be better than others and, for those we consider using in our classrooms, ensuring alignment with district curriculum is top priority.
View this five-minute tutorial to learn about ActivInspire Browsers. Accessing various browsers will provide you with additional information and ways to modify the Flipchart.
View this nine-minute tutorial on using the Camera Tool - a very useful resource for bringing content into a Flipchart.
3. Editing Practice: Note: If you need a refresher on using the ActivInspire tools below, you will find a walk-thru flipchart in Module 2, Task 2.
Use Design Mode: At the top of the flipchart you will see a small square with a snowflake inside it. If the square is blue, you are in presentation mode - items that are locked or part of the background cannot be changed. If the square is orange, you are in design mode - everything in the flipchart is editable. If the square is blue, click on it and it will change to orange (that's what we want).
Edit Text: Click on the "T" in the toolbox then click inside a textbox. Edit text as you would in a word processing document: change size, color, make it bold/italic etc., modify content/wording. Note: See Module 2 to review of how Toolbox tools are used.
Re-size Images/Objects: Click on an image or object/shape and you will see a strip of icons appear along with "handles" on the corners and long edges. Grab a handle to re-size. Adjustments made using the handle on the bottom right - the circle with a slash through it - will retain the aspect ratio (it won't look stretched or squished).
Modify Images/Objects: Click on an image or object/shape. Look at the icon strip, if the "Group" icon is lit up, click on it. That will ungroup shapes which will allow you more ways to manipulate them. Try each of the icons and see what they do.
Camera Tool: Watch the ActivTips video "Camera Magic." Go to ActivTips and scroll down in the player window - Camera Magic is about two-thirds of the way down in the list. Next, use the camera tool to take pictures of things in your flipchart and to bring images in from your desktop or Internet browser. Try out each of the five options: Area, Point-to-Point, Freehand, Window, and Full Screen Snapshots.
Delete and Re-Order Flipchart Pages: To delete a page, simply click on its thumbnail in the Page Browser then press the 'Delete' key. Another option is to click on the icon in the upper right corner of the thumbnail and select 'Delete' from the menu. To re-order pages, click and drag them to where you want them to go. As you drag the page and heavy black line will indicate the position - just drop it where you want it.
4. Modify a Flipchart
Now it's time to put your new editing skills to work! When modifying a Flipchart, we think about curricular content, design principles and building in interactive components. Easy "fixes" are adjusting colors and size for better viewing and making sure visual elements (clip art, backgrounds) enhance instruction rather than distract the learner. See what changes to can make to improve a flipchart's curricular content and design.