In the world of interactive whiteboard software, there are many available options for educators to utilize. These advanced edtech solutions allow teachers to create engaging content for students that is more efficient and paperless. Many educators use the software ActivInspire from Promethean, which is a fantastic solution, but did you know SMART Notebook can do just as much, if not more? If you’re actively searching for modern instructional software, SMART Notebook may be right for you. Here are 4 reasons to use SMART Notebook over ActivInspire.

1) Inserting media into lessons

When it comes to creating lessons, visual aids or images can help engage your learners and get them more interested in the subject. Both ActivInspire and SMART Notebook allow users to insert media into their presentations. However, SMART Notebook has a wider range of media to choose from.

SMART Notebook Gallery Tab and Web Image Search

The Gallery Tab within SMART Notebook allows users to pick from thousands of images and multimedia. These are also organized into subject-specific categories. For example, if you wanted to include a map for a history lesson, or a dollar bill for a lesson on money, you can pick from each tab to find them. You can also add your own content and organize existing content into folders in your My Content section.

While both of these programs have catalogs of images for engaging lessons, SMART Notebook has a feature that ActivInspire does not. This is the Web Image Search feature, available with a subscription to SMART Learning Suite. This feature allows educators to scour the internet (safely) within the SMART Notebook app to find images and media for their lessons. The Web Image Search expands the variety of available images even more so that educators can find exactly what they are looking for.

ActivInspire Resource Pack

ActivInspire also has a catalog of images located in its Resource Pack, but it is much smaller. In order to access the premade content available through ActivInspire, you will need to download the Resource Pack from Promethean. You may have access to this pack in the shared resources section if your administrator has already done this for you. When you download this Resource Pack, you will then have to manually move these files from your drive directly over to your ActivInspire flipchart. While ActivInspire does have various resources for lessons, downloading and inserting them into lessons can take up more time and storage for educators.

As shown in the tutorial above, users have to download resources into their computer first before they insert them into flipcharts.

2) User experience

When navigating both of these applications, it takes time and practice to learn to use them. SMART Notebook and ActivInspire offer in-depth tutorials on their company websites, including informative videos and handbooks to make your experience seamless.

Using ActivInspire

Both programs have interactive tools and resources that you can use in your lessons. However, when toggling with each of them, I ran into many differences. I had more trouble navigating the flipchart creation tools within ActivInspire, which required me to refer to tutorials on the Promethean site. While ActivInspire has a multitude of different features to choose from, I had to endure some trial and error when navigating each toolbars and button to see where they would lead me. When using SMART Notebook, I found that its software was more straightforward, and did not require watching many tutorials.

For example, the Browser Tab available on ActivInspire felt a bit trickier to navigate, as this tab includes its Page Browser to view all slides, the Resource Browser to choose and upload resources, the Object Browser to layer different objects within the page, the Property Browser to set dimensions, and the Voting Browser to connect student devices. All of these features combined on one Browser Tab felt a bit overwhelming, and it could be confusing for educators to constantly switch between each tab.

Using SMART Notebook

When navigating the SMART Notebook software, I felt that it was much easier to use, especially in terms of accessibility. The different tabs and browsers were separate and felt much more straightforward, especially to a first-time user or new teacher. For example, all of the icons on the left of the page are indicative of their purposes. The image icon allows you to to select resources and images, the paperclip icon is to import your own files, the “A” symbol lets you to edit text size, font, and color, and the puzzle piece icon is for games and activities.

When using whiteboard software, it is important to have an accessible array of tools. Many educators are not familiar with advanced forms of technology and will require some help as they learn. Additionally, some students with learning challenges may have trouble navigating these tools if they were to come up to the board to answer a question. Both ActivInspire and SMART Notebook offer various tutorials for usage, but in this case, SMART Notebook is the most user-friendly option.

3) Math tools

According to the National Math Foundation, students have fallen behind drastically in essential math literacy skills due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Having a strong artillery of math tools is essential for educators. Using interactive whiteboard software can help students get back on track to hone math skills. Both ActivInspire and SMART Notebook have basic features such as measuring tools (rulers, protractors, compasses), shape tools, calculators, graphing tools, and more. The difference between these programs is that SMART Notebook’s tools are more in-depth.

Using GeoGebra in SMART Notebook

SMART Notebook is compatible with GeoGebra, an interactive online math tool for students kindergarten through university. By adding the GeoGebra widget to your SMART Notebook page, you can access math resources, calculators, classroom collaboration tools, practice exercises, worksheets, and more. GeoGebra is also a great tool to deliver lessons for advanced math topics like algebra, trigonometry, and calculus, and more. Not only can this benefit students in higher education, but it can also be a helpful resource to review for state math testing.

ActivInspire math tools

ActivInspire does have accessible resources for math, such as multiplication tables, measuring tools, number lines, etc., but many of their resources only cover simpler math concepts. Not having math activities for higher education may be a disadvantage to students, as they are expected to learn more advanced math concepts the older they get.

4) Game-based learning

Many educators opt to incorporate game-based learning into their classroom. Game-based learning engages students through gaming activities to help them learn, such as hosting a game of Jeopardy for exam review. According to the U.S. Department of Education, game-based learning can benefit students’ cognitive function by incorporating the use of play. Having the right tools for game-based learning is crucial so that students are not distracted by the game itself and can focus on the content.

Game-based learning for all in SMART Notebook

In SMART Notebook Plus (subscription required), there is a catalog of game-based activities that can be used to emphasize content or review previously learned material. These include: Fill in the Blanks, Game Show, Label Reveal, Match ‘Em Up, Monster Quiz Super Sort and more. For example, when using Monster Quiz with students, they can be split into teams to answer questions, with representative monsters for each team, giving a fun and engaging visual element to the game-based activity.

ActivInspire game-based activities

ActivInspire has a similar catalog with activities such as crossword puzzles, flash cards, matching and memory games, word searches and more. However, many of ActivInspire’s game-based learning activities are essentially text-based, as they do not incorporate fun and engaging visuals to get students learning. For example, when using the Categorize activity in ActivInspire, teachers can create different categories for students to sort words into, or upload their own images.

With game-based learning becoming more prominent in today’s classrooms, it is important that educators have many viable resources to execute it. In this case, SMART Notebook is the more reliable and diverse software for teachers to incorporate game-based activities into their instruction.

Both ActivInspire and SMART Notebook are great tools, but Notebook takes the cake as the go-to software for educators. The SMART team is constantly making updates and adding new, advanced features to its platform. Keep an eye out for more engaging add-ons, activities, and fixes. If you are looking to get started with your SMART Notebook software, check out our course in the OTIS library, Introduction to SMART Notebook.

For more tips, tricks, and tools for teaching in and out of the classroom, check out more content on the Teq Talk blog or our YouTube channels OTIS for educators and Tequipment.

We also offer virtual professional development, training, and support with OTIS for educators. Explore the technology and strategies that spark student success — no matter where teaching or learning are happening!

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