Exploring tools

ActivInspire includes many tools to help you create engaging lessons to captivate your audience and to add interest while working at the board.

The Main Toolbox contains the most popular tools and more tools are available from the Tools Menu.

Here, we describe just a few of the fun tools for you to explore:

Annotate over Desktop

This is what the name implies, a tool that allows you to write annotations over your computer's desktop.

Within the ActivInspire window, a transparent flipchart, called a desktop flipchart, is placed over the screen. You can then use the tools in the Main Toolbox to create annotations. You can even click on Select , open a document in another software application and annotate the document.

Camera

This tool allows you to take an instant snapshot of what's on the screen and place it in your flipchart, the clipboard, or into the My Resources or Shared Resources folder. A range of options allow you to tailor the size and shape of the snapshot to your needs.

Express Poll

This tool allows you to quickly ask your students a question and capture their answers using ActiVote or ActivExpression devices. A useful tool to confirm understanding, or to stimulate debate.

Sound Recorder

This tool allows you to capture sound to a file for inclusion in your flipchart. For example, you can create sound clips and link them to words, to help your students pronunciation, or capture sound while making a screen recording with the Screen Recorder

Screen Recorder

This tool allows you to capture whatever happens on screen to a video file (.AVI), which you can keep in your flipchart, or save to a resources folder and replay as often as required.

Revealer

This tool covers the flipchart page so that you can reveal parts of the page when you want.

Spotlight

This tool allows you to selectively hide or show areas of the flipchart page.

You can move the spotlight around and:

  • Hide the screen, but for a circular or square spotlight.

  • Show the screen, but for a solid circular or rectangular area.

Tools remember their settings. When you switch tools, each one remembers your last choice. For example, the Pen and Highlighter remember their color and width settings.