SMART Learning Suite Online (also known as SLS Online) is a great instructional tool for teachers comfortable with SMART Notebook software. Now a teacher can teach with a Notebook file from any device that has an internet connection, even if Notebook is not installed. This also means that students can use Notebook lesson files without having SMART Notebook installed.

Introducing Out-of-Class Access

One of the new features of SLS Online that has just come out is the ability for students to get back into the teacher’s lesson outside of school hours. A teacher can have students explore lesson ideas in the classroom, and then finish up at home or on the weekend. Below is a description of how a teacher can give access to students, followed by some classroom ideas. Read on!

Giving Students Access to SLS Online (After Hours):

1. Log in to your SLS Online file collection. Choose a file that you have already uploaded into your library.

2. As you hover your mouse over the tile of your chosen lesson, click on the three dots in the lower right corner. In this “More” tool, you’ll see the “Share Link …” option. Click on it.

3. In the next window, you can copy the lesson’s link (URL address), to be shared with your students through Google Classroom or email. Note that you can always come back to this same option and select “Stop sharing” to turn off out-of-class access.

Curriculum Connections and Classroom Ideas

Let’s say that you have started a lesson in class. Your students have Chromebooks and are watching as you guide your presentation in Teacher Mode from the sharing tool. At some point, you’ll switch to Student Mode and give them access to go through your slides on their own. As class time runs out, you copy your lesson’s link (see # 3 above) and post it in Google Classroom for those students who might need more time to finish.

In SLS Online, you can add a page within your presentation slides to enhance their experience. One of the choices is to create an on-the-spot Shout it Out! activity, which allows them to respond to your question. This could be a Do Now or Exit Slip, for example. Again, if time runs out or if students need to research something or watch a video first before they respond, you can give them out-of-class access to finish up later.

In the course of the teacher’s presentation, we realize that some things can be skipped for now, then finished up outside of class. Click on the Page Sorter tool in the lower left of the screen to see which pages can/should be done later. Assign these pages in class, share the link, and then finish up your discussion during the next class period.

I hope you try this great use of SMART Learning Suite, and that it helps with your outside-of-class assignments, adds flexibility to your lessons, and even helps with remote learning.

For more classroom ideas and inspiration around using technology in the classroom, check out our other articles on the Teq Talk blog.