Common ActivInspire Tools 

 
MAIN MENU This icon gives you access to the same options as the Menu Bar. This includes: File,
Edit, View, Insert, Tools, and Help. Commonly used tools in these areas are (but are
not limited to): File - create a new flipchart; open an existing flipchart; save a flipchart;
import a PowerPoint, PDF document, or new Resource Pack; print a flipchart; and exit.
Edit - cut; copy; paste; duplicate; delete; display mode; page background settings; clear
page; grid designer; reset page; and profiles. View - switch profiles; full-screen toggle;
page turn effects; view Browsers or Dashboard; view options; customize. Insert - insert
page; insert media; insert link; insert text; inset shapes. Tools - desktop annotate;
desktop tools; magic ink; the pen, eraser, highlighter and fill tools; handwriting
recognition; shape recognition; spotlight; camera; math tools; and more tools. Help -
Promethean Planet Website; full HELP searchable contents.
SWITCH Quick switch between the five default profiles and any customized profiles.
PROFILES

Enables use of the Main Toolbox tools on the live desktop over documents, such as
Word or PDF, Websites, or other applications, such as PowerPoint and Excel. It does
DESKTOP this by making your computer's live desktop the background of the flipchart page. You
ANNOTATE can annotate on live documents or interact with other applications.

DESKTOP A collection of commonly used ActivInspire tools on a small, floating icon that can easily
TOOLS be accessed and used on the live desktop when annotating over documents, Power
Points, Websites, or other applications. ActivInspire will minimize when the Desktop
Tools are open.
 Common ActivInspire Tools 
 
PREVIOUS Moves the flipchart page display to the previous flipchart page or the next flipchart page.
PAGE/NEXT Next Page will also add a new flipchart page if it is clicked when on the last page of a
PAGE flipchart.

COLOR PALETTE Lets you select the color of text, highlighter, lines and shapes, filling objects, etc. The
Color Palette can be configured in CUSTOMIZE - LAYOUT to contain 8, 16, or 24
colors. Additional colors can be added by right-clicking on a color you want to replace
and selecting a new color or creating a custom color.

PRESET PEN Enables quick changes for pen, highlighter, and eraser stroke widths.
WIDTH

PEN WIDTH Click and drag the slider to change the width from 0 to 100 pixels in increments of 1.
SLIDER

SELECT TOOL Lets you select and interact with objects on the flipchart page, much like the cursor of a
mouse.

TOOLS Opens the Tools menu for access to additional tools not currently on the Main Toolbox.
 Common ActivInspire Tools 
 
PEN TOOL Writes or draws on the flipchart page.

HIGHLIGHTER Emphasizes areas of your flipchart with translucent color.

TOOL

ERASER TOOL Permanently erases Pen, Highlight, and Magic Ink annotations from the flipchart page.

FILL TOOL Fills a selected object or page with color.

SHAPE TOOL Opens the Shape Menu, to let you select a shape, then draw it.

CONNECTOR Connects objects or shapes with a connector line.

TOOL

INSERT MEDIA Opens a dialog box from which you can browse to, select and insert graphics, videos or
FROM FILE other files into the flipchart page.

TEXT TOOL Adds text you type at your computer keyboard.

 Common ActivInspire Tools 
 
CLEAR TOOL Deletes objects from the current flipchart page: clear annotations - deletes anything
drawn with the Pen, Highlight, or Magic Ink tools; clear objects - deletes all images,
shapes, and text boxes; clear grid - deletes any grid from the page; clear background -
deletes any background from the page; clear page - deletes all objects from the current
page.
RESET PAGE Resets the current page to the state it was in when it was last saved. For new, unsaved
flipcharts, clears the current page.

UNDO/REDO Undoes or redoes your last action, for example, If you use the Fill Tool to fill an object
TOOLS with color, clicking undo will return the object to the color it was before you filled it. Click
repeatedly to undo or redo as many actions as required.

RUBBERSTAMP Quickly creates multiple copies of a resource, such as a graphic, on the flipchart page.

PAGE ZOOM Magnifies or shrinks what you see on the flipchart page.

MAGIC INK Lets you make areas of your flipchart invisible and reveal them when the class is ready.

CLOCK Lets you choose an analog or digital clock. You can set the display, choose count down
or count up as desired.
 Common ActivInspire Tools 
 
REVEALER Selectively reveals parts of the flipchart page, much like a piece of paper on an
overhead projector image.

SPOTLIGHT Lets you move different shaped light or opaque spotlights to show or hide areas of your
flipchart. You can choose between a circular spotlight, square spotlight, solid circle
spotlight, or solid square spotlight.
DUAL USER Enables collaborative working with two ActivPens on your ActivBoard version 3, or
upgraded ActivBoard version 2.

PEN MODIFIERS The Pen Modifiers allow shapes to be perfectly drawn with the Pen, Highlighter, or
Magic Ink tools and will only work and show in the menu when these tools are active. In
other words, you have to click on the Pen Tool first before clicking on the Pen Modifiers
icon. The objects that the Pen Modifier creates are: straight line, horizontal line, vertical
line, square tool, rectangle tool, point to point, circle, ellipse, semi arc, corner arc, arrow,
and callout.

HANDWRITING Converts freehand annotations into text, if you prefer the display appearance of
RECOGNITION formatted text in your flipchart. ActivInspire can do this in real time as you write at the
board. As well as recognizing handwriting and shapes within ActivInspire, the
Handwriting Recognition Tool can also recognize handwriting in other applications, for
example Microsoft Word®.
SHAPE Lets you draw on the board, then turns the drawings into more perfectly formed shapes.
RECOGNITION
 Common ActivInspire Tools 
 
RULER Lets you draw and measure lines on the board.

PROTRACTOR Use the protractor to measure angles and draw arcs. Choose between a full or half
protractor.

COMPASS The compass draws a simple arc with the outline and fill characteristics of the Pen Tool.

DICE ROLLER Lets you roll up to five dice. You can select the rolling speed and whether or not the
results appear on the flipchart page.

TICKERTAPE A presentation tool that allows you to create a message that scrolls like a tickertape
across the board (top, middle, or bottom) not matter what application is open. You can
stop, start, or change it at any time.

ON-SCREEN Add text at the board, when you don't want to use the Pen. You simply tap on the letters
KEYBOARD and symbols on the on-screen keyboard to form words and sentences.

CALCULATOR Lets you perform math calculations at the board.

 Common ActivInspire Tools 
 
SOUND Lets you record sounds and incorporate them into your flipchart.
RECORDER

SCREEN You can record the actions on a flipchart, desktop flipchart, the desktop, or another
RECORDER application, save them as an .avi (video) file, then play them back as an animation.

SPELLCHECK Quickly check and correct the spelling in all or part of your flipchart.
TEXT/FLIPCHART

WEB BROWSER Launches your computer’s Web browser.

X-Y ORIGIN Defines a page's rotation point, so that you can rotate objects around the origin point.

EXPRESS POLL Lets you ask your students a quick question and display voting results instantly. Used
with Voter Response Systems, such as Activote.

NEW FLIPCHART Creates a new “unnamed” flipchart.

OPEN Opens an existing flipchart from your files.

 Common ActivInspire Tools 
 
SAVE AS Opens 'My flipcharts' folder in the 'Save the flipchart as...' Dialog
Box. You can rename the flipchart, save the flipchart in this folder,
or navigate to anywhere on disk or network.
DRAG A COPY Creates the ability to click on an object and create another copy by dragging it away
from the original.

COLOR PICKER Enables the user to choose a color from anywhere on the display, then apply it to the
object.