I’m a high school math teacher. All my lessons are smartboard files. Last yer I was super excited to see this app. Then I was super depressed that it did not come with a smartboard camera. I found a hack around this by downloading an amazing app called GoodNotes. You can use the lasso tool there to capture images and then copy and paste those into your smart notebook file. This app has a propensity to close an not save your information which is maddening. Also, the inability to create folders to organize your files is ridiculous. Cmon Smartboard, you’re better than that. The saving grace is that I am finally able to work on my lessons comfortably from my couch. That’s worth 3 stars to me. Oh, and the app is free.
I got this app because my school recently got iPad Pros and Smart TVs for each classroom. In a previous school I had a Smart Board and I was hoping to transfer past lessons to this app. However, I was unable to do so because both Google Drive and Dropbox no longer work with this app. Luckily, I discovered I could recreate many of my lessons by downloading other lessons from the Smart Exchange. I do wish that this app had more features that the Smart Board software has. I would like to lock a text box but still allow it to move. I would like to make backgrounds on pictures transparent. It would also be nice to enable links. Any chance for these features in an update?
I love this app. But it is also bad. I am so happy they finally realesed an update last month but most of the issues are still here. Like that google drive issue. I love to save my files to google drive so I can view them on my laptop but now I can’t. Also this is not an issue but kinda is but it is also a want. Pls add auto saving. I was creating a file and then I had to eat something and I just closed the app and thought it would save. But I lost all my work!!!!!!!!!! This was so annoying!😡 Pls fix these issues and I will love this app again!
I have been using smart notebook to write lessons for years. I now use my iPad connected to my laptop and share my iPad screen in zoom. Since I teach high school math it was essential that I be able to write with a stylus to teach lessons. I would not be able to teach as easily if I didn’t have this app. It doesn’t connect to google drive but I can easily email myself the lessons and open them on the iPad. I hope this helps someone else. I would give it 5 stars if it didn’t have so few of the smart notebook other features like everyone else mentioned.
What kind of iOS app loses your work when you switch between apps? THIS ONE!
So, I just finished creating my lesson notebook for the 3rd time because this app loses your work when you switch apps. That’s right...if this app goes to the background, you have to start from square one. Unless you constantly save, of course, but WHO DOES THAT ANYMORE? And then, even if you save, you have to use a different file name each time. Ugh! If the developers fix this glitch, then I could give the app 4 stars. It’s a very lightweight version of the full-function software, and a little bit difficult to manipulate, but it gets the job done. The ability to interact in real-time with a computer running the full-function version is great.
This rating is primarily due to how infrequently the app is updated with any significant improvements. Google no longer allows the deprecated login method this app relies on, so my students cannot access any files. Even when they could, basic things such as sorting files by name, searching for the right one, or printing one weren't possible. This app would be amazing if they cared enough to continue working on it. Features present in the current desktop version, such as math equations, don't even load in the app. There just isn't any way to consistently display notebook files without keeping them completely barebones.
1. The ability to move the tool bar like you can on a SMART board. So many times when I’m writing and I get a line that shoots across the screen because my wrist touches the bottom. Sometimes the pen tool gets changed as well. 2. The ability to remove the side panels and have full screen. This way students won’t see the panels. 3. Possibly a way for students to see what they need to see but have some part hidden that only I can see. Such as my notes for the lesson.
I am used to using the full version of Smart Notebook but I have recently started teaching with an iPad (which links to my projector via Apple TV). I really need the full screen option. Seeing the slides on the left side eats up valuable space on my board. I am also constantly hitting the options on the bottom (shapes, pens, pictures, etc), which distracts my students. A full slide version would make my life better!
I teach math and use a Smart board in my classroom. I was excited to see this app because our schools are closed and I have to teach online. The biggest problem that earned this 2 stars is that I still can’t save to my google drive and I can’t choose OneDrive as an option either. My school district uses OneDrive and I have to jump though hoops to save my work from the iPad to a drive. Can someone fix this please? It would be a 5 start app if they did.
PLEASE READ: I think this app is great for kids and teachers. Kids can have fun drawing and doodling on this app, while teachers can teach using the tools, including the shapes and typing. This app could be improved by using what I call “the eraser trick”. This trick allows the eraser to go around the drawings and when tapped on the middle, everything around disappears. Please add and five stars will come easily.
This app could be better if I would know how to get activities to play and I a was so excited when I saw a SMART BOARD APP FOR IPAD! but it is sooooooo boring! Compared to the real notebook can you make it have all the cool stuff like the real smart board? Or the same controls and more? You would get amazing reviews! Everyone will love this app!!! And it will be the the best app in the WORLD!
I love this app but I really really really really really really really really want the font curzMT on this app. I love the app on the iPad and the computer but I really really wish that the fonts on the computer where on the computer. Thank you for making this app
Maestro is a step in the right direction. However if I’m going to be able to run a presentation from my iPad I need a full version complete with fonts, add ons, and bugs squashed. Currently erasing on the iPad does not erase ink on the computer. Also maestro should be airplay incorporated or WiFi. QR scanning is too slow. Lots of great potential.
I see this in school on the smart boards and i wanted it! I got it on my iPad but i want it on my laptop,... my teachers have it on their computers... how do i get it on mine???!?!
This app is annoying. I haven’t even had it for 4 days I had to delete it it was so annoying. It wouldn’t even let me save my stuff I was trying to save it to my other device and straight up just kick me out. All of my stuff is gone. Do not get this app.
I was so thrilled to start using this app as I use SMART Board lessons frequently in my classroom. However, this app lost my most recent edits on 3 separate occasions. It is no longer worth the time and effort I put into creating files on the go.
On the smart board TVs at my school, there is a feature where you make a circle with the eraser and tap it and it erases everything in the circle. You NEED to add that to this app.
I have made many years of lessons on my computer, but can’t open any of them into the app because it can’t connect to Google or Dropbox. I wanted to teach online using this app, but instead I need to remake every lesson.
Due to the app being unsecured, I cannot even get it to connect to my Google account. There hasn’t been an update in 3 YEARS!?!?Really, really, disappointed in SMART Technologies for failing their teachers during the hardest year of our lives.
Crashes frequently, especially when accessing Notebook files from Google Drive. I’m an instructional technology coach in my district, and I’m steering teachers away from this app because it hasn’t been updated in years.
I have a new iPad and everything is up to date but Smart Notebook will not connect to my google drive. It says that this feature is disabled. Can this be fixed or addressed?
I have Big Ideas Math smart lessons I wanted to use with this app, but cannot figure out how. Spent hours. Cannot seem to open it with this app. Would love help if this is possible.
Why, in this day and age, you do not have the ability to upload or connect to GOOGLE DRIVE? This needs to be addressed. I am a math teacher who needs this for my students. One star can change to 5 if corrected.
I was happy to learn that SMART has finally released a Notebook app for the iPad. Those who are planning to purchase this app should please understand that it is very similar to the SMART Notebook Express application. The app does not have the same level of functionality as the Interactive viewer nor as the full version of NB 11. I am looking forward to using this app with 1:1 and small groups of students. I really wish that I could use the Activity Builder and the Lesson Activity Toolkit games on this app, but it will not be compatible since they are Flash based. SMART is off to a good start by developing this iPad to integrate with NB lessons and I hope that in the near future that this app will be able to do so much more.
What ever I write on this app goes to my smart board. But what I erase on this app won’t erase on the smart board. PLEASE FIX. Also the palm cancellation when using the Apple Pencil is not very good.
I have been using SMART Notebook on my PC for about 10 years. Our school recently disconnected all of our SMART boards, so for connectivity purposes, I was happy to find a SMART notebook app on the iPad which I can mirror to the classroom projector. I was happy to know that my years of notes were not becoming useless. Not happy anymore. Since then, I have been majorly disappointed by this extremely minimalistic app. For one, a save feature would be great. I can’t even guarantee that going back to my files page (or accidentally bumping the back buttons) that the app will still have my changes. If I copy a file from Box, there is no way to save the file. My workaround is that if I write enough random crap on the file, then it will sometimes auto save, but what a waste of my time. I use MathType to insert formulas into my documents from the desktop, and even though they should be saved as images in the file, they do not read on this app. The shade screen is unavailable. The “extend page” feature is unavailable. There is no way to hide the page navigation or to edit the toolbar. It would be nice to have a scroll bar on the side rather than having to put down the pencil to scroll with two fingers. It would be nice if I could have the app only recognize the pen when writing rather than having the side of my hand always making stray marks. I know other apps have an anti-screen-lock feature, which would help with connectivity. All of this was just after ONE day of using the app in the classroom. I would be willing to pay for a better SMART notebook app that would improve on these functions. As is, I think I may be better off using Notability, Explain Everything, or another similar app. As someone who has tried to stay loyal to SMART Tech, I have been extremely disappointed by this app which should be an embarrassment to the SMART Tech name.
I am an educator who was really looking forward to implementing this app within my small groups in addition to one on one as an intervention tool. Despite the fact that the software, in and of itself, is much less that I expected (i.e. no locking, no full screen, no shapes, no ability to select multiple items to move and/or group,etc.), the software is VERY inconsistent. Three of the five days I used it last week, the software either completely "lost" my lesson, didn't save anything or just froze and closed out. As other teachers know, it is very frustrating when you have a short amount of time to squeeze a lesson in... only to have students sit there and wait on the technology to work as it describes. I was able to modify my lessons last week, but I don't plan to count on it as a regular basis tool nor feel my money was well spent until there is a serious upgrade. I have never posted a review before, but felt my experience was necessary to share. I have confidence that the "smart" people will get it together and put a consistent and dynamic tool in teacher's hands via the IPad...this, however, isn't it just yet!
This app could be used to service students with special needs and the general Ed population. It allows kids to type on saved notebooks while also adding photos and dictations that could be used for assessment purposes. The writing function is miserable, but could be used to highlight. The typing is nice and neat. The interactive features are well thought out and make SmartBoard designed lessons more student centered...finally! I'm not convinced the Dropbox or email features will be allowed in most schools, unless the school is BYOD friendly. For teachers, this app holds some promise to make the springboard lessons...like the old webquests, only with interactivity and opportunities of personalization. It's worth the 5-6 bucks. Be aware, you cannot, as far as I understand, use the SmartBoard to control the iPad app. However, I may be wrong.
I do like this app. My school went from smartboard to iPad/apple TV. I like using smart notebook because you can make activities on a computer and can still manipulate the items to demonstrate on the iPad. I like being able to write and erase easily. Works best out of whiteboard apps. Needed Improvements are--to add full screen, so students can see the screen easier (too small for them to see), add a capability to use the flash activities available in notebook full size, be able to revert files back to original for when you have 3 classes with the same lesson. I haven't figured out how to delete components--like if you try a square and don't like it, how do you get rid of that? Right now, i delete the file and re-download the file from dropbox and start over.
I am excited about this App finally being available on the iPad! It allows you to open SNB files or create your own. I figured that the first version would have basic features, but that's ok. It might be a good idea to spend a little time building your photo library in order to have a variety of pictures to choose from. Sounds can be added, and files can be shared. Files can be imported from Dropbox, SMART Exchange, Google Drive, or even iTunes! There is a nice intro to the App in SMART Notebook format that is helpful in getting started. Overall I am pleased with the App and know that there will be revisions to make it even better. I look forward to using it to create lessons for student use on the iPad as well as for creating presentation files to share with my fellow ITRTs and teachers! :)
A very basic version of Smart Notebook, which I like. However, if one imports presentations to edit, if items have been locked or grouped there is no unlock or ungroup option. Only four color options for the pen/marker and no way to change the line style or even create straight lines or shapes. The biggest problem though, is that when using AirPlay there is no full screen support OR presentation mode. Not to mention that one has to use AirPlay via Apple tv so there is NO interactivity with the SmartBoard. I don't see schools shelling out 6.99 per iPad for students to view presentations on their own, especially when the software for your computer is free with your SmartBoard. I'll continue to use Screen Chomp or Educreations when away from the classroom, they were free and with more features.
My school has provided every teacher with an iPad and Apple TV this year, so the connectivity issues that others have complained about don't apply. The app has been most useful as a document camera for student work for group revision exercises. The ability to write, highlight, and type on a document while not being tethered to the smartboard has been great. My one complaint is that animated graphics that work in the desktop version of the smart software do not function in the mobile app. If this could be addressed, this would get 4-5 stars from me.
Perfect for its purpose and SMALL group instruction!
A great app that lives up to its purpose. While on the outside it appears to be just a drawing app with no SMART Board connectivity (which is not the intent of the application,) the application lives up to SMART Product's reputation. The application is perfect for small group instruction, to where the need of an actually SMART Board is unnecessary, or carrying a laptop across the room to pair it with an Interwrite pad can be tedious (in my position as a technology head and reading interventionist, painful…) Heres what I have found, and have shared with my elementary school colleagues, - Perfect for small group, and student interaction. - Easy to transfer Notebook files created to and from base computers - Simplistic, without all of the unnecessary extras for small group work. - Easy auto-save, so no forgetting to. - Quick and easy flip back for missed notes. - Same basic functions as SMART Notebook on the PC or Mac - Easy, auto sort, so not a lot of hunting of files.
As a teacher, I purchased this App to display my Notebook files on my iPad, then mirror my screen using Air Play, and run my lessons from my iPad. When writing on the iPad screen in this App, my writing actually appears just to the side of where my stylus is actually writing. It "pops" over to the correct location after a short delay, but it's very disorientating. Writing clearly on the iPad is already somewhat difficult, and the way in which the writing isn't calibrated to the correct location in this app, makes it pretty much impossible for me. If you are only moving and sliding objects in your files, the App should be fine for you. If you are like me, and need to do to a good deal of writing on your Notebook file while in this App, you will probably feel frustrated like I am.
The app is good for one thing, opening smart files on the iPad. However I cannot use this with my class for most things that I do now with my computer. I could not scroll so that students could see the whole screen and it was very difficult to adjust the size of the screen to reveal the whole thing. There is no "full screen" mode, so students see all the slides of the whole lesson on the side of the screen and that is both distracting and takes up valuable space that could be used to enlarge the screen. Also there are no screens that hide content, like on the computer version, til you are ready to reveal it, something I use with most of my lessons to keep them focused. I will not be using this, waste of 6 bucks.
For the most part, this app is useless to me at this point. I am making lessons on my computer and save them to both Dropbox or Google Drive. When I go to Google Drive or Dropbox to open the file, I "Open in...." Smartnotebook and the correct file does not even open - it is another file not even saved in the same folder. And this is happening no matter what file I use or what cloud storage app I use. Essentially, I wasted my money as it appears that Smart simply wanted to get this app out there for us to "field test" for them. With so many other options out there now, for free, even, I cannot see myself using this much longer without major changes. Basically, right now, this app is useless to me.
I was please to find that I could upload smart board files from my computer onto my iPad. I was easily able to display those files onto the smart board in any classroom with the iPad adapter. However, I cannot use the actual pens that go with the smart board to write up answers to questions or brainstorm. I cannot advanced the pages either. The iPad does not respond to the board. As a traveling teacher, I would love if this were fixed because I could just hook into the smart board instead of having to log onto a computer and wait for my files to load.
Good app! No replacement for SMART Board or full Notebook
The app works great. You can open Notebook files downloaded from the internet or created in the desktop version of Notebook. There are basic tools for ink, text, etc. I don't think it was designed as a replacement for the full Windows or Mac version, it is a light-version viewer/editor for teachers and students, so you can work with the files anywhere. In my classroom I'll still use the SMARTBoard to have direct touch-control on the big screen and to have students come up to touch and write on the board.
I was really expecting more from this App. This app does not do everything that the Smart Notebook software is capable of doing. It would be great if that was the case. You can basically import photos, write, erase, and type on the whiteboard. I already have an app that pretty much does what this app is capable of, and I have to say I paid much less for it, because it was free. I will probably still use this in the classroom on occasion, but not as much as I thought I was going to before downloading it. It just does not contain all the SMART software features I was expecting to find.
Notebook app is similar to other whiteboard apps in that you can create and move objects. The Notebook app is better in that it can work with layers and colors if the Notebook file was created on a computer and then downloaded to iPad. The sound feature works great to record up to 1 minute. I wish that there was some way to give feedback on whether you got an answer correct or not like the lesson activity toolkit activities. Tabs work great too. Not sure if the money is worth it yet but SMART has a great start if they can keep developing the app with free updates.
This app is the app I've been looking for since I first got my iPad. There are great opportunities for assessment. I will be able to do a whole group lesson on the SmartBoard and later give students the same file on the iPads. They can manipulate objects (such as put sentences in order) or write answers and then email the file back to me for assessment. I can't wait to try this out with my students. I think this app was worth the wait.
** Now featuring SMART Notebook Maestro which connects SMART Notebook for iPad to SMART Notebook software. Visit http://go.smarttech.com/notebook-maestro-download to download the Notebook Maestro Add-On to enable this feature in SMART Notebook desktop. ** SMART Notebook for iPad is a light version of the SMART Notebook collaborative learning software. Using this app, you can both use and edit SMART Notebook lesson activities for individual and collaborative learning with an iPad. Features • Pens and Erasers. Draw and write using colored digital pens and highlighters, and choose from multiple ink colors including Crayon and Calligraphic Ink, pen thicknesses and eraser sizes. • Text. Insert or edit typed text and change the font type, color, size and justification on the page using Text Properties. • Objects. Organize information and change the page layout. Tap to move, rotate or scale an object. • Double-tap or tap and hold an object to cut, copy, paste, lock and unlock objects or to change their order. Double-tap or tap and hold an object to activate the Infinite Cloner and to change the sound properties. • Shape and Line tool. Add shapes and lines to your file and choose the fill color, line color and thickness. • Photos. Make files visual by inserting photos from the iPad Camera and Camera Roll. • Sound. Enhance the auditory experience by adding sound recordings to objects. Double-tap or tap and hold an object to view the context menu and record a new sound. • Share files. Share SMART Notebook files by e-mailing or upload to your iCloud Drive, Dropbox, or Google Drive account. • Integrated with iCloud Drive, Dropbox, and Google Drive. Keep your SMART Notebook files up-to-date across multiple devices with iCloud Drive/Dropbox/Google Drive integration. One tap on the iCloud Drive/Dropbox/Google Drive icon in the SMART Notebook app for iPad file manager and you can quickly login to your iCloud Drive/Dropbox/Google Drive account to download or upload SMART Notebook files. • SMART Notebook Maestro: Connect your iPad to SMART Notebook Desktop • Multi select using marquee select • Group/ Ungroup annotations • Auto group ink • Integrated assessment. Easily complete assessments using SMART Response VE. • Display content. Show content from an iPad on an interactive whiteboard for the whole class to see using AirPlay and an Apple TV or using an HDMI or VGA cable with the proper connectors. • Save As. Save the file with a new name to create multiple copies with unique file names. • Revert to Original. With one tap, you can quickly reset a file to the original version for another group of students to complete.
