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An Interactive Multimedia Program to

Assist Primary School Teachers in the

use of ‘TextEase’ and ‘Primary Colours’

in the Teaching of ICT By Mathew Henry

BSc (Hons) Information Systems Session 2000/2001

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Summary

The overall objectives of the project were as follows:

1. To research and analyse different multimedia authoring packages

2. To learn a suitable multimedia package

3. To learn the required material form both ‘TextEase 2000’ and ‘Primary Colours’

4. To design an interactive training CD suitable for being used by primary school teachers

5. To create a prototype which will assist primary school teachers to learning the relevant

material

The project achieved:

Ø The design and creation of an interactive training package suitable for primary school

teachers

Ø A thorough understanding of Little London’s requirements and available resources,

teachers abilities

Ø An assessment of the current computer systems in the Little London Primary School

Ø An assessment of suitable multimedia authoring tools

Ø An assessment into the different training methods employed by other computer based

training packages and an assessment into the different training methods employed

Ø The extraction of the relevant material from the National Curriculum syllabuses

Ø The testing of the training package using a range of evaluators including primary school

teachers (some with more experience and some with less) and teaching assistants.

Ø The evaluators acquiring skills in certain ICT units

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CONTENTS Page 1 Introduction ………. .................................................................................................1 2 Specification … .........................................................................................................2 3 Research Stage.........................................................................................................6 4 Macromedia Director and Camtasia Screen Recorder ....................................14 5 Design Stage.. ........................................................................................................ 25 6 Realisation of the Program.................................................................................... 31 7 Program Evaluation ……....................................................................................... 46 8 Completion … .........................................................................................................51 9 Future Enhancements . ......................................................................................... 52 10 Conclusion …. ........................................................................................................ 99 Bibliography Appendices CD-ROM of ICT Interactive Training Software (in wallet inside back cover)

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Abbreviations ICT: Information and Communication Technology AVI: Microsoft's Audio Video Interleave format GIF: Graphics Interchange Format BMP: MS-Windows bitmap format CD: Compact Disk CD ROM: Compact Disk - Read Only Memory CDR: Compact Disk Recordable QuickTime: Compressed video format developed by the Apple Corporation. LAN: Local Area Network MB: Mega Bytes Click: Pressing the left mouse button N/A: Not Applicable BASIC: Beginners All-purpose Symbolic Instruction Code LEA: Local Education Authority FAQ: Frequently Asked Questions

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1 Introduction

The use of computers and IT generally, are now playing an increasingly important role in both

primary and secondary school education. Under the National Curriculum, primary school children

have to study a number of ICT units. The writer has a particularly interest in the use of IT and

computers for school educational purposes and was keen to undertake a ’practical’ project for

which there was a genuine need. Through the University's Projects Officer, Anne Roberts, he

approached the ‘Little London Primary School’, in Meanwood Road, Leeds.

The school is endeavouring to use the ‘TextEase’ and ‘Primary Colours’ software packages in

connection with the teaching of the ICT National Curriculum syllabus units. The author had

discussions with Peter Hall-Jones the Headmaster of the school and Alison Stoker the ICT

specialist. From these, it appeared that full use of these software packages was being restricted

by the lack of training available to the staff. After some discussions as to how this might be

alleviated, and consideration by the author, it was agreed that he would endeavour to design and

produce a training aid, which the relevant primary school staff could use. If successful this would

enable them to learn about the functions and use of the appropriate modules of the software to

teach the required ICT units.

In this report the author describes the processes that he went through to decide on the type of

training package that would be most appropriate to meet this objective and what software would be

best for preparing the training package. It also describes the program that was eventually

produced, how it was developed and evaluated, and puts forward, some ideas as to how it could

be improved if more time was available.

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2 Specification

2.1 National Curriculum Syllabus

The National Curriculum sets out a number of units that should be studied by all primary school

children. Appendix B contains brief details of the Primary Information Technology Schemes of

Work, prepared by the Department of Education and Employment, together with more detailed

information on the eight units which are taught, in a number of LEA areas, using the TextEase and

Primary Colours software packages.

2.2 TextEase 2000 & Primary Colours Software

TextEase is a word processing and desktop publisher package, designed for Primary School

children to help develop their literacy skills. It is produced by Softease Limited1 and is one of a

suite of such programmes. The author has subsequently established through his contacts with

staff from other primary schools, including those involved in the evaluation of the training package,

that TextEase is used extensively in Primary Schools in various parts of the country.

Primary Colours is a paint and drawing package designed for primary schools. It enables children

to draw and paint new pictures as well as editing existing images. It is produced by

Granada Learning Limited2 and is part of the ‘Granada Learning Toolkit’. Primary Colours is also

used in a number of primary schools but apparently not so widely as TextEase.

MacRae (2001) describes TextEase as “An office suite for the educational market that focuses on

intuitive ease of use and supports the National Curriculum”. Archer (1998) explains the appeal of

TextEase as combining, “…many of the features of a first-rate word processing program with those

of a versatile DTP package.”

2.3 Software Training

Theoretically, teachers currently receive an introductory 1-hour training session, which is designed

to show them the basics of TextEase and Primary Colours. They are then left to undertake further

training on their own using the manuals and the programme help facility. One primary school

teacher 3 (who acted as an ‘evaluator’ on the project) said she felt “abandoned” after the 1-hour

1 Softease Limited, Market Place, Ashbourne, Derbyshire, DE6 1ES. 2 Granada Learning Ltd., Granada Television, Quay Street, Manchester, M60 9EA. 3 Mrs Joanne Wetherell, teacher at Stoke Holy Cross Primary School, Norfolk.

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training session. Another teacher4, who also acted as an evaluator, said that she did not receive

any training at all.

There are a number of potential problems for teachers learning to use these software packages on

their own. TextEase has a help facility which forms part of the programme. It may therefore be

difficult to consult at the same time as attempting to try out the procedures that it recommends.

Also, as with the manual, it looks as through it may be difficult to find the required information.

Primary Colours has a help facility which looks good and relatively easy to use. This however

requires Internet Explorer (or another web browser) which could be a further complication for

somebody without much computer experience.

On a more general note, there are many teachers with little prior computer experience, who feel

helpless in front of a computer. Computer jargon is used in manuals to describe facilities and

options, which means very little to some teachers. Icons and menus can look very different on the

screen, compared to the manual. This can result in teachers loosing time searching, for example,

for an icon or menu. Time is a resource that few if any teachers can afford to waste as so many

are already working very long hours. Hodgson (2000) writes, “…an independent study had shown

teachers in the UK worked, on average up to 52 hours a week, and they were likely to use up their

holiday time preparing lesson plans.”

Free time is something that teachers have very little of. Teachers now have targets, which the

children should have achieved by the end of term. Two tasks need to be completed by the teacher

before any material can be taught: -

(i) Finding the relevant material, for example for each ICT unit to be taught, and then

(ii) Learning the necessary software required for each unit.

It was felt by the writer that for his project, if a solution could be identified that incorporated the

completion of both tasks (i) and (ii) then this could result in more efficient use of the teachers’ time.

It might also make a more pleasant experience, thus encouraging further learning. Outside

technical assistance is not always available, so teachers must feel confident enough to use any

solution on their own.

2.4 Project Objective

The purpose of this project was thus to create an interactive tutorial to assist primary school

teachers in learning selected units of:-

(a) TextEase 2000, and

4 Mrs Shona Diggines, Keswick Road Primary School, Cringleford, Norfolk.

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(b) Primary Colours.

At present, many teachers lack the necessary knowledge and experience and have little spare time

to learn via traditional methods. Consequently they are not always able to make best use of the

software and hence teach pupils to the level, required by the ICT curriculum. The aim of this

project was to develop a system, which should enable teachers to learn the necessary aspects of

the software more quickly and efficiently.

Alison Stoker specified the ICT units that currently need to be taught. Six units require the use of

TextEase, with the other two units Primary Colours. These units cover the following:-

TextEase 2000

1B: Using a word bank

Use of word processor to assemble text held in a word bank.

2A: Writing stories: communicating information using text

Use of words to communicate messages including editing of text at once or subsequently.

3A: Combining text and graphics

Communication of messages using a combination of graphics and text.

3B: Manipulating Sound

Composing, collecting and communicating musical ideas including amending and modifying

them to explore various different musical and sound effects. Also using ICT to create,

organise and record sounds.

4A: Writing for different audiences

Organising, re-organising, developing and exploring textual ideas.

6A: Multimedia presentation

Creation of multimedia presentations using text images and sounds and the creation of

links.

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Primary Colours

2B: Creating pictures

Use of simple graphical tools (pen, brush, fill and spray) including editing.

4B: Developing images using repeating patterns

Use of computer graphic packages to explore and experiment with ideas.

Each primary school can to a certain degree choose which ICT units they do. After meeting

teachers from other primary schools it was found that the same or similar combinations of units are

taught.

It was therefore agreed that the author would try to prepare a software training package that would

bridge the gap between the Nation Curriculum syllabus and the use of the TextEase and Primary

Colours software.

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3 Research Stage

There is a wide range of different media forms in which training materials can be provided and

depending on the form selected, alternative ways of preparing and presenting them. A number of

key decisions therefore had to be taken, including the training media to be used, which required

consideration and/or careful research. This section contains a summary of the options considered,

where relevant the constraints, the research undertaken, the main advantages and disadvantages

and the options finally selected.

3.1 Selection of Training Media

The first, and perhaps the most critical decision was to decide on the most appropriate form of

media to be used for delivery of the training material. A range of possible formats could have been

used. Since the training material was designed to be used in the primary school, the format

selected would have to be compatible with the facilities available. In the light of these factors, it

was felt that the following formats would be suitable: -

(a) Book based tutorials,

(b) Video based tu torials, and

(c) Computer based tutorials

Book Based

A book-based tutorial had the advantage of being stand-alone ‘system, with no need for any

additional equipment. The main disadvantage would be that there could be no sound or moving

pictures and very little interactivity. It was also true to say there would be little to gain by creating

another software manual.

Video-Based

A video had the advantage of being able to use sound and images to show the viewer how to

achieve a task. It could be an effective and pleasant way of teaching the user in a relatively small

amount of time. The main disadvantage being that there could be very little interaction between

the user and the video. If the user wanted to view only certain tutorials, the videotape would have

to be rewound or moved forward to the appropriate point making it difficult to use as a reference

tool.

Computer-Based

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A computer-based system would have the distinct advantage of being able to integrate sight and

sound. The user could interact with the solution and be in control of what was to be taught. Not

only could this be a pleasant and effective way of learning, but also users are likely to be more

motivated if they feel they have some control over what is taught.

Media Chosen

It was decided that a computer based training solution would be the most appropriate. With this

format, the training system can be much more interactive as well as having the facility to combine

sight and sound to provide a comprehensive solution. The user can also have extensive control

over the delivery of the training, for example easily being able to stop, go forwards or backwards

and restart.

3.2 Alternative Computer Based Training Methods

Various methods of delivering commercial computer based training were inve stigated to try to

identify the most suitable for delivering this training information. As part of these investigations

considerable research was undertaken to locate different examples of commercially produced

computer based training, to identify the possible alternatives, their advantages and disadvantages

and select the most suitable. The main methods considered employed:-

(a) ‘Screen Recordings’, also sometimes referred to as ‘Video Clips’ or

‘Desktop Camcorder’ work, which capture screen activity and can include sound,

e.g. a voice recorded via a microphone as used in the ‘Power Point 97 Interactive

Tutorial’ for example,

(b) a series of slides which can include text (also shown on the computer screen), as

used for example in the “Internet Security” training material prepared by CBT

Training5, and

(c) a series of graphics, which can make it appear that objects are moving and which

can also include recordings, e.g. of a human voice, providing a

commentary/explanation – really a cross between (a) and (b) above, as used in

“Linux Made Easy” produced by Inndsoft Interactive Training 6.

After investigating the different computer based training packages, it seemed clear to the author

that using Screen Recordings (or ‘screen movies’) would be the best and most suitable way of

presenting this training material. It also seemed clear that this method was fast becoming, if it is

5 CBT Training, EMEA Headquarters, 5 Heathrow Boulevard, 278 Bath Road, West Drayton, Middlesex, UB7 0DQ 6 Inndsoft Interactive Training, Inndsoft Systekh Ltd, #5 Ilnd Main Road, Karpagam Garden, Adyar, Chennai - 600 020, India

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not already, the ‘de facto’ standard in interactive training. It was felt that the different features and

options of TextEase and Primary Colours could be learnt easily and efficiently using this method.

The only major disadvantage was the high volume of storage space required for the Screen

Recordings.

As well as the Power Point 97 Interactive Tutorial, referred to above, a number of other examples

of training materials employing Screen Recordings, were studied to see how the technique could

be used, and to pick up ideas as to how the Little London Primary School training material might

best be presented. The other examples studied included the training materials on:-

(i) 3D Studio Max Interactive, and

(ii) Macromedia Director Virtual.

Appendix D contains ‘screen shots’ of these software packages.

3.3 Characteristics of the Little London Primary School Computer Systems

Once the best method of preparing and delivering the training material had been identified it was

essential to check that this combination could satisfactorily be used on the existing computer

systems at the School (considering both the hardware and software available).

The technical specification of the computers was therefore checked by visiting the school and

physical inspection. The Little London Primary School was found to have 12 PC computers of

similar specification. Each computer being equipped with at least a:-

Ø Pentium processor (100MHz or greater)

Ø Colour monitor with a resolution of 800 by 600 pixels

Ø 3.5” floppy disk drive

Ø Sound card

Ø CD-ROM drive.

Ø 500 Megabyte hard drive, and

Ø Windows 95 Operating System

The computers were not currently networked, but a network is planned for the next academic year

(commencing September 2001). No internet connection was available, and it is understood that

there are no plans for this in the near future.

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3.4 Delivery Methods

It was vital that a suitable means of storing and hence loading the training was available. From

consideration of the information in Section 3.3, it was concluded that there were only two practical

alternative methods available, namely:-

(i) 3.5” floppy disk, and

(ii) CD-ROM

3.5” Floppy disk

The 1.44MB floppy disk is a cheap and versatile form of media, which is still widely used. The

main constraint is the low data capacity, which is a major disadvantage with the type of application

under consideration. Interactive software can involve a considerable number of graphics and

sounds, which can occupy large volumes of disk space. Multiple disks could be used to increase

the capacity, but this could result in the need to either change disks while the programme is being

run (inconvenient and distracting) or installing the software to the hard disk first (which might

occupy a significant proportion of the hard disk space). Floppy disks can easily become damaged

with the data then becoming corrupted and unusable.

Recordable Compact Disk (CDR)

A CDR has a maximum capacity of 700MB. It is widely used with the majority of computers now

being equipped with a CD-ROM drive. This is also a relatively low cost form of media. The main

disadvantages being that the basic type of CDR can only be recorded on once and that they are

more susceptible to damage than normal read-only compact disks. The former means that if any

changes, e.g. program updates were made subsequently, then the program would need to be

recorded on a new CD.

Based on a consideration of the advantages and disadvantages of these systems it was felt that a

CDR would probably be the best option, if not the only practical means of storage and delivery. A

final decsion on this would need to be taken once the total size of the program is know.

3.5 Multimedia Authoring Packages

A multimedia authoring package was required for the creation of the application. Internet and

computer software magazines listed a large number of alternative packages. After initial

investigation, the following 8 packages were selected as possibly suitable:-

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(i) Click2Learn - ToolBook II Instructor

(ii) Macromedia - Director 8

(iii) Macromedia – Authorware 5.2

(iv) MatchWare - Mediator 5 Pro

(v) Digital Workshop - Illuminatus 4.0

(vi) Magenta MultiMedia - Tools Magenta II

(vii) Tribeworks – iShell

(viii) HyperMethod - HyperMethod 3.5

In view of the limited time available it was not possible for the author to thoroughly assess every

package. Consequently various other methods were used including the study of professional

assessments; e.g. those published in computer magazines and journals. Over the last 3-4 years

the names of 3 packages were mentioned repeatedly.

Georghiades & Jacobs (1997) gave the three top scores as: -

(i) MatchWare Mediator 5 Pro - Rating 4/5

(ii) Digital Workshop Illuminatus 4.0 – Rating 4/5

(iii) Macromedia Director 8 – Rating 5/5

Broomfield (2000) describes, “three of the best multimedia authoring packages” as: -

(i) MatchWare Mediator 5 Pro

(ii) Digital Workshop Illuminatus 4.0

(iii) Macromedia Director 8

Joseph (2000) assessed the following packages and gave them the following ratings:-

(i) MatchWare Mediator 5 Pro - Rating 4/6

(ii) Digital Workshop Illuminatus 4.0 – Rating 5/6

(iii) Macromedia Director 8 – Rating 4/6

Although the assessments varied slightly it was clear that these packages were considered the

market leaders. Hence these packages were short-listed and then researched in greater depth.

Evaluation versions of each of the shortlisted software packages were obtained from the

manufacturers or downloaded from the internet. Following training to become familiar with each of

the packages, and using Screen Recordings (including sound) created for the purpose, the author

tested each of the packages. In this way, the overall suitability of each programme was assessed

including; the ease of use, what the program wa s capable of and how easily Screen Recordings

could be imported into a multimedia document.

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The results of this assessment process are summarised in the table below.

Suitability Features Ease of Use Relative Impor tance to Proposed Project Multimedia

Software Very Important Important Less Important

Overall Rating

MatchWare Mediator 5 Pro

Imported videos (of any type) can be started at any point. But cannot be randomly moved forward or backward.

Limited range of features.

Can learn a lot by just ‘trial and error’, very easy to learn. Not such a 'well know' piece of software & perhaps because of this, little support is available.

6/10

Digital Workshop Illuminatus 4.0

Little control of Imported videos (of any type) - can only be paused.

A reasonable range of features

Not as easy to pick up as Mediator, but has some useful ‘wizards’ to assist the user.

4/10

Macromedia Director 8

Extensive control of QuickTime imported videos, e.g. the user can easily stop, go forwards or backwards and restart.

Very versatile with a comprehensive set of features.

Takes time to get to grips with the programme and some features are hard to learn. Well know software with a great deal of support available through books and the internet.

8/10

Based on the assessments carried out, it was felt that the tutorial would have been possible with

any of the three programs, but it was clear that Macromedia Director had a number of advantages

and overall would be the most suitable. It was the only package to provide a method of fully

controlling the playing of imported videos. As Joseph (2000) explains, “Director will require time

and effort to master even the basic tools.” He goes on to say however that, “Director still has few

rivals when it comes to creating complex interactive presentations”. Broomfield (2000) refers to it

as the “industry standard” in multimedia authoring, and it is probably because of this, that there is

enormous training support available.

3.6 Screen Recorders An essential part of the project was producing the tutorials. As discussed earlier, it was decided

that these should be in the form of short screen movies (Screen Recordings). It was essential that

the packages were capable of saving a screen movie in AVI or QuickTime format. Three packages

were identified to be suitable for this.

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TechSmith Camtasia

Camtasia captures the action and sound from any part of the Windows desktop and saves it to a

standard AVI movie file. The major advantage with Camtasia is the suite of tools which allows the

user to build one large movie out of many smaller clips. This enables the user to save what has

been done, little by little, so if a mistake is made there is no need to repeat the whole movie.

Another advantage is the option to have the mouse pointer highlighted in a movie to make it easier

to see where mouse is at any particular moment.

Lotus ScreenCam

ScreenCam is a Screen Recording application developed by Lotus. It will record all movements on

the screen with the option of adding the captions and sound. Although easier to use it suffers from

a distinct lack of features. The major disadvantage is that movies cannot be saved in AVI format

with sound. This means sound must be added later.

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MatchWare ScreenCorder

ScreenCorder will record all your screen actions, allowing the creation of AVIs or animated GIFs of

screen actions. The whole screen or a portion of the screen can be recorded. Sound quality can

be increased or decreased depending on file size restrictions. Very similar to the ‘Camtasia’

package in terms of benefits, except for one big disadvantage, the mouse pointer cannot be

highlighted in screen movies.

Selection of Screen Recorder

Based on a comparison of the 3, it was felt that TechSmith Camtasia had a number of clear

advantages. These include excellent tools for editing and assembling video clips, in particular the

ability to allow a video to be easily complied from a number of short ‘clips’ and the capacity to

convert material into many different video formats.

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4 Macromedia Director and Camtasia Screen Recorder

The main types of software packages required for the production of the training program were:-

(a) a Multimedia Authoring Package (for which ‘Macromedia Director 8’ was chosen), this is

used to design and develop the interactive multimedia application, and

(b) a Screen Recorder package (for which ‘TechSmith Camtasia’ was selected). Camtasia is a

screen camcorder and video production tool. It is used to assemble and record screen

activity as videos, edit and narrate the ‘clips’, and to present the finished product in the

required format.

The process leading to the selection of these software packages is described in Sections 3.5 & 3.6.

These programs are explained (briefly) in Section 4, together with some comments on how the

author taught himself their operation and how to use them.

4.1 Macromedia Director

Before the software could be designed, it was important for the author to gain a good knowledge

and understanding of how to use Macromedia Director 8.

4.1.1 Learning to use Macromedia Director

The program manual, computer books and journals were consulted. These, particularly

Bacon (2000) and Manuel (2000) were useful in terms of reference, but a lot of information was

included that was not relevant to this project. Other learning aids were therefore sought as

sources of additional information. Much support for the software was found on the Internet in the

way of:-

Ø Online tutorials

Ø FAQs (frequently asked questions), and

Ø Discussion forums

After considerable investigation, two World Wide Web sites in particular were found which held

especially useful material. These are listed below, together with a screen shot of each:-

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Below is a screen shot of the online Director tutorials from the: -

Virtual Training Company (no date).

This company develops and distributes computer-based software training. The tutorials are made

up of onscreen narrated QuickTime screen movies. These are then streamed to the user over the

Internet from their website. While tutorials teaching the basics are available free of charge, a

subscription had to be paid to gain access to the tutorials explaining the more complex functions.

In general these tutorials were useful, but like many of the books consulted, each feature was

explained individually (in isolation) rather than as part of a complete process. As a result using

only these sources, it was difficult to see how the features formed part of the overall program.

There were occasions when these were ideal; for example when the user knew exactly which

features was required and just needed quick access to information about it. In most cases

however, what was required was an explanation of a complete process (that incorporated several

features).

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Below is a screen shot of the Director Tutorials from:-

University of Hertfordshire (2001).

This University has created a very comprehensive set of tutorials on Macromedia Director 8.

These were by far the greatest source of training. The major advantage was that these tutorials

were designed as workbooks rather than as a manual. By printing the tutorials out, it was possible

to work through them with Director running on the computer alongside. (Hence the learner can go

through the steps being explained and/or experiment with the feature.) This enabled processes

and features to be tried out together, as part of a whole process, which aided learning immensely.

Another advantage was that each exercise and tutorial followed on, one after another, which

helped the user to feel that something was being created.

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4.1.2 The Program and Main Components

Macromedia Director 8 is an authoring tool for creating interactive multimedia. It combines visual

‘drop-down’ techniques with it’s own full programming language, called LINGO. As the name

suggests the program works like a real movie. The user is the ‘Director’ who instructs the ‘Cast’ of

the movie how to ‘behave’ at a specific point in time, as detailed in the ‘Score’. Director ‘movies’

can be viewed over the Internet, or as a stand-alone file suitable for LANs and distribution through

CD-ROM, i.e. the completed work can then be viewed, on another computer for example which

does not have the Director software.

Screen Overview

Using Director it is possible to display on the screen several of the control menus required during

the process of making the package. The screen shot below demonstrates this.

Director is made up of seven main parts:

Ø Stage

Ø Internal Cast

Ø Score

Ø Property Inspector

Ø Behaviour Inspector

Ø Behaviour Script, and

Ø Library Palette

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Each of these is described briefly below and includes a screen shot from the training program

prepared for Little London Primary School, as an example.

The Stage

The Internal Cast

This window contains the

‘Cast Members’, who must be

added to the ‘Internal Cast’

before they can enter the

stage. They can be bitmaps,

vector shapes, text, scripts,

sounds, Flash movies,

QuickTime movies, and AVI

videos. Once a cast member

has been placed on the stage

it becomes a ‘Sprite’.

The ‘Stage’ window is the area

where the Director movie plays. All

the real work takes place behind

the scenes.

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The Score

The ‘Score’ window resembles a spreadsheet and provides detailed information about their current

state. When a cast member is placed on the stage, it occupies one of the sprite channels. This

shows what a sprite is doing in a given frame. Bacon (2000) describes frames as “…the individual

views of the movie as it changes over time.” Each frame indicates when a particular sprite will

appear or disappear and it’s life span. The red line on the left-hand side of the screen shot shows

what frame is currently being shown on the stage at that particular moment.

The Property Inspector

This window allows the user to view and control the various

properties of a particular cast member or sprite such as the

size. As can be seen in the screen shot to the left, the

‘Green Arrow’ button (in the box in the top left-hand corner

of the menu) is selected and therefore the information

relating to this object is displayed in the other boxes.

These include such information as the name and type of

the file, the objects on-screen co-ordinates and size.

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The Behaviour Inspector

In the second menu the user selects the specific conditions or ‘Events’ which will lead to that

behaviour. In this example, the behaviour will occur when the left mouse button is pressed. The

third menu allows the user to select the type of ‘Action’, which should take place, which in this

case, is to go to marker ‘Page1Marker’.

The Behaviour Script

The first two lines of this behaviour instruct the program to go directly to marker “Back1B” when the

right mouse button is pressed. This must occur regardless of the position of the pointer on the

screen. The next two lines instruct the program to stop until a further instruction is received.

A 'behaviour' is a prewritten Lingo sc ript

that allows the user to provide

interactivity to a sprite. This window

allows the user to create and modify

behaviours to perform basic actions. For

example the screen shot to the left

shows the ‘Go to Page1Marker’

behaviour highlighted. This behaviour is

made up of an ’Event’ and ‘Action’, which

can be chosen from a series of ‘drop-

down’ menus. The first menu allows the

user to select whether to create a new

behaviour or use an existing one.

This window allows the user to write

his/her own behaviours in Lingo, which

resembles BASIC (an early programming

language used in the 70s and 80s). This

can be especially useful when creating

more complex structures, for which there

are no behaviours available. To do this, it

is essential to have a good understanding

of Lingo, which can take many months to

learn. For this project the above script had

to be written, because there was no way of

creating it using the behaviour inspector.

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The Library Palette

4.2 TechSmith Camtasia

TechSmith Camtasia is made up of two programs: -

(i) ‘Camtasia Recorder’, and

(ii) ‘Camtasia Producer’

These are both relatively simple and straightforward programs to use and did not require a great

deal of time to find out about their functions and how to use them.

4.2.1 ‘Camtasia Recorder’

This window allows the user to attach a QuickTime compatible

behaviour to a sprite, from a library of pre-defined behaviours.

For this project the library of QuickTime control buttons was

used to add control to the imported Screen Recordings.

This is like a desktop camcorder that captures

screen activity. The whole screen or just a

selected window or region, can be recorded. A

live narration can be recorded at the same time as

the movie, if required. The desired sound and

video quality can also be set, depending on the

final use. Three main options were used and

these will be explained in further detail below.

26

Recording Region

Recording Preferences

This window allows the user to select the

region, which is to be recorded. For this

project a screen resolution of width 800 x

600 pixels was used. The screen area 800 x

572 pixels was used for the Screen

Recording. The small remaining strip (at the

bottom of the screen) was used for the

Screen Recording controls (play, stop, fast

forwards, reverse etc).

In this window it is possible to choose

the type and quality of the sound and

video recording. It is also possible to

reduce the quality of either, using the

‘Camtasia Producer’, but not to

increase it. The advantage of

reducing the quality of a recording is

that it then occupies less storage

space. Narration can take place

during recording or added later,

again using the Camtasia Producer.

27

Effects Settings

It is possible to highlight the mouse

pointer during a video (as used in

the project training package) to

highlight the mouse with a yellow

disc. This makes it much easier for

the viewer to see where the mouse

is on the screen and what is being

selecting or chosen. The size,

shape and colour of the highlight

can also be changed as

appropriate. It is also possible to

highlight mouse clicks, but after

testing this feature it was found

very unreliable, highlighting only

about half the clicks made and was

therefore not used.

28

4.2.2 Camtasia Producer

The ‘Camtasia Producer’ can edit the Screen Recordings and convert them to the required format.

Sections of the video can also be removed or inserted as appropriate.

This screen shot shows the facility within Camtasia Producer, which allows each clip to be

screened and then just the required segment extracted and inserted into the video. The video clips

are then placed in order, into the storyboard (at the top of the screen shot). The video is then

assembled from the shorter video clips. This allows the user to record each video bit by bit, so if a

mistake is made then only a small portion need to be re-recorded.

29

5 Design Stage

The material to be covered under each of the National Curriculum units is included in

Appendix B. A wide range of features can be taught using the TextEase and Primary Colours

software. Details of these are included in Appendix C. Design decisions had to be made as to

which features should be included in each unit of the training program, in order to cover the

material required (by the National Curriculum) adequately. After consideration by the author

further discussions were held with Little London Primary School Staff to review the preliminary

selections and amend them as necessary.

The final layout of the TextEase and Primary Colours tutorials is shown in the two diagrams

below:-

30

Layout of TextEase Tutorials

TextEase 2000 Tutorials

How to: - use the word bank function create a word bank select a word bank edit a word bank

How to use the: - change looks function open/new file function save function print function undo and redo function

How to use the: - style function effects function group function align function cut and paste function copy and paste function clip-art function

How to: - record a sound import a sound use the talk function use the cut and paste function use the copy and paste function

How to use the: - spell check function zoom function effects function cut and paste function

How to use the: - link function polygon tool rectangle and circle tool freehand pen and line tool text repel function How to create a website

1B Using a word bank

2A Writing stories: Communicating

information using text

3B Manipulating

sound

4A Writing for

different audiences

6A Multimedia

presentation

3A Combining text and graphics

31

Layout of Primary Colours Tutorials

Based on these layouts, an outline flow chart for the program was prepared. This was amended

during the development stage and a copy of the final flow chart is included in Section 6.

How to use the: - new file function save file function print file function open file function undo and redo function freehand pen straight line pen spray gun fill tool squares and circles tool parallelograms and triangles tool stars and polygons tool radial lines tool

How to use the: - cut and paste function copy and paste function colour picker tool zoom tool select rectangle tool select area tool stamp tool text tool symmetry tool colour cycle tool grid tool transparency tool diffuser brush wash brush tint brush How to use the clone brush

Primary Colours Tutorials

2B Creating pictures

4B Developing images

using repeating patterns

32

5.1 Summary of Software Packages Required

By this stage, virtually all of the software packages that would be required in connection with the

design and development had been identified. During the completion of these stages it was found

that some other software would be required to complete all the tasks satisfactorily. There were

four main programs, which were needed. A complete list of the packages used is as follows:-

Macromedia Director

The ‘front-end’ of the software was created in Director. This package has been discussed

extensively elsewhere. This package is expensive to purchase, but fortunately a friend had it on

his computer and the author was able to use this.

PhotoShop

Director only has a very basic graphic creation program built into it; therefore PhotoShop was used

to create the more complex graphics e.g. the ‘Exit’ Button.

TechSmith Camtasia

All the tutorials were recorded using Camtasia. An evaluation version can be downloaded from the

Camtasia website free of charge, so long as it will not be used for commercial purposes.

TextEase and Primary colours

The suppliers were happy to provide copies of each program to the author free of charge, on the

condition that he provided them with copies of his program on completion of the project.

QuickTime Player

Once complete, Director files can be assembled into a stand-alone program. As explained earlier

the QuickTime player is required to view Screen Recordings. The player is a free application,

which can be downloaded from the QuickTime Site.

33

5.2 Facilities to be Provided in the ICT Training Program

As part of the design process consideration was given as to the facilities that users (teachers)

would need or find useful, or on the basis of how the training program could be made convenient

for them to use. This should include for example providing an easy means of obtaining assistance,

when required, and of exiting the program. It was also felt that the program should be constructed

in such a way as to ensure that it was quick and easy for a teacher to use the program to refresh

his or her memory on how to use a facility without going through the whole program. Another

feature which would be useful would be the ability to minimise the training program, i.e. leave it

running in the background, for possible further consultation later.

After careful thought, it was felt that the following screens and features should be included, to

make the program as easy as possible to use.

Auto-Run

As soon as the CD-ROM containing the program is placed in the drive, the program automatically

runs. (Provided that the ‘Auto-Run’ facility has not been turned off. ) This makes the software

very easy to start and use.

Title Page

To give the title and information about the author, (should the user have any problems or queries).

QuickTime Installation Page

The QuickTime player is essential for viewing the Screen Recordings. If the player is not already

installed on the computer being used, then this operation is undertaken.

Introduction Page

To briefly introduce and explain the software, to enable the user to quickly find out what is covered.

Menu Pages

A menu should be provided to allow the user to choose the required ICT unit, leading onto another

menu to choose the required tutorials. The menus should be simple, clear and should not offer

many choices, which may confuse the user.

Selection Boxes

These should be large in size to facilitate easy clicking also with icons to aid easy recognition

34

Exit Button

There should be an ‘Exit’ button on every page to allow the user to exit the program at any stage.

Help Button

There should be a ‘Help’ button on every page to allow the user to go directly to the help section.

Screen Controls

Providing the ability to stop, rewind, fast-forward etc. is important, in case the user fails to hear or

understand something and wishes to repeat it.

Minimise Window

Providing the facility to ‘minimise’ the window is important because once the user has finished a

tutorial he/she may want to test what has been learnt. Consequently it would be useful if the user

can quickly switch to either TextEase or Primary Colours and then back again without the need to

load up any software again.

Index

Should the user need further information concerning just one feature, he/she should be able just

check an alphabetically organised index to locate the required feature.

5.3 Problems Experienced During Design Stage

A number of problems were experienced and ways of overcoming them had to be found. For

example, it was originally envisaged that the Screen Recordings would be in AVI format. Later it

became apparent that in this format it would not be possible to have sufficient control over them

when imported into Director. Consequently all Screen Recordings had to be converted into

QuickTime to allow them to be controlled in Director.

35

6 Realisation of the Program

Section 6.1 describes how the program was put together and the facilities available to the user.

These have been arranged logically, i.e. in the order in which they appear during the running of the

program. It also includes a number of screen shots captured during the realisation phase and of

the training program itself, e.g. of the menus outlining the options available.

Section 6.2 describes the development of the tutorials and concludes with a flowchart for the

training program and details of playing times of each of the units.

6.1 Program Realisation Program Auto-Run Facility

When the CD containing the training program is placed in the drive, the program automatically

starts, thanks to the ‘Auto-run’ file, created and placed on the CD (see the screen shot below).

The default setting for the auto-run facility is ‘on’, but it can be deactivated. A user who is

experienced enough to deactivate this facility is likely to know how to start the program ‘manually’.

In case for example, a less experienced user subsequently attempts to run the training program on

the same computer, the necessary procedure for running it manually is included with the program

CD. This procedure is detailed below.

It was felt that it was important to

make the process of starting the

program as simple and easy as

possible for the user, so he/she feels

able to begin the learning process,

and is not put off by early problems.

How to Run the

ICT Interactive Training Program

This program is for use on a PC computer running Windows (95, 98, ME, 2000 etc) 1 Insert the CD into the drive.

2 The program should start automatically.

3 Follow the on-screen instructions.

4 If the program does not start automatically,

click on Start, Run then type ‘D:\ict’ and press

enter (where D is the letter for your CD drive).

5 The program should now start. For further

assistance please click on the ‘Help’ button.

36

Title Screen

The ‘Title Screen’ is the first screen to appear, as shown below.

The title page shows clearly the program name, the authors name and contact details should he

need to be contacted, e.g. in case of problems, queries or for feedback. The ‘Exit’, ‘Help’ and

‘Proceed’ Buttons (the last being the one with the large green arrow) are clearly marked for easy

recognition.

Behaviours have been attached to these buttons to take the user to the appropriate screen. The

example below illustrates how this takes place in the case of the ‘Exit’ button.

Exit Button

The information in the screen shots above show that two behaviours have been assigned to the

‘Exit’ button; one called ‘ButtonExit’ and the other ‘MouseOver’.

All the text and graphics in this screen

were created in PhotoShop. This was

done to make them more attractive and

in the case of the buttons, more user

friendly. It is important for the user to

be able to see the buttons clearly,

knows where to click and that this is as

easy as possible.

37

(i) The ‘ButtonExit’ behaviour is set such that when ‘mouseDown’ occurs (the left mouse

button is clicked) over the Exit button, the program is instructed to go directly to a marker

called ‘ExitMarker. (The ‘Exit’ screens are located at the marker called ‘ExitMarker’.)

(ii) The second behaviour, ‘MouseOver’ is assigned to all clickable objects and changes the

mouse pointer to a ‘hand shaped’ pointer, when it is possible for the user to click on an

object.

During the realisation stage a problem was initially experienced when the pointer would change to

a ‘hand’ shape when over a clickable object, but would not change back to the normal mouse

pointer when it left the clickable object. This problem was eventually corrected by assigning a

similar behaviour to the background, which changed the ‘hand’ shape pointer back to a normal

pointer when not over a clickable object.

When a ‘behaviour’ is created using the ‘Behaviour Inspector’, the appropriate instructions are

automatically written (in a language similar to BASIC) in the ‘Behaviour Script’ window.

Below is a screen shot of the ‘Score’, captured while the program was running. The red line

indicates the current position within the program’. The marker called ‘ExitMarker’ is located in the

top right hand corner of the screen. When the program reaches this point, the ‘Thank you’ exit

screen is shown, followed by the ‘Close window’ exit screen, described in the next section.

38

Exit Screens

When the Exit button is selected, a ‘thank-you’ screen (as below on the left hand side) is displayed

for 5 seconds, (during which time, the user can return to the main ‘Unit Menu’, e.g. in case the

button was selected accidentally) otherwise the ‘close window’ message appears as shown below

on the right hand side.

This process is nearly identical for all the other buttons, except the program will be instructed to go

to different ‘Markers’ at different positions on the ‘Score’.

39

QuickTime Installation

Clicking the ‘Green Forward Arrow’ button on the ‘Title’ screen transfers the user to the ‘QuickTime

Installation’ screen, shown below.

(The ‘Behaviour Inspector’ could not be used to a create a script for this action (as in the example

above) as there was no ready-made ‘Action’ to open a file. Up to this point the author had only

used ready-made scripts. Using the training aids referred to in Section 4.1 and by examining some

of the existing scripts he was able to teach himself how to write them manually.

QuickTime Script

The QuickTime Player is essential for

viewing the tutorials. Further information

about what QuickTime is and how much

disk space is required for its installation,

can be found by clicking on the ‘Help’

button. To enable the QuickTime player

installation program to begin when the ‘No’

button was clicked upon, a programming

script was written manually.

The screen shot to the lef t shows the programming

script involving the ‘mouseDown’ (left mouse button

pressed) statement in conjunction with an ‘open’ (open

file) statement. So when the left mouse button is

clicked the program file; ‘QuickTimeInstaller.exe’

(QuickTime Player installation program) is run and

installation of the program begins.

40

The user would then follow the on-screen instructions to set up the QuickTime player.

Once installation has been completed, the training program resumes.

Introduction Screen

Once the QuickTime player has been installed (if it was not already present) the user is transferred

to the ‘Introduction’ screen, shown below.

This gives a brief outline on why this software was produced and the type of user it was designed

for. It introduces the eight ICT units that are covered and the two programs that the user is given

training on, TextEase 2000 and Primary Colours.

41

ICT Unit Menu

Clicking the green ‘Forward Arrow’ button on the ‘Introduction Screen’ transfers the user to the ‘ICT Unit Menu’, shown below.

To select the tutorials for a specific unit the user can either click on the appropriate box or on the

button along side it. As explained earlier the mouse pointer will change to a ‘hand’ shape when

over a clickable object.

Tutorial Menu for Unit 1B

Clicking the ‘Using a word bank’ box (or the ‘1B’ button) on the ‘ICT Unit Menu’, transfers the user

to the relevant tutorial menu, shown below.

This is given to remind teachers what is covered by each unit and to help them to link the training

package with the syllabus.

The list of tutorials then follows, with the appropriate icon alongside if available. Most functions are

initiated by clicking on the appropriate icon, but some do not have icons because they are

activated through drop-down menus. The user starts a tutorial by clicking on the relevant box. To

return to the ‘Unit Menu’, the user simply clicks on the ‘Back to Menu’ button.

The ICT Unit Menu is split into two main

parts reflecting the two software packages,

TextEase 2000 and Primary Colours. The

different ICT units of each package, which

are covered, are displayed in numerical

order. Each program has its own ‘Index’

button, which can be selected to display an

index for that particular software.

Each tutorial menu includes its title and

appropriate ICT unit number, followed by a

brief outline of what the unit covers. This

outline has been taken from the National

Curriculum Syllabus, Department for

Education and Employment (2001),

extracts from, which are included in

Appendix B.

42

The other 7 ‘Tutorial Menus’ for the other ICT units follow the same outline. As units 2B and 4B

include a large number of tutorials and it was felt that it would be too cramped and confusing to

display them all on one screen, they are split between two screens. An arrow button is provided to

move between the two screens. Screen shots are displayed below.

43

Tutorial Screen

Clicking on for example the ‘How to use a word bank’ box on the ‘Tutorial Menu’ for unit 1B,

transfers the user to the relevant tutorial, as shown below.

The tutorial comes in the form of a Screen Recording, which automatically starts when selected.

The recordings cover most of the screen, except for the control panel at the bottom. This houses

the Screen Recording controls, where each button has a symbol representing its function. If a user

is not familiar with these symbols the ‘Help’ facility may be consulted for an explanation. The

backward pointing green arrow button returns the user to the relevant tutorial menu. This facility is

described in the ‘Help Section’.

44

It might have been helpful to the user, if the ‘Screen Recording’ control buttons had been larger,

but to do this would have meant reducing the size of the Screen on which the Screen Recording is

displayed. This in turn, would have caused a reduction in their quality, which would have had a

very detrimental effect on the clarity and detail of the videos, as shown in the example below.

Comparison of this with the screen shot above, demonstrates this reduction in clarity. Although

this represents a reduction in size of only 15%, the text is already nearly unreadable.

Help Section

Clicking on the ‘Help’ button transfers the user to the ‘Help Section’, which is divided into two parts.

The first part explains the ‘General Buttons’ and ‘Menus’, as shown below.

45

The second part explains the various ‘Screen Recording Controls, including how to return to the

‘Unit Menu’ for that tutorial.

From either, it is possible to return to the ‘QuickTime Installation’ or the ‘Unit Menu’ screen.

Index

If the user wants to choose a tutorial by name (rather than the ICT unit that it is covered in) this can

be done from the ‘Unit Menu’ by selecting the ‘Index’ button for either TextEase 2000 or Primary

Colours.

Simply clicking on any of the topics will transfer the user straight to the appropriate unit, where the

relevant tutorial(s) are located.

46

6.2 Realisation of Tutorials

Once it had been decided which tutorials were going to be created, the relevant functions for both

TextEase and Primary Colours (needed for each ICT unit) had to be leant by the author. This was

undertaken, unit by unit using the ‘Help’ sections from the two programs and their relevant

manuals. An outline for each tutorial in a particular ICT unit was then written, before being tested

and then recorded. This routine was repeated for each of the 61 tutorials contained in the

package.

Example Tutorial - ‘How to use a Word Bank’

All the relevant material to do with word banks was first gathered from the manual and ‘Help’

section. This was studied, before testing what had been leant by actually using a word bank in

TextEase. The script for the audio commentary was then drafted. Once the tutorial commentary

had been practised (while at the same time undertaking the actions on the computer, e.g. moving

the mouse) and any problems resolved, they were recorded (simultaneously). An example of

which is shown below.

(i) To use the Word Bank function, click on the word bank icon.

(ii) Select a word bank called ‘Words’ from the folder of ‘Word Banks’.

47

(iii) This brings up a list of 12 categories of words. I am going to talk about my pets, so I will

choose animals.

(iv) I then begin my sentence and when necessary include a word from the ‘Word Bank’ by

clicking on it.

(v) The sentence is now complete, you have now learnt how to use a word bank.

Any tutorials longer than 2 minutes were split up into segments, which could then be edited if

necessary, before being assembled into one file. Most tutorials used examples to help explain a

feature or process. It was also important that the language used was easy to understand and

contained no computer jargon that was not fully explained.

6.3 Program Flowchart and Running Times The following diagram shows a flowchart of the program as finally produced.

Menu of tutorials for

unit 6A

Help (Can be selected at

anytime)

Exit to Program (Can be selected

at anytime)

QuickTime Installation

Title Screen

Has a QuickTime Player been installed?

No or unsure

Yes

Tutorials for unit 6A

Introduction

Unit Menu (Main Menu) TextEase 2000 Index

Primary Colours Index


unit 1B

Tutorials for unit 1B


unit 2A


Menus of tutorials for

unit 2B


unit 3A



unit 4A


Menus of tutorials for

unit 4B


TextEase 2000 Units Primary Colours Units


A Flow Chart of the ICT Interactive Training Program

The table below shows the total running times of each individual unit (assuming that they are run

without being stopped or any sections repeated for example) together with the running time for the

complete training program.

TRAINING PACKAGE

RUNNING TIME (MINS) UNIT Unit Complete

Program TextEase 2000 1B Using a Word Bank 5 2A Writing Stories 11 3A Combining Text & Graphics 18 3B Manipulating Sound 8 4A Writing for Different Audiences 10 6A Multimedia Presentation 21 Primary Colours 2B Creating Pictures 18 4B Developing Images Using Repeating Patterns 18

110

On completion of the drafting of the program, the author took it into the Little London Primary

School to allow the relevant staff to try it, review it, make comments and suggestions on any

difficulties that they experienced and how it might be improved or changed to meet their

requirements better and make it easier to use. After a trial period, the author collected these

comments and incorporated them into the program where ever possible/practical.

2

7 Program Evaluation

It was felt very important that the training program should be evaluated by a number of people from

within the teaching community (and not only those currently working at the Little London Primary

School). Even if the training program is only to be used in this school, then it is important that the

package can conveniently be used by a range of different people, with for example, differing levels

of computer experience, in case for example, new staff join the school. (There is however

evidence, e.g. from some of the evaluators, that other primary schools would find the training

package useful in their school.) It was appreciated that it would have been much better to use a

larger number of teachers/assistants, with a wider range of teaching and computer experience to

evaluate the software. In the end, because of the authors limited time avai lable, it was decided to

use just 4 evaluators.

The evaluators were generally either existing primary school teachers (unconnected with the

Little London Primary School) or Volunteer School Assistants who very kindly agreed to assist the

author in his project. Contact with them was made by a relative who had a child of primary school

age. It was apparent that a couple of the evaluators were slightly nervous about undertaking the

work, apparently because they felt that it was they who were being tested. The author did his best

to reassure them that it was not they or their computer skills, which were being evaluated, but

solely the interactive training program. This was interesting as it gave further indication that many

primary school staff suffer from a lack in confidence as regarding the use of computers, probably

due to inadequate training.

The interactive training program is made up of 8 ICT units, 6 that use the TextEase software and 2

using Primary Colours. It was therefore decided that each evaluator would test 4 units (3 TextEase

& 1 Primary Colours). In order to compare the interactive training program against the software

manuals (supplied with the original TextEase & Primary Colours software) each evaluator would

undertake the training on 2 units using the training program and 2 using the software manual.

When talking about ‘software manuals’ it is important to realise that assistance is also available

from the help facilities within the TextEase and Primary Colours software packages, as well as the

printed manuals.

The table below indicates which units were studied by each evaluator and the training method

used in each case.

3

The evaluators were given a copy of the National Curriculum syllabus (as included in Appendix B)

when training with the software manuals so that they would be able to find out what material they

are required to cover in each ICT unit.

After completing the training on each unit the evaluators were asked to undertake a short task, set

by the author (and prepared by him before hand) involving some of the functions or work covered

in the training session. The object of this was to assist the evaluator and the author to assess how

successful the training had been. Comments on this could then be included in the discussion

afterwards. Details of the 8 tasks undertaken by the evaluators (one for each unit) are included in

Appendix G. together with the maximum times permitted for the completion of the training and task

associated with each unit.

Nielsen (1994) recommends that evaluations should last approximately 1 – 2 hours. The

evaluations undertaken for this project were done one by one, with each evaluator spending about

1½ - 2 hours completing the training and the tasks. Following which the author had informal

discussion with each evaluator to obtain his/her comments. The four evaluations were spread over

two days, with one session in the morning and another in the afternoon. The extra time was

needed for setting up the equipment in each particular location and for interviewing the evaluators

afterwards. Photographs of the evaluations taking place can be seen in Appendix H.

A form (really a checklist of points to be covered) was prepared to assist the author in interviewing

the evaluators, after they had completed the training and the short task. It was prepared giving

careful consideration to the points made by Nielsen (1994). A copy of this form (with some

explanatory notes is included in Appendix H. This appendix also includes the copies of the 4 forms

with notes recorded by the author, on the comments made by each of the evaluators during the

‘informal interview’. (These have been typed up in order that they are easy to read.)

TRAINING METHOD USED

TextEase Units Primary Colours

Units TextEase Units

Primary Colours

Units

EVALUATOR NO.

1B 2A 3A 2B 3B 4A 6A 4B

1 ICT Interactive Training Software Manual

2 Software Manual ICT Interactive Training

N/A N/A

3 ICT Interactive Training Software Manual

4 N/A N/A

Software Manual ICT Interactive Training

4

A summary of the comments made by the four evaluators is included in the following table.

The comments and suggestions made by the evaluators were considered and implemented where

possible.

5

Table showing a summary of the evaluator’s comments on the training program

Evaluator No.

General Appearance Ease of Use

Use of Colour and Graphics

Explanations Clear and Easy to

Understand?

Controls Easy to Recognise

and Use?

ICT Package Preferable to

Manual?

ICT Interactive Training More

Effective?

Was the Right Level of Existing

Computer Knowledge Assumed?

1

Looked very professional.

Yes, easy to use. Circle highlighting mouse pointer was difficult to see – make it larger.

Yes, simple and concise

Took me a while to realise that the controls worked like home video recorder, but the ‘Help’ section gave me the assistance I needed.

Yes, definitely, package much easier than manual. Useful, as teaching assistant training is very limited – only one training session and then left to learn software on own

Advantage of ICT that it tells you what the unit involves as well as how to do it. Difficult to find relevant material for 3A in manual and was therefore struggling to complete the task.

Fine fore me.

2

Good. Excellent. Ok, except the screen saver came on in the middle of one tutorial.

Yes, I found the Primary Colours tutorials parti cularly easy to follow.

Yes, no problems. You could keep reading the manual for hours and not be any closer. Software package was much easier, but still a good idea to have manual for reference.

Icons much easier to identify using the software, because you could see where they are positioned. When using manual icon had to be identified first, then found on screen, taking longer.

Yes fine.

3

Very professional looking.

Fine, I was a bit confused about installing the QuickTime player, but use of the help section allayed my concerns.

Good. Yes, I particularly like the tutorial on ‘Sound’.

Yes I was fine. Training package definitely better because it was a multi sensory experience. It visually demonstrated what to do and was like having somebody next to you showing you.

Much more effective because it tells you which units from the software package are required to meet the National Curriculum syllabus, saving much time.

Manuals contained too much computer jargon e.g. justification. After using training package I understood this. Training package assumed the right level for me.

4

Very good, text and graphics seem well spaced out.

Excellent, although when returning from the tutorials on unit 4B, section 2, the program would return you to section 1.

Generally good, but it might have been more helpful if the size of the circle highlighting the mouse was bigger and a stronger colour e.g. red.

The program seemed well organised, although the ‘Links’ tutorial was rather long. The short sharp tutorials like in 4B were easier to use.

I initially had a little difficulty recognising the function of the control buttons, but by using the help facility I was able to get adequate assistance very easily.

The ICT package was infinitely preferable to the training manual. It was much easier and quicker to use, much more enjoyable and therefore encouraged me to work.

In my opinion it was a much better utilisation of a teachers time and a much more pleasant experience.

About right for me, but I have used computers in my daily life for a number of years.

Table showing a comparison of the interactive training package with the software manuals using

Nielsen’s usability guidelines, Nielsen (1994).

No. Evaluating Factors ICT Interactive Training Relevant National Curriculum

Syllabus and Software Manuals

Simple and natural dialogue

Icons and metaphors were much used in the creation of the package (e.g. an object which can be clicked upon should look like a button).

Both manuals displayed the icons for the features used in that section, which helped the user, connect the icon with the explanation.

1 Good graphic design and

colour

Black text is on either a white, yellow or light blue background for easy recognition.

The relevant icons are printed alongside each section in the manual. This helps the user to identify the particular feature with the explanation. There is no use of colour in the manual at all.

2 Speak the users language

Language used in tutorials is clear and simple and free from computer jargon.

TextEase manual contained too much computer jargon (e.g. justification).

3 Minimise user memory load

There are only 12 buttons in the whole training package, so little has to be remembered.

Difficult to find required information (contents page is poor, eg ‘sound’ not mentioned at all –See Appendix …).

4 Consistency

Each tutorial follows the same format, in terms of layout and examples, which helps to build user confidence.

Good consistency in both syllabus & manuals.

5 Feedback Good feedback, eg mouse pointer changes to hand shape when over a clickable object.

None

6 Clearly marked

exits

Exit button clearly marked, standard format used and can be selected at any stage

Not applicable (manual can be closed directly by the reader).

7 Shortcuts

Shortcuts exist, eg right clicking the mouse at any time within a tutorial automatically returns user to tutorial menu, & tutorials can be selected directly from the index

Index provided in both manuals but none in syllabus.

8 Good error messages

Error situations do not arise (due to type of authoring program used)

Not applicable

9 Prevent Errors All scripts must be compiled before they are included in the program; a script with an error will not compile.

Typographical errors etc should be corrected before final printing.

10 Help

Help screens included and can be selected at any time while running the program. Help button is always located in same position on the screen.

(Online help facility is available at any time.)

It can seen that the ICT Interactive Training is a effective and a much more pleasant method of

training, but it is still important to have access to the manuals. For most users it is much easier to

start off with the Interactive training and as the user becomes more experienced the manual will be

more useful, in terms of reference. Most teachers would prefer an Interactive approach, but these

solutions are particularly expensive compared to manuals.

2

8 Completion

The complete ‘program’ can be stored on a CDR, the contents of which actually include several

files and programs. A complete list of these and the storage space occupied by each is included in

the table below.

Table showing the final contents of the CD-ROM.

Program or Constituent Size (MB)

Screen Recordings 630.0

QuickTime Installer 8.3

Director Projector 6.0

Auto-Run File 0.7

Total Used 645.0

Total Disk Space Available 700.0

As can be seen from the table the vast majority of the storage space is occupied by the

Screen Recordings. The CD-ROM also however contains a number of other programs/files, many

of which are quite small, but which are vital to the running of the training package.

The final version could be accessed from the CD direct or copied onto the hard disk of the

appropriate computer. This would enable the program to be accessed and hence run faster, but

would take up a considerable volume of the storage capacity (around 650MB).

Instructions for running the program are described in Section 6.1.

3

9 Future Enhancements In the limited time available, it has not been possible to include all the facilities that the author felt

would have been useful, or to overcome all the problems. This section includes reference to some

of the improvements that could have been made if more time were available, or which would need

to be dealt with, if this were a real commercial project. The section is in two parts. The first,

outlines the enhancements that could be accomplished with the current equipment and the other,

those that could be made with new technology.

9.1 Possible Enhancements with Current Technology

The current ICT training package only covers 8 of the 31 ICT units available, using TextEase 2000

and Primary Colours. New versions could: -

Ø Be adapted to include all 31 ICT units detailed in the National Curriculum syllabus,

potentially making it the main, if not one of the principal, forms of ICT training

Ø Be designed especially for children and/or parents

Ø Include a greater range of training for other software packages

Ø Incorporate a variety of tutorial versions aimed a people with a range of levels of computer

experience

Ø Include short tests for the user to see how much he/she has learnt

Ø Overcome the problem of the computer screen saver activating during a tutorial. (This

occurred during one or two of the evaluation sessions, for example because although the

tutorial was running the computer did not detect any keyboard or mouse activity and hence

activated the screen saver.) One possible suggestion for this might be to increase the

period of time before the screen saver is activated, such that it is greater than the length of

the longest tutorial.

4

9.2 Possible Enhancements with Future Technology

The computers in Little London Primary School currently can only load information via the

CD-ROM drive and the 3.5” disk drive. A full computer network is planned for the coming

academic year, which could dramatically increase the possibilities of enhancement, such as: -

Ø Software could function over a network, with just one computer (server) needed to store all

the information.

Ø Upgrades (e.g. new tutorials and program fixes) could automatically take place via the

Internet

Ø Tutorials could be transferred in real time via the Internet to the homes of the children and

teachers

Ø Technical support could be provided in real-time via the Internet

It is appreciated that before some of these could be implemented, the software licence conditions

would need to be checked and appropriate action taken where necessary.

In this section a number of possible enhancements have been investigated. Technology is

advancing at an enormous rate and the possibilities for further enhancements will increase

accordingly!

5

10 Conclusion

It was important to the author that any project undertaken would provide a solution to a real-life

problem. It has long been known that schools in general have been under funded for many years

now. This made it even more appropriate to try and provide a solution to one of the many

problems facing schools.

This was an opportunity to employ the knowledge gained from University, work experience and

personal development and put it towards solving a real problem.

From the verbal comments made by the evaluators, the author is confident that this software will

be helpful, not only to the staff and hence the children of the Little London Primary School, but also

to other primary schools as well. Some of the comments made since, e.g. in the letter from the

Stoke Holy Cross Primary School, (where two of the evaluators worked) indicates that this is the

case. This letter is included in Appendix I.

Apart from the interest shown in the project by primary schools, both ‘Softease’ and ‘Granada

Learning’ the manufacturers of TextEase 2000 and Primary Colours respectively have also shown

great interest and have each requested a copy of the final version of the program.

The difficulties in training users who have little experience in computers has become very

apparent. This will be a continuing, if not a growing problem in integrating IT into the everyday

lives of children and teachers alike.

The project objectives which were specified in Section 2 have been acheived. Different packages

were investigated and an interactive CD has been produced which the author believes is clearly

suitable for training Primary School Teachers.

This has been a very important experience for the author that by no means will finish here.

6

Appendix A

Identification of whether or not the project achieved personal

objectives.

7

Appendix A

Identification on whether or not the project achieved personal objectives.

To design an interactive CD suitable for training Primary School Teachers

It was important to the author to create a solution to a ‘real’ problem. This though meant it was

even more important to get the project finished, with a quality solution. The staff at Little London

Primary School seemed genuinely interested in what I was doing and tried to help where possible.

Management skills were learnt which could never be taught. It is not till these skills are really

needed that they are found. There were occasions where school staff didn’t reply to my mails

immediately (no doubt because of the pressures that they were working under). A good lesson for

the author! After being accustomed to quick replies from University staff, this was a little

frustrating. Though it was soon learnt that staff simply did not have enough hours in the day to

complete their tasks. This in turn made the author even more determined to produce a quality

solution.

To learn the ‘TextEase’ and ‘Primary Colours’ packages.

Although no formal training was available this was eventually achieved satisfactorily.

To research and analyse different multimedia authoring packages

Much work was put into choosing the most appropriate package and it is felt that a good choice

was made and the knowledge and the experience gained may well be useful later.

To learn a suitable multimedia package

The computer journals and magazines, which had been researched, described Director as a ‘hard

program to learn’. This was found to be very true, it was extremely frustrating and time consuming.

Once the basics were learn it was possible to enjoy creating the software and made the long nights

spent on this, more rewarding.

To create a prototype CD to assist primary school teachers to learn how to use ‘TextEase’

and ‘Primary Colours’ required by certain ICT units.

This was achieved; it was felt satisfactorily, although it was not possible to include all the desired

features. For example the author wished include a search facility. This had been tried, but even

with countless long nights it could not be achieved. Other ways of performing the same function

were then investigated and an ‘Index’ system was chosen.

8

Appendix B Extracts from the National Curriculum Syllabus

9

Unit 1B Using a word bank IT Year 1

ABOUT THE UNIT

In this unit children learn to use a word processor to assemble text held in a word bank and start to develop familiarity with the

computer keyboard.

Children will discuss the words they see around them and will understand that words convey information. They will use this

knowledge to communicate ideas using ICT.

This unit could be taught in reception.

Children w ill be able to apply what they have learnt in this unit when writing short reports, lists and recipes.

WHERE THE UNIT FITS IN TECHNICAL VOCABULARY RESOURCES

This is an introductory unit.

The unit assumes that children:

• understand that the mouse controls

the pointer

• can use a mouse with a degree of eye and hand co-ordination

• can select text using the correct

mouse button

• can recognise the letters in their

names on a computer keyboard.

• key

• keyboard

• select • space bar

• enter

• delete

• print

• printer

• word processor with talking word

bank facility

• mouse • word bank

• collection of written text, eg posters,

signs, labels

EXPECTATIONS

at the end of this unit

most children will: enter single words from a keyboard; use a word bank to assemble sentences that

communicate meaning

some children will not have

made so much progress and will:

enter single words from a keyboard; use a word bank to combine words, with help

some children will have

progressed further and will:

use ICT to create sentences that communicate meaning, using the keyboard for the

majority of the text

LEARNING OBJECTIVES POSSIBLE TEACHING ACTIVITIES LEARNING OUTCOMES POINTS TO NOTE

CHILDREN SHOULD LEARN CHILDREN

SETTING THE SCENE

• key idea: that words convey

information

♦ Talk to the children about the text/words that they see

around them, eg labels, signs, posters. Ask them why the

text is there and what it tells them. Explain to the children

that they are going to produce a piece of text using the

computer.

• identify text/words and know

that they communicate

information

• understand that text/words

come in different sizes,

colours and styles

This activity is not necessary if children have covered it in

reception. After class discussion, small groups will need time

to discuss examples of written text.

SHORT FOCUSED TASKS

• key idea: that text can be

entered into a computer and printed out

• technique: keyboard

familiarity

♦ Explain to the children that they are going to type their

name into the computer using the keyboard. Show the children how to press a key, with a light but firm press,

and not hold down their finger. Demonstrate how to use

the delete/backspace key if they have mistyped or

repeated a letter. Print their names and ask them to add a

picture of themselves.

• enter single letters to type

their names

Allow children to practise entering letters and numbers that

they know.


selected from a word bank

• technique: to select, and listen to, text using the

mouse

♦ Show the class how to select words from a word bank,

using the mouse, and demonstrate how to make the

computer say a word. Ask the children to select words from the word bank to complete sentences, eg ‘Here is a

cat/dog/mouse. . .’.

• use a word bank to create

simple sentences

Children should listen to all words before making a selection.

Some children may find it helpful if the mouse buttons are

labelled. Explain that the word processor may not be able to say all words correctly.

2



INTEGRATED TASK

• to communicate ideas by

selecting and adding text

♦ Explain to the children that they are going to use the skills

they have learnt to produce a piece of text about

themselves. Ask them to select the initial sentence and then to add their choice of words. The words could be

chosen from a word bank.

♦ Print the work.

• produce text, on screen, that

is clear and error-free

Encourage children to l isten to the words to check that their

sentences make sense.

This activity could be integrated into activities in other

subjects, using an appropriate word bank.

Unit 2A Writing stories: communicating information using text

IT Year 2

ABOUT THE UNIT

In this unit children learn to use words to communicate messages and recognise that ICT lets them correct and improve their

work, as they are working or at a later date. Children will also have opportunities to discuss their experiences of using ICT.

Children will be able to apply what they have learnt in this unit when: writing stories with a clear sequence of events in a sustained

style; using and punctuating a range of sentence types; commenting on the features which distinguish texts such as narrative,

information and poetry.

They will also be able to use these skills when: producing creative writing in English; producing accounts of their work in science

and geography; describing sequences of events in history.


This unit assumes that children:

• can enter text using a word bank or

concept keyboard

• can use the correct mouse buttons

• can write simple sentences

• can spell their own frequently used

words • can use full stops and capital letters

• can understand common rhyming

phonic blends.

• shift

• spacebar

• return/enter • insert

• backspace

• delete

• word processor

• examples of older children’s word

processing • text files

• printed sheets showing pictures with

empty speech bubbles

• published children’s books

EXPECTATIONS


most children will: use a word processor to produce sentences that communicate meaning



enter words into a word processor



use a word processor to produce sentences that communicate meaning; refine

sentences by adding words and making corrections; alter sentences in the light of

comments



SETTING THE SCENE

• key idea: that there are

differences between

handwritten and word-

processed text

♦ Show the children examples of work created by older

children using a word processor. Ask the class to discuss

how the work is different from handwritten work, eg it is

easy to read, there are no spelling mistakes, the

corrections cannot be seen, the author can’t be identified

just by looking at it. Discuss which is easier to read. Discuss who reads their work, eg teachers, peers,

parents.

• recognise some of the

features of word-processed

text

Children could list the people that they write for, and the

audiences that read different texts, such as posters and

cinema advertisements.

SHORT FOCUSED TASKS


entered and corrected

• technique: to use the

backspace key to make

corrections

♦ Discuss how labels describe what things are. Ask the

class to brainstorm in order to choose objects in the

classroom that could be labelled. Ask the children to take

it in turns to type a label, which has been set at a suitably

large font size. Ask them to correct any mistakes as they

type, using the backspace key.

• enter and correct text This activity is not necessary if children have entered text

earlier.

• key idea: the importance of

spaces between words • technique: to type in text,

including spaces between

words, and to use the shift

key

♦ Read out sentences to the children but leave out the

pauses between words. Discuss with the children if they understood what was read and if it sounded odd.

♦ Demonstrate to the class how to use the spacebar to

create a space and how to use the shift key to make a

capital letter. Give the children an opportunity to write a

simple sentence and ask them to type the sentence.

• understand that spaces

need to be placed between words

• press the spacebar once to

create spaces and do not

hold it down

This activity is not necessary if children have entered text

earlier.

Remind children that they use their fingers to create spaces

between words in their handwritten work.

2



• key idea: the difference

between running text (text

wrap) and text with line breaks

• technique: to use the

return/enter key to insert line

breaks

♦ Enter a poem with repeated rhyme as a piece of prose

with no line breaks. Discuss the difference between the

way poetry and prose are presented and d emonstrate how to use the return/enter key to make line breaks.

Divide the class into pairs and ask them to insert line

breaks in the poem. Print out the children’s work and

compare it with the original version.

• identify where the

return/enter key has bee n

used in text and why • use the return/enter key

where appropriate

Children should work on a copy of the teacher’s pre-

prepared file.

Children who find the work difficult could be given a copy of

the original poem for support.

Once they are familiar with the return/enter key, children tend to use it when it is not needed.

• key idea: that ICT can be

used to rearrange text to

make it easier to read

• technique: to use the return/enter key to insert line

breaks

♦ Demonstrate how to turn a string of ten items from a

shopping list into a horizontal list by using the return/enter

key.

• understand that words can

be moved down the screen

Explain to the class that if text disappears off the screen it is

not lost forever.

• technique: to enter text with

spaces and use the shift key

to type capital letters

♦ Print out a set of pictures with empty speech bubbles. Discuss how speech bubbles can be used to illustrate

direct speech. Remind the class how to enter text and

demonstrate the use of the shift key. Divide the children

into pairs and give each pair a picture. Ask the children to

discuss what might be being said, and use the word

processor to type the speech. Ask the children to print their work, cut it out and stick it onto the speech bubbles.

• create sentences using a word processor


used to improve text and make a message clearer

• technique: to delete and

insert text to improve

readability

♦ Enter an extract from a familiar children’s book but

replace the full stops with the word ‘and’. Discuss the extract with the class and explain that the repeated use of

‘and’ makes it repetitive and difficult to read. Demonstrate

how to delete an ‘and’, insert a full stop and change the

following letter to upper case. Divide the class into pairs

and ask them to edit the prepared text. Ask them to print

out their work and compare it with the original version.

• recognise that text can be

edited to improve it • recognise that changes can

be made at a later stage


prepared file.

Children who find the work difficult could be given a copy of

the original extract for support.

Children who are confident using full stops and capital letters

could be encouraged to use connectives, such as ‘then’ and

‘meanwhile’.

3



INTEGRATED TASK

• to use ICT appropriately to

communicate ideas through

text

♦ Explain to the class that they will be using the techniques

they have learnt to produce their own books. Ask the

class to recall what they have learnt so far. ♦ Show the class a picture book, or use masking tape to

cover the text in a familiar story. Ask the children to

produce the text for a page of the story. Remind them

about: the importance of readability; when to and when

not to use the return/enter key; checking and correcting

spelling; using full stops and capital letters. Ask the children to prepare their text on screen.

• develop their text on screen

• use appropriate techniques

to ensure that their writing is clear, well presented and

error-free

Encourage children to get their ideas on screen quickly and

to make corrections later; they shouldn’t type from a

handwritten draft. This will help them appreciate that ICT can help them develop their writing and is not just a presentation

tool.

This activity could be extended by preparing a set of web

pages, or a multimedia presentation, and asking the children to prepare the text. This provides opportunities for children to

share their work with those in other schools.

Unit 2B Creating pictures IT Year 2

ABOUT THE UNIT

In this unit children develop visual ideas for different purposes by using ICT and other methods. They use the features of an ICT

graphics package to explore and realise their ideas and to identify ways to develop and improve their work. They will need to select and use simple tools (pen, brush, fill, and spray) in their mark making, and understand that work can be easily amended

and ideas can be tried out without spoiling earlier versions. They will learn how ICT techniques can inform other techniques and

vice versa, and that sometimes a screen version is the final version of a piece of work.

Children will be able to apply what they have learnt in this unit when creating work in design and technology, and art.


This unit assumes that children have

some control of the mouse.

Activities in this unit can be

incorporated with work in art, and design and technology.

• graphics

• icon

• pencil tool

• brush tool

• spray tool • flood fill

• line

• texture

• save as

• a graphics package with a range of

tools and edit features

• books showing the work of artists

EXPECTATIONS


most children will: use a computer graphics package to create a picture; select the most appropriate

tools to match their purposes

some children will not have made so much progress and will:

use a computer graphics package to create a picture



use a computer graphics package to create a picture; select the most appropriate

tools to match their purposes; develop an image and modify and correct their work

as they go



SETTING THE SCENE


used to create pictures

♦ Show the class examples of pictures created by older

children using ICT, including print outs and images on

screen. Discuss some of the features of the pictures and

discuss how they are different from pictures produced

using traditional methods.

• recognise that ICT can be

used to create pictures

SHORT FOCUSED TASKS

• key idea: that ICT makes it

easy to correct mistakes and

explore alternatives • technique: to select and

use simple mark making

tools

♦ Look at and discuss examples of bold woodcuts, which

are often used to illustrate children’s books. Ask the class

to consider how and why they might be effective for their purpose.

♦ Demonstrate how to select the brush and pen tools and

how they can create different lines and textures. Show

how the ‘undo’ command can fix a mistake or a mark that

does n ot work.

♦ Ask the children to create their own ‘woodcuts’. Ask the class to compare their work with work created using

traditional methods. Also get them to discuss the

effectiveness of their work in relation to their purpose.

• select and use appropriate

tools

Children could refer to drawings in their sketchbooks to get

them started. The textures of animals, such as hedgehogs,

birds and fish make good subject matter.

Children could carry out a similar task using traditional

methods. Display the results of both methods and discuss

the similarities and differences.

A black screen will improve the visual effect of children’s

work but will use a large amount of toner if work is printed.

2



• technique: to use the flood

fill tool to create highlights of colour

• technique: to use ‘save as’

♦ Show the class ‘Yellow Islands’ by Jackson Pollock.

Discuss the rhythmic pattern created by the flowing black lines. Ask the children what colours other than black stand

out and why they think the painting is called ‘Yellow

Islands’.

♦ Demonstrate how a black line can be taken for a ‘walk’

around the screen. Compare the effects created by

flowing lines and angular lines. Show the children how to choose and use the flood fill tool to make coloured

‘islands’ within a picture.

♦ Ask the children to use the pen and flood fill tool to create

lines and colours to express themes such as ‘headlights

in the city’. Alternatively, children could provide their own

titles which convey how they have used lines and colours. ♦ Show the children how to save work using ‘save as’.

• control the pen and use the

flood fill tool to create visual effects

• recognise that work can be

saved using the ‘save as’

command

Children may not notice small gaps in their lines. Remind

them about the ‘undo’ command if their fills leak.

Children could use traditional methods to produce similar

pictures and compare the results.

The ‘save as’ command allows each child’s work to be saved separately.

• technique: to select and

use the straight line,

geometric shapes and flood

fill tools

♦ Show the class some examples of the work of Mondrian and identify the main features – horizontal and vertical

lines, primary colours and white space.

♦ Demonstrate the use of the straight line and geometric

shapes tools. Show how colours can be used to fill the

shapes.

♦ Ask the children to create pictures in the style of Mondrian using the straight line and rectangle -drawing tools. Ask

them to experiment with colour using the flood fill tool.

They could create warm colour pictures, cool colour

pictures and pictures in which one colour is made to stand

out from the others. Display the work and discuss the

results.

• use the straight line, geometric shapes and flood

fill tools to match their

purposes

3



• technique: to select and

use the spray tool

♦ Discuss the differences between light and colour when

viewed on screen and in print, using two examples of the same picture. Introduce the idea of ‘painting with light’.

Demonstrate how to use the spray tool to select colours

and patterns.

♦ Ask the children to create pictures of night scenes,

eg Guy Fawkes night or Diwali. Ask them to use the flood

fill tool to create a black screen and then to use mark making tools and various colours to explore the quality of

light and colour on the screen.

• use the spray tool

• choose colours and patterns to match their purposes

The teacher could include the children’s work in a multimedia

presentation, or exchange work with other schools using electronic mail, to reinforce the idea that an image on screen

can be a final product.

Children could use traditional methods, eg crayons and

scraping techniques, to carry out a similar task. Display the results of both methods and discuss the similarities and

differences.

INTEGRATED TASK

• to select and use different

techniques to communicate

ideas through pictures

♦ Collect portraits that have a strong emotional element.

Discuss the ways that feelings, like anger, sadness, fear

and joy, can be represented visually and illustrate how

artists use line, colour, shape and texture to create effects

from the examples collected.

♦ Ask the children to use portraits from their sketchbooks, or photographs, as a starting point for their own portraits.

Encourage children to use a range of techniques learnt in

previous sessions.

• select the appropriate tools

to create pictures that

communicate ideas

Remind children that the ‘undo’ command can be used to

correct mistakes or amend work.

Children could use traditional methods to carry out a similar

task. Display the results of both methods and discuss the similarities and differences.

Unit 3A Combining text and graphics IT Year 3

ABOUT THE UNIT

In this unit children learn how to communicate messages by using a combination of graphics and text. They also learn the

importance of saving their work.

Children will apply what they have learnt in this unit when writing reports; producing multimedia presentations.


This unit builds on Unit 2A ‘Writing

stories: communicating information

using text’ and Unit 2B ‘Creating pictures’.

• font size/type/colour

• highlight

• select all • frame

• copy

• paste

• insert

• align left

• align right • centre

• re-size/scale

• graphics

• graphics package

• word processor

• a range of greeting cards • a CD-ROM with pictures or a clip

art file

EXPECTATIONS


most children will: combine graphics with text; use appropriate effects and re-size graphics



combine graphics with text



combine graphics with text; choose effects that match their purposes so that the

graphics and text complement each other



SETTING THE SCENE

• key idea: that text and

graphics can be combined

to communicate information

♦ Show the class a range of greeting cards. Discuss the

designs and point out elements, such as pictures, fonts,

captions and messages. Divide the class into groups and

ask each group to examine one card. Ask them to

produce an annotated poster identifying the card’s key

features. ♦ Look at messages and how they are written. Ask children

to think abou t cards that they could design and produce.

• recognise key features of

layout

Include greeting cards with a range of pictures and typefaces

and with different punctuation.

SHORT FOCUSED TASKS

• technique: to alter font

type, size and colour for

emphasis and effect

♦ Type in a number of words, eg ‘rainbow’, ‘grow’, ‘lean’,

‘high’, ‘low’, ‘stairs’ and ‘ghost’.

♦ Show the class font editing features, such as how to

change font type, size and colour. Ask the children to

change the look of each word so that it reflects its

meaning, eg placing each letter of ‘rainbow’ in a different colour, increasing the font size of each letter in ‘grow’.

• alter the look of text to

create an effect

Use software that allows text to be manipulated in other

ways, if available eg into wavy lines, alternative shapes.


used to improve text

• technique: to amend text

and save changes

♦ Type in a piece of text using ‘nice’ as the only adjective. ♦ Remind the class how to edit text by highlighting words

and over-typing them. Demonstrate how to save work and

give it a sensible name. Ask the children to edit the text

using more varied adjectives and to save their work.

• amend text and save their work

2



• technique: to combine

graphics and text

♦ Prepare examples of text which would benefit from

illustrations eg a description of a pyramid. Demonstrate to the class how to locate, retrieve, insert and add a graphic

into a piece of text. Show the class how to re-size a

graphic so that it fits on the page. Ask the children to

search a clip art file or a CD-ROM to locate graphics and

copy them into a piece of text.

• combine graphi cs and text Children could also incorporate images captured by a

scanner or digital camera.

• technique: to use the shift

key to type characters, such

as question marks

♦ Enter a piece of text and replace all the punctuation

marks with ‘x’.

♦ Discuss how authors use punctuation marks for effect and remind the class how to use the shift key to type upper

case letters. Show them how the key can be used to type

other characters.

♦ Ask the children to replace each ‘x’ with the correct

punctuation. Ask t hem to print out their work.

• amend text using the correct

key combinations

Time could be allowed in other units for children to develop

their familiarity with the computer keyboard.

INTEGRATED TASK

• to combine graphics and

text to communicate

information

♦ Tell the class that they are going to produce a class

magazine, which will include pictures and captions, and

explain that they will use punctuation and font effects. ♦ Divide the children into pairs and ask them to choose a

theme for a page i n the magazine. Get them to create, or

capture, a picture for their page and ask them to caption

the picture. Tell the children to print their work and bring

the work together to form the magazine. Finally, discuss

with the class the advantages of using IC T.

• combine graphics and text Children could extend this activity by creating pages for a

multimedia presentation eg on the locality or themselves

containing graphics and text.

Unit 3B Manipulating sound IT Year 3

ABOUT THE UNIT

In this unit children will explore and develop musical ideas by using ICT and other methods. They will use simple music software,

tape recorders and a keyboard to compose, collect and communicate their musical ideas. They will amend and modify their work to explore various musical and sound effects, and use ICT to create, organise and record sounds.

Children will be able to apply what they have learnt in this unit in music.



• can use ICT to make selections

• are familiar with graphic

representations of music.

• sequence • electronic keyboard with a range of sounds and the ability to store and

play sequences

• CD-ROM of musical instruments

• tape recorders

• music composition software with

icons to represent musical phrases • musical cards showing pictures of

various musical instruments whose

sound can be recreated on an

electric keyboard

EXPECTATIONS


most children will: use music software to develop and refine a musical composition



use music software to create a sequence of musical phrases



use music software to develop and refine a musical compos ition and adapt it in the

light of performance



SETTING THE SCENE


used to select and control sounds

♦ Create a set of musical cards which have pictures of

various instruments whose sounds are represented on an electric keyboard.

♦ Introduce children to the sounds and encourage them to

listen carefully to the quality of sounds (timbre) and

describe them using a musical and expressive

vocabulary.

♦ Ask children to take it in turns to select and play the musical sounds they have chosen on the keyboard.

• recognise that an electronic

keyboard can be used to select and control sounds

SHORT FOCUSED TASKS

• key idea: that sounds can

be stored on CD-ROM

• technique: to use ICT to

record sounds

♦ Discuss families of instruments, such as strings, wind and percussion. Demonstrate sounds and features of these

instruments using classroom instruments and a CD-ROM.

♦ Give children the opportunity to search the CD-ROM for

themselves. Ask them to find an example of an instrument

from each family and to write its name and family on a

card. Then ask them to use a tape recorder to record a sound sample and to sketch an instrument. Ask the class

to make a display which includes an invitation to listen to

instrument families on cassette.

• locate and record sounds Children will have learnt to search a CD-ROM in Unit 2C ‘Finding information’. These two activities may be combine d.

This activity provides an opportunity to make comparisons

between different ways of recording and storing sounds,

such as on tape or CD-ROM.

2


CHILDREN SHOULD LEAR N CHILDREN


used to organise and

reorganise sounds

• technique: to use icons to

arrange musical phrases

♦ Demonstrate a piece of music software in which an icon

represents a musical phrase. The class discuss which

pictures have musical phrases that sound happy/sad,

fast/slow, or sound like the beginning/middle/end.

♦ Together the class choose four pictures and create a musical sequence. They suggest lyrics to fit in with the

melody.

♦ After rehearsal the children perform and record the class

song.

• understand how musical

phrases can be organised

and re-organised using

icons

• key idea: that electronic and

live sounds can be

combined in a performance

♦ Work with the class to create a longer musical

composition using the same software to create ‘a loop’

(repeating a complete section of music as many times as

required). Ask groups of children to take turns to

improvise percussion parts.

♦ Ask the class to identify the rhythmic pattern which can be repeated and to devise a percussive accompaniment.

They record their ideas using symbols and record their

performance using a tape recorder.

♦ Discuss with the children some of the differences

between the live and computer-controlled aspects of the

composition.

• recognise some of the

differences between live and

computer-controlled sounds

INTEGRATED TASK

• use ICT to create, organise

and reorganise sounds

♦ Tell the class that they are going to experiment with music

software and create simple melodies.

♦ Divide the class into groups and encourage the groups to

think about creating a mood in their compositions by selecting appropriate sounds and phrases. Ask them to

think about the structure of their compositions, by using a

simple pattern such as AABA. Ask them to save their

compositions and present them to the rest of the class.

• organise and reorganise

sounds by manipulating

appropriate icons

Unit 4A Writing for different audiences IT Year 4

ABOUT THE UNIT

In this unit children learn that ICT can be used to organise, reorganise, develop and explore ideas, and that working with

information in this way can aid understanding. It also gives children opportunities to discuss their experiences of using ICT and how it is used in the wider world.

Children will be able to a pply what they have learnt in this unit when: identifying key points in a story or account; writing accounts

in which details of character and action are used to interest the reader; using evidence and examples to support key points.

They will also be able to use their skills when: writing narrative and non-narrative texts in English; producing accounts which draw

on sources in history; clarifying ideas, developing criteria and suggesting ways forward in design and technology.



• are familiar with adjectives, adverbs,

connectives and similes

• can identify key points in text

• can skim, scan and close read.

• font size

• bold

• copy • move

• cut and paste

• spellcheck

• find and replace

• word processor

• newspaper articles

• text files

EXPECTATIONS


most children will: use the more advanced features of a word processor to help them match their work

to their audience

some children will not have made so much progress and will:

use features such as spellcheck to help them edit their work



choose and use the appropriate advanced features of a word processor to increase

their efficiency when matching their work to their audience



SETTING THE SCENE

• key idea: that newspapers

use a variety of presentation

techniques and written

effects to communicate messages

♦ Show the class examples of articles from newspapers.

Ask them to read them in small groups and to mark on

them effects, such as: the use of expressive language;

clear sequence; different style headings. Explain that they are going to produce newspaper articles, which share

these features, using a word processor.

• recognise that newspapers

use a variety of written and

visual effects

‘Telescoping’ or ‘zooming in’, where the reader is drawn into

the article by a reduction in font size, is a useful way of

thinking about headings.

SHORT FOCUSED TASKS

• technique: to alter font size

and use effects to indicate

relative importance

♦ Ask the class to suggest a list of five ways to improve

playtime and enter their suggestions on screen.

Demonstrate how to change font size and use bold to

make some ideas seem more important than others.

♦ Divide the class into small groups and ask each group to

take turns to re-size the words to indicate their order of priority. Ask them to print their work and return the screen

to the way it was.

• use font sizes and effects

appropriately

The list can be anything which children can prioritise – things

they do at school, what they eat, how they can help others.


used to reorganise text to

make its meaning clearer

• technique: to use cut and

paste to reorder a piece of text

♦ Enter a set of descriptions of events in random order,

eg sets of instructions, historical events, recollections of

what ten witnesses saw/heard at a bank robbery. Explain

to the class that information is not always presented in the

most useful way. Demonstrate the use of cut and paste to move text around the screen.

♦ Divide the class into pairs and ask the children to reorder

the sentences to p roduce a clearer sequence of events.

• use cut and paste to reorder

text

• produce a coherent

sequence of events


prepared file.

If the sentences include clues about the duration of events or time, children could be asked to add a timeline to their

account.

Children who have difficulty remembering what they have

done could be given a printout of the original random

sequence.

2




used to amend text

• technique: to delete, insert

and replace text to improve

clarity and create mood

♦ Enter a short descriptive passage. Provide the children

with printed copies of the text and discuss how some

words create moods. Demonstrate how to delete, insert

and over-type words.

♦ Ask the children to modify the passage to change the mood, eg by making it more exciting, calmer or more up-

to date.

• edit text Children who find the work difficult could be asked just to

remove words which are not necessary to communicate the

literal meanings or they could be given a glossary of difficult

words.

Children with a good grasp of language could be shown how

to use a dictionary, thesaurus or glossary of terms to identify

suitable replacements.


used to correct mistakes • technique: to use

spellcheck

♦ Enter an extract from an information book, eg an

encyclopedia, but include a number of spelling mistakes. Discuss why correct spelling is important and explain that

before a book is printed editors and proof-readers correct

spelling mistakes.

♦ Show the class how to use spellcheck and explain that it

sometimes makes a number of suggestions for one word,

eg ‘wry’, ‘word’, and ‘wad’ for ‘wrd’. Explain that the first suggestion is not always the right one and that spellcheck

does not recognise mistakes where a real word is used,

eg it will not recognise ‘set’ in the sentence ‘the cat set on

the mat’. Divide the children into pairs and ask them to

use spellcheck to correct the extract.

• use spellcheck but

recognise that spellcheck is an aid, rather than a

substitute for being able to

spell


prepared file.

Mistakes should include ones where the error is obvious as

well as more demanding errors, eg typing ‘then’ instead of

‘the’.


used to automate the

amendment of text • technique: to amend text

using find and replace

♦ Enter an extended account written in the third person,

which includes a unisex name, eg Sam, and uses ‘he’,

‘his’, ‘him’. ♦ Discuss the account with the class and explain that it is

accurate except for the fact that Sam is a girl not a boy.

Discuss how the account needs changing and explain the

disadvantages of manually correcting the account: the

time needed, the possibility of missing points.

Demonstrate the use of find and replace and discuss what needs to be considered when using this technique.

• recognise that ICT can

automate manual processes

• recognise some of the advantages and

disadvantages of

automating manual

processes

3



INTEGRATED TASK

• to use ICT to organise,

reorganise and analyse

ideas and information

• to edit text and use a variety

of presentation techniques

♦ Explain to the class that they will be using the techniques

they have learnt to produce newspaper articles. Ask the

class to recall what they have learnt so far.

♦ Ask children to review the work they have been doing on

a particular history study unit. Explain that their

newspaper articles will bring together the key points in the unit. The articles must be factually correct, livel y and

interesting. They must also use appropriate presentation

techniques.

♦ Put the children into pairs to write their articles. They

should amend their articles over a period of time, saving

the work as they go. ♦ Explain to the class that they need to identify the key

points, experiment with sequencing and modify the text to

make it more interesting. Ask them also to identify any

headings, subheadings and key pieces of text and to use

appropriate effects to make these stand out.

• organise and reorganise te xt

on screen

• use appropriate techniques

to ensure that their writing is

clear, well presented and

free of errors

This activity could be extended by including advertising,

letters pages, comments and features and could be carried

out in ‘real time’ using simulation software, radio broadcasts

or news feeds from the Internet.

Encourage children to think about the content of their articles

before considering layout and presentation, otherwise they

may become distracted and spend too long changing fonts

and making minor adjustments to presentation.

This activity could be set in the context of any relevant work

in other subjects, eg writing an article on a science

investigation and presenting it as a major discovery, an

article on the impact on people’s lives of a product that they

have been disassembling, designing or making in design and

technology.

Unit 4B Developing images using repeating patterns IT Year 4

ABOUT THE UNIT

In this unit children learn to develop visual ideas and to realise these ideas using ICT. Children will need to use a computer

graphics package to explore and experiment with ideas and will amend and modify their work to meet specific outcomes. They also learn to save their work as they go along.

Children learn to use ICT tools appropriately and will select areas of an image to cut, copy and change. They learn to export their

work to other packages and import images from sources such as clip art, scanner or digital camera.

Children will apply what they have learnt in this unit when using ICT to produce pictures, plans and maps in art, design and

technology, and geography.


Builds on Unit 2B ‘Creating pictures’ • cut

• copy

• paste • import

• export

• undo

• save as

• scanner

• clip art • digital camera

• a computer graphics package with a

range of tools and edit features

• scanner, digital camera or clip art

EXPECTATIONS


most children will: use a computer graphics package to develop an image using a variety of tools



use a computer graphics package to develop an image

some children will have progressed further and will:

use a computer graphics package to develop and refine an image selecting the most appropriate tools, and saving drafts



SETTING THE SCENE


used to develop images

♦ Remind the class how ICT features, such as cut and

paste, can help them with their writing. Explain that they

are going to use ICT to develop pictures, using similar

tools and techniques.

• recognise that ICT can be

used to develop images

SHORT FOCUSED TASKS

• key idea: that pictures can

be assembled by repeating

elements

• technique: to use stamps and/or the copy tool

♦ Collect wrapping paper that uses repeating patterns.

Discuss how the patterns are created and talk about the

background colours used.

♦ Many graphics packages have ready-made stamps or provide tools to create stamps. Show the class how to

use stamps and ask the children to create wrapping paper

based on a theme, eg plants or animals. Encourage

children to experiment with different flood fill

backgrounds.

• create repeating patterns

using the stamps and/or

copy tool

Encourage children to use the ‘undo’ command to go back to

a previous step if a colour or pattern is unsuccessful.

• technique: to alter the size

of the brush tool

♦ Discuss the work of Seurat and his use of dots.

Demonstrate how to alter the size and pattern of the

brush tool to produce a ‘pointillist’ effect. ♦ Ask children to recreate sketches from their sketchbooks

on screen using a pointillist technique.

• create pictures using a

variety of brush sizes and

effects

• technique: to select areas,

copy and re-size them

♦ Demonstrate how areas of the screen can be selected,

copied and re-sized.

♦ Show the class pictures of tropical fish. Ask children to

create a fish tank by drawing a single fish then making

multiple copies of different sizes.

• select appropriate areas,

copy and re-size them

Some children will be able to copy pictures but not re-size

them.

2



• technique: to use a range

of visual effects, such as reflection or symmetry

♦ Discuss designs which use symmetry, eg Islamic carpets.

Demonstrate how a paint program can create symmetrical patterns automatically.

♦ Ask children to produce their own designs for carpets

using the symmetry tool.

• create patterns using the

symmetry tool


used to recreate images

made by hand

• key idea: that a screen

image can be a finished product

• technique: to use ‘save as’

to keep drafts

♦ Ask children to create a number of black and white

templates for stained-glass windows using felt pens or

ink, possibly inspired by the work of Charles Rennie

Mackintosh or from sketches of local church windows.

Scan a number of sketches into the computer as a starting point for work on light and colour. Show the

children how to use ‘save as’ to save drafts.

♦ Ask children to experiment with colours by flood filling the

templates with various colours and ask them to use ‘save

as’ to keep versions which work well. Discuss the quality

of light created.

• recognise that a screen

image can be a finished

product

• save drafts which show the

development of their design

Black outlines may need retouching to prevent the flood fill

from leaking.

Children’s work could be incorporated into an electronic ‘art gallery’ as part of the school’s home page on the Internet.

This encourages children to see the version on screen as the

final one.



INTEGRATED TASK

• to use the skills and

techniques learnt to organise, reorganise and

communicate ideas

• to select suitable information

and media and prepare i t for

processing using ICT

♦ Show the class a mixed-media collage, such as ‘Guitar’

by Pablo Picasso, and discuss some of the techniques used. Encourage children to find material that can be

scanned, eg from newspapers or magazines.

♦ Ask children to use the various techniques learnt to

incorporate the scanned images in order to create

composite images, based on direct observation of musical

instruments. Encourage them to focus on particular details, such as tuning pegs or keys. Each child could be

given a di fferent viewpoint. Remind them of the

importance of saving drafts.

♦ Ask children to print out multiple copies of their work and

use the print outs, together with other collected images, to

make a mixed media collage.

• use a variety of materials,

created on and away from the computer, and use them

to make a final image

Unit 6A Multimedia presentation IT Year 6

ABOUT THE UNIT

In this unit children learn to create a multimedia presentation using text, images, and sounds. They will be taught to create links

between pages and show sensitivity to the needs of their audience.

Children will apply what they have learnt in this unit when communicating and presenting information in music, art, history,

geography, science, design and technology.


Children may have created individual multimedia pages in earlier units.

This unit assumes that children are

familiar with tree diagrams.

• interactive • hot spot/hyperlink

• attach

• hypertext

• multimedia authoring pa ckage • microphone

• CD-ROMs (Internet browser)

• printouts of sample pages

EXPECTATIONS


most children will: use a multimedia authoring program to organise, refine and present a set of linked

multimedia pages, which incorporate images, sounds and text



use a multimedia authoring package to assemble images, sound and text on a

multimedia page

some children will have progressed further and will:

use a multimedia package to organise, refine and present a set of linked multimedia pages, which incorporate images, sounds and text; create pages which offer users a

variety of options; present information that matches the needs of the audience



SETTING THE SCENE

• key idea: that computer

software can include a

range of media and gives

the user a range of options

♦ Discuss with the class the difference between a CD-ROM

and books and videos, and demonstrate that a CD-ROM

includes a range of media and offers the user different

options. Discuss how these options address the needs of

different audiences.

• understand the potential of

multimedia

Children should be encouraged to think about the

advantages and disadvantages of multimedia and how it

compares with other forms of communication, such as telling

a story.

SHORT FOCUSED TASKS

• technique: to design

multimedia pages

♦ Show the class a variety of multimedia page designs.

Discuss how emphasis and location help the user

understand the page, eg how buttons are placed consistently, how bright colours and sizes are used to

indicate importance, how pictures and text complement

each other.

♦ Ask the children to evaluate a CD-ROM or Internet home

page and list the features which they think work or do not

work.

• recognise the features of

good page design

Features of good page design include buttons placed

consistently, easy to understand icons, clarity, approp riate

use of pictures and text, appropriate use of colour.

• technique: to sample

sounds

♦ Demonstrate how to record sounds using a microphone

and how to create a button which plays the sounds. ♦ Divide the class into groups and ask them to create a

page which includes a menu of sounds. The page could

be a page of sounds recorded from musical instruments,

or an interactive birthday greeting for an infant class,

which includes hot spots linked to sounds.

• create a page of sounds

which are activated b y appropriately named and

positioned buttons

If a microphone is not available, appropriate sounds could be

‘dragged and dropped’ from a CD-ROM.

2



• technique: to produce a

diagram that shows the links between pages

• technique: to create

buttons to link pages

♦ Demonstrate how buttons can create links between

pages. ♦ Prepare a set of A4 sheets showing sample multimedia

pages without links. The set should include a menu page

and pages which lead to a number of following pages.

♦ Ask the children to work in groups to identify the links

between the pages, draw on any necessary buttons and

write next to the buttons the page to which they l ink. ♦ Ask each group to produce a flow chart showing the links

between the pages. The arrows on the flow chart should

be labelled with the choice that would appear on screen.

• organise sample screens

and identify appropriate choices and links

Children who find connecting pages easy to understand

could be introduced to the idea of branching structures and web-like structures.

INTEGRATED TASK

• to use a multimedia

authoring program to

organise, refine and present

information in different forms

for a specific audience

♦ Explain to the class that they will use what they have

learnt to create a multimedia presentation, which includes

images, sounds and text. Ask the class to recall what they

have learnt so far.

♦ Divide the class into small groups and ask each group to choose a subject for their presentation and to describe

their audience. Ask each group to draw a diagram of their

presentation, showing how the pages link. Children

should then design their pages on screen and print out

their results.

• des ign pages and links

which present the user with

clear information

Schools with Internet links could use electronic mail to share

sound, text and graphic attachments with other schools. For

example, they could collect samples of spoken greetings or

other phrases.

Appendix C

Information on TextEase 2000 and Primary Colours Software

Packages

2

Granada Colours Tools & Applications

Example Screen

About Granada Colours

Granada Colours is a powerful paint and drawing package and has been designed with a wide range of facilities suitable for use in schools. The configurability of the program allows for very simple settings with a simple colour palette and large tools, making it ideal for reception and Year 1.

However the same software supports features such as clone brushes, the ability to set transparency levels and advanced image manipulation which are ideal tools for Year 5-6 work in

£49.00 Single User

Details

Level: KS1, KS2, Scottish 5-14, Levels A-E Age: 7-12 Platforms: PC Networkable: Yes Order Online

PC Single User CD-ROM

£49.00

PC Extra User CD-ROM

£10.00

3

ideal tools for Year 5-6 work in developing images and repeating patterns as stipulated in the QCA framework document.

Features

• Configurable - select the menus, icons and size of icons that are used - you can even work with no icons!

• Tools include: line, pen, freehand brush, fill, spray, diffusser, clone and stamp

• Shapes: rectangle, circle, parallelogram, polygons, pointed star, radial lines both filled and outline

• Full control of tool sizes and densities

• Multi-level undo and redo

• Symmetry, Colour cycling, Tiling, Grid, Transparency, Zoom

• Select regular and irregular areas

• Stamps

• Special effects, wash, tint, swirl, ripple

• Multiple palettes, including themed palettes

Creating Pictures

Granada Colours has a wide range of tools which are able to create professional looking pictures. The edit features allow you to easily modify these pictures.

Developing images using repeated patterns

Extra User Licence £10.00

Home User Version (PC)

£20.00 Inc. VAT

4

patterns

Granada Colours supports a wide range of different picture types making it ideal for use with a scanner, digital camera or the supplied clip art.

Granada Colours is a component of the Granada Toolkit, which also includes Granada Writer, Granada Database, Granada Spreadsheet and Internet Odyssey 2.

Supports the following QCA Schemes of work for ICT:

Creating pictures 2B Combining text and graphics 3A Developing images using repeating patterns 4B Support packs for Granada Colours

Ourselves

© Granada Learning e-mail:[email protected]

Picture 'logo bar 2000 2\gif'

Products

Textease 2000 is our flagship program. For word processing and desktop publishing there is no finer. Although Textease 2000 has retained the ease of use that has made it number one it now has a powerful set of features so that almost any task can be accomplished. This means that Textease 2000 is as appropriate for a 5 year old starting school as for an adult.

Downloads

Resources

- Can be run in primary mode. - Flow text around a graphic. - Create your own simple animations. - Simply group objects together. - Polygon tool and cropping tool. - Completely configurable windows allow for true multimedia authoring and presentations. - Extensive web page creation facility.

- Send directly as email (Microsoft Outlook version 5 or later required). - Record voices or mus ic directly into Textease. - Object linking and embedding allows editing of objects in place. - Interactive help, gives help in every area of Textease. - Flow text in frames (desktop publishing, newspaper creation etc). - Designed with full network capabilities.

News and Reviews

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Back to products page

Contact us

2

About Softease

click to enlarge click to enlarge

Appendix D.

‘Screen Shots’ of a selection of the commercial

computer based training packages reviewed

2

This appendix contains ‘Screen Shots’ of a selection of the commercial computer based training

packages reviewed, in order to identify the most suitable for delivering method for the Little London

Primary School training package.

PowerPoint 97 Training Package

3

3D Studio Max Interactive Training

4

Macromedia Director Virtual Training

5

Appendix E.

‘Screen Shots’ of the 3 Shortlisted

Multimedia Authoring Packages

6

MatchWare Mediator 5 Pro

Digital Workshop Illuminatus 4.5

7

Macromedia Director 8

8

Appendix F

Extracts from TextEase Manual (Note: Only available in paper version)

9

Appendix G

Details of the tasks undertaken by the

evaluators following completion of training,

together with maximum times allowed.

10

Evaluation Part 1. There are eight tasks which will call on the skills learned from, the training package. 1B Create a Word Bank (on a topic of your choice), entering appropriate words) and

then create a sentence using one or more words from that word bank. (6 minutes – Training) (4 minutes – Task) (10 minutes –Total)

2A Write a paragraph of text (e.g. two sentences) change the background colour to a colour of

your choice, then save it (entering an appropriate name) and finally print the paragraph. (13 minutes – Training) (7 minutes – Task) (20 minutes – Total)

3A Using the paragraph provided (in file name “Farm”) do the following: -

(i) Change the style of the heading, (ii) Cut the second sentence and paste it after the end of the sentence, (iii) Import a graphic from the ‘Clip-art’ folder, e.g. an animal, and place this below the

paragraph. (25 minutes – Training) (15 minutes – Task) (40 minutes – Total)

2B Create a picture of a house, e.g. using a square for the body of the house and a triangle on top to represent the roof. Colour the house and roof using different colours. Draw a path leading up to the house, e.g. using the straight line pen. Save the picture using an appropriate file name and then print it. (25 minutes – Training) (15 minutes – Task) (40 minutes – Total) MH/ 03/04/01

11

Evaluation Part 2. There are four tasks which will call on the skills learned from, the training package. 3B Record your voice (e.g. one sentence) and then write what you have said in text along side

the sound icon. Finally copy and paste the sound icon and text to bottom of the document.

(12 minutes – Training) (6 minutes – Task) (18 minutes –Total)

4A Transform the text in the file entitled ‘Mobile Phone’, to a newspaper style article (e.g. using a column width of 50, line spacing of 90 and ‘full text justification’). Finally check the spelling of the text using the ‘Spell Check’ function.

(13 minutes – Training) (7 minutes – Task) (20 minutes – Total)

6A Create two linked documents, each containing at least one imported graphic and one imported sound, then save the documents in HTML format using the filename ‘Training1’.


4B Create a design for a new gift-wrapping paper based on a theme of your choice, using the symmetry tool.


MH/ 04/04/01

12

Appendix H

Program Evaluation (i) Form used for collection of the evaluator’s

comments,

(ii) Copies of the four completed forms containing

notes of the evaluator's comments, and

(iii) Photographs of the evaluators.

13

Evaluation Interview Prompt Sheet The following is a copy of the form (really a checklist of points to be covered in the discussion)

which was prepared to assist the author in ‘interviewing’ the evaluators, after they had completed

the training and the short task. It was prepared with reference to Nielsen (1997). In this form, the

headings (constituting the checklist of points to be covered) are shown in bold typeface. Included

on this copy of the form, (in normal typeface) after each heading are some notes to explain the

type of information that the author was trying to collect.

Copies of the 4 forms containing notes recorded by the author, on the comments made by each of

the evaluators during the ‘informal interview’ following this form. These have been typed up in

order that they are easy to read.

Finally, this appendix contains copies of the photographs of the evaluators.

==================================== Name: Name of evaluator. Title: Job title. Location: Name and address of school for example, working at. Number of years experience: Number of years of relevant working experience TextEase 2000 Experience: Level of TextEase 2000 experience Primary Colours Experience: Level of Primary Colours experience General Computer Experience: Level of overall computer experience. General appearance of the training package:

In the evaluator’s view, did the training package have a good general appearance and did it appeal

to him/her.

Easy of navigating through the package:

How easy was it to navigate through the package and did the evaluator feel the sections were in

the appropriate order.

Use of colour and graphics:

Was there a good use of colour and graphics, did the evaluators feel there should have been more

or less colour in any particular part.

14

Well set out and easy to read:

Did the evaluators feel that any part of the text was difficult or confusing to read or whether any text

could have been larger or smaller?

Explanations clear and easy to understand:

Could the evaluators understand the explanations given in the tutorials and were they clear and

easy to follow?

Controls easy to recognise and use, e.g. the stop, play, rewind buttons:

Did the symbols on the control buttons immediately make sense to the evaluator or did he/she

have to consult the ‘Help’ section first.

Computer based training package preferable to the manual, re learning how to use

software:

Which method of learning did the evaluator feel most preferable and what were the main reasons

for their choice?

More effective way of learning, (more efficient way of utilising a teachers limited time):

Which method did the evaluator feel was the best utilisation of their time and what were the main

reasons for their choice.

Appropriate level of existing computer knowledge assumed:

Did the evaluator feel that too much existing computer knowledge was assumed leading to

confusion or even that too little was assumed leading to boredom?

Comments on time allowed for training and task completion:

Was the time allocated for each of the tasks, too much or too little?

Software useful in your school?

Would the training software be useful in the school that the evaluator currently works at.

Suggestions for possible improvements:

Does the evaluator have any suggestions for improving the training package?

Other general comments:

Any other comments that the evaluator may have but not had a chance to give already.

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Evaluation Data Evaluation Interview Check list Sheet. With space for the interviewer to record the evaluators comments. Evaluator 1 Name: Stuart Mather Job: 1st Year Primary School Teaching Assistant (Teaching 5/6 year old children) Location: Stoke Holy Cross Primary School, Norfolk Number of years: 1 Year TextEase 2000 Experience: Very basic – One 1 hour training session. Primary Colours Experience: None General Computer Experience: Moderate – Uses a computer in daily life for mainly word processing and sending e-mails.

Completed Successfully.

Evaluator 1 – Training TextEase 2000 Unit 1B - Using software

Time

Start 12:18 Maximum finish 12:24 Actual finish 12:24

Evaluator 1 – Testing TextEase 2000 Unit 1B - Using software

Time


Evaluator 1 – Testing TextEase 2000 Unit 2A - Using software

Time

Start 12:48 Maximum finish time 12:55 Actual finish 12:52

Evaluator 1 – Training TextEase 2000 Unit 2A - Using software

Time


16

Completed Successfully. Evaluator 1 – Training TextEase 2000 Unit 3A - Using manual

Time

Start 13:53 Maximum finish 14:18 Actual finish 14:18 Task was semi complete


General appearance of the training package: Looked very professional. Easy of navigating through the package: Yes, easy to use. Use of colour and graphics: The circle highlighting the mouse pointer was quite difficult to see. I would suggest making it larger. Well set out and easy to read: Fine, no problem. Explanations clear and easy to understand: Yes, simple and concise. Controls easy to recognise and use, e.g. the stop, play, rewind buttons: Took me a while to realise that the controls worked like home video recorder, but the ‘Help’ section gave me the assistance I needed. Computer based training package preferable to the manual, re learning how to use software: Training for teaching assistants is particularly limited. They have received one training session and are then asked to come in on their own to try and learn the software on their own. More effective way of learning, (more efficient way of utilising a teachers limited time):

Evaluator 1 – Testing TextEase 2000 Unit 3A - Using manual

Time


Evaluator 1 – Testing Primary Colours Unit 2B - Using manual

Time


Evaluator 1 – Training Primary Colours Unit 2B - Using manual

Time


17

An advantage of the computer based training package was that it tells you clearly what the unit involves as well as telling you how to do it. I found it difficult to find the relevant material for unit 3A in the manual and was therefore struggling to complete the task. Appropriate level of existing computer knowledge assumed: Fine for me. Comments on time allowed for training and task completion: Testing for Unit 1B was completed satisfactorily 2 minutes early. Testing for unit 2A completed satisfactorily 3 minutes early Software useful in your school? Definitely, especially for teaching assistants like me who get very little formal training and where the emphasis is on us to learn the software ourselves. Suggestions for possible improvements: Video control buttons could be larger as Green back arrow on video screen was easy to miss Other general comments: Screen saver came on during videos

Mathew Henry 03/04/2001

Notes taken by MH during discussion with the evaluator

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Evaluator 2 Evaluation Interview Check list Sheet. With space for the interviewer to record the evaluators comments. Name: Joanne Wetherell Job: 4th Year Primary School Teacher (Teaching 8/9 year old children) Location: Stoke Holy Cross Primary School, Norfolk Teaching Experience: 6 years TextEase 20000 Experience: Basic – Has had a couple of 1 hour training sessions. Primary Colours Experience: None General Computer Experience: None - Does not use a computer outside school.

Task completed successfully



Evaluator 1 – Testing TextEase 2000 Unit 1B – Using software

Time



Time


Evaluator 1 – Testing TextEase 2000 Unit 2A – Using software

Time



Time


Evaluator 1 – Testing TextEase 2000 Unit 3A – Using software

Time



Time


19

Completed Successfully. General appearance of the training package: Good Easy of navigating through the package: Excellent Use of colour and graphics: Okay, apart from the screen saver came on in the middle of one tutorial. Well set out and easy to read: I had no problems at all. Explanations clear and easy to understand: Yes, I found the Primary Colours tutorials particularly easy to follow. Controls easy to recognise and use, e.g. the stop, play, rewind buttons: Yes, no problems. Computer based training package preferable to the manual, re learning how to use software: The software package was much easier, but it is still a good idea to have the manual for reference purposes. You could keep reading the manual for hours and not be any closer. More effective way of learning, (more efficient way of utilising a teachers limited time): Icons were much easier to identify on the software because you were able to see exactly where they were positioned. When using the manual you first had to identify the icon then find it on the screen, which took muck longer. Appropriate level of existing computer knowledge assumed: Yes, fine. Comments on time allowed for training and task completion: I found it about right. Software useful in your school? Training sessions are short not more than 1 hour per week. Sessions need to be scheduled because both the trainer (who is also a teacher) and teacher need to have free slots.

Evaluator 2 – Testing Primary Colours Unit 2B – Using software

Time


Evaluator 2 – Training Primary Colours Unit 2B - Using software

Time


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At the moment training is conducted about once a week during a free period. It consists of one-on-one help, where a trainer shows the teachers various software tools. Training is not constant and teachers find it difficult to work by themselves. They feel helpless when they encounter a problem and there is nobody to assist them. Suggestions for possible improvements: Warn users to turn the screen saver off. Other general comments: Overall the Primary Colours manual was easier to understand and follow. It was more concise but lacked some important details.



21

Evaluator 3. Evaluation Interview Check list Sheet. With space for the interviewer to record the evaluators comments. Name: Shona Diggines Job: 1st Year Primary School Teacher (Teaching 5/6 year old children) Location: Keswick Road Primary School, Cringleford, Norwich, Norfolk Teaching Experience: Approx. 4 years TextEase 2000 Experience: Basic – No formal training but has had a couple of informal training sessions with by herself. Primary Colours Experience: None General Computing Experience: Basic – Uses a computer at home forward processing functions.



Time


Evaluator 3 – Testing TextEase 2000 Unit 3B - Using software

Time



Time



Time


22

Test was semi complete, was unable to change ‘Spacing’ for the text. Though ‘Justification’ of text was completed successfully.

23

Evaluator 3 – Training TextEase 2000 Unit 6A - Using manual

Time

Start 13:47 Maximum finish 14:13 Actual finish 14:13 Task was semi complete Spent 20 minutes learning the wrong material, leaving only 6 minutes to learn the link function. Evaluator found it difficult to find the relevant material for this unit. Section on ‘Links’ was particularly hard to follow and understand. Couldn’t see how it worked.

Task completed successfully General appearance of the training package: Very professional looking. Easy of navigating through the package: Fine, I was a bit confused about installing the QuickTime player, but use of the help section allayed my concerns. Use of colour and graphics: Good. Well set out and easy to read: It all made sense to me. Explanations clear and easy to understand: Yes I particularly liked the tutorial on ‘Sound’. I will try and use that in one of my classes. Controls easy to recognise and use, e.g. the stop, play, rewind buttons: Yes, I was fine. Computer based training package preferable to the manual, re learning how to use software: I thought the training package was definitely better because it was multi-sensory experience. It visually demonstrated what to do; it was like having somebody next to you, showing you various tasks. Another big advantage is that it can be used anytime there is no need for any other people to be involved.


Time


Evaluator 3 – Testing Primary Colours Unit 4B - Using manual

Time


Evaluator 3 – Training Primary Colours Unit 4B - Using manual

Time


24

More effective way of learning, (more efficient way of utilising a teachers limited time): A much more effective way, because the work of finding what needs to be learnt is already done for you. There is no need to waste time finding the correct material. I spent all the time allowed for training using the manual for task 6A and still did not complete the sections and hence did not have all the information that I needed for completing the task. Appropriate level of existing computer knowledge assumed: Found the manuals contained too much computer jargon, (e.g. justification) which means very little if you have little or no computer experience. With the training package she see what ‘Justification’ meant. Comments on time allowed for training and task completion: I could have done with more time with unit 6A. Some of the material is quite complex. Software useful in your school? Yes, definitely. I was offered no training, just given the software and ICT targets for the children to reach. This would have made much better use of my time. It could also be useful for older years, who lack a basic knowledge. It is quite common, for children to miss out on the basics, because the ICT course was not in place then. Suggestions for possible improvements: Larger highlight for mouse pointer Other general comments: I particularly liked unit 3B on sound and I will be using it in my class.



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Evaluator 4 Evaluation Interview Check list Sheet. With space for the interviewer to record the evaluators comments. Name: Joan Patley Title: Teaching Assistant Location: Wacton Primary School, Wacton, Norfolk Number of years: 1 Year TextEase 2000 Experience: Basic Primary Colours Experience: none General Computer Experience: Moderate – Uses a computer in daily life for mainly word processing, creating spreadsheets and sending emails.

Test completed

Test not completed

Evaluator 4 – Training TextEase 2000 Unit 3B - Using manual

Time


Evaluator 4 – Testing TextEase 2000 Unit 3B - Using manual

Time



Time


Evaluator 4 – Training TextEase 2000 Unit 4A - Using manual

Time


26


Time

Start 14:00 Maximum finish 14:26 Actual finish 14:26 Task was semi complete Spent 20 minutes learning the wrong material, leaving only 6 minutes to learn the link function. Evaluator found it difficult to find the relevant material for this unit. Section on ‘Links’ was particularly hard to follow and understand. Couldn’t see how it worked.

Task completed successfully General appearance of the training package: Very good. Text was clear easy to read and package was generally easy to use. Easy of navigating through the package: Excellent, although when completing units 4B for example on completion of one of the tutorials from section 2 the program jumped back to the section one menu. It would have been better if the program jumped back to the section 2 menu (where I had come from originally.) Use of colour and graphics: Generally very good but it might have been more helpful if the colour of the circle indicating where the mouse icon was of a more obvious colour and perhaps larger. For example a pale red might have stood out better. Otherwise the colour and graphics were excellent and made the program easy to use. Well set out and easy to read: The program seemed very well organised with the units broken down into a number of individual tutorials one of the tutorials in unit 6A was rather long. The tutorials in unit 4B however were short and sharp and I found this easier to use. Explanations clear and easy to understand: Generally excellent although in one or two cases I would have liked more detail (this may however be because of my limited experience. Controls easy to recognise and use, e.g. the stop, play, rewind buttons:


Time


Evaluator 4 – Testing Primary Colours Unit 4B - Using software

Time


Evaluator 4 – Training Primary Colours Unit 4B - Using software

Time

Start 14:50 Ma ximum finish time 15:13 Actual finish 15:09

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I initially had a little difficulty recognising the functions of the control buttons, but by using the help facility I was able to get adequate assistance very easily. Computer based training package preferable to the manual, re learning how to use software: I found the computer based training package infinitely preferable to the training manual. It was much easier and quicker to use, much more enjoyable and therefore encouraged me to continue the learning process. I found the TextEase manual quite difficult to use, for example difficult to find the sections I needed for example when looking for the sections concerning when recording a sound the contents page was useless as it did not mention this or even “sound”. More effective way of learning, (more efficient way of utilising a teachers limited time): The computer based training package was in option a much more effective way of learning and a much more efficient way of utilising a teachers time. As mentioned before it was also a much more pleasant experience. Appropriate level of existing computer knowledge assumed: About right, but I have used computers in my daily life for a number of years. Comments on time allowed for training and task completion: Time to spare on 4A, but not enough time for 6A. Software useful in your school? Yes undoubtedly. I’m sure that having such a training package would encourage teachers to undertake more training, hence become more familiar with the text Ease and Primary Colours Software and hence make much better use of the programs in their classes. Suggestions for possible improvements: Tape controls were very good, it was easy to stop the tutorials and then either go back a sentence or two, or write back to the beginning in order to repeat, for example if one failed to understand something the first time. Other general comments: Altogether a definite improvement.



28

Evaluator 1.

Evaluator 2.

29

Evaluator 3.

Evaluator 4.

30

Appendix I

Comments from Primary Schools on Package

(Note: Only available in the paper version)

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CD Rom of ICT Interactive Training software

Documents

An Interactive Multimedia Program to Assist Primary School ... · An Interactive Multimedia Program to ... 5 1 Introduction The ... required by the ICT curriculum. The aim of this