We had our software tester fiddle with the program for a while and then gave him the task of keeping the skateboarder on the screen as long as possible. Here are my findings:
- The student quickly brought to attention that the X1, X2, Y1, and Y2 should have the numbers as subscripts. If this program is to help students with math, it should appear exactly (or as close as possible) as seen in the classroom.
- The student struggled to figure out how to delete a line. Eventually I was able to find that you must right-click on the line. I think there should be an explicit option to delete once the line has been selected.
- Although the student quickly figured out you must press enter to execute the line contrainsts, I still believe that it would make the whole operation much easier and would save them alot of time.
- After about 5 minutes with the software the student asked the question "What's the point of this?" I had to think about it for a little. I responded "It's purpose is to provide a new, fun way to learn the coordinate system."
- He could not find the time-clock. I pointed it out to him and he thought it needed to be much more apparent. I think it should be colored with exciting font. The time is really the only competitive aspect of the software so I really believe it should stand out.
I will be going every monday and tuesday from now on...hope to get much more info.
Saturday, October 15, 2011
Monday, October 3, 2011
Beginner's Tutorial
Ok, so this will be an overview of the tutorial I will use with the kids.
It's always good to start fresh...let's go to file>new to get a clean page.
Tutorial 1 - Line Segments: Now from here we can go many ways, but we'll start simple. We'll create a design using only "line segments" which are the easiest to use. It is best to start with a gradual line so our skateboarder doesn't go flying away on us to fast. We want to keep him under control as much as possible. Click "create new object">"line segment">"ok" to bring up a line segment on our page. We want our segment to start at the left side of our page and near the top since the skateboarder will move left to right and top to bottom. We can do this by setting the X1=0 and Y1=12. Now set the end of the line segment by choosing an appropriate X2 and Y2 (remember...keep it gradual). You can creat a series of line segments by simply creating another object. You will want to start the second line somewhere to the right of the first line to ensure continous motion. Once you have created a series of lines you can add your skateboarder by creating an object and clicking on "skateboarder". You will want his intial coordinates to be just above and just to the right of your intial line.
Project #1: Use what you know about the slope of lines to keep your skateboarder in motion as long as possible without going off the screen. I was able to keep him in motion for 58 seconds before he flew off into the great abyss! If you can keep him in motion longer than that...you will recieve a $15 gift card to walmart...Good luck and have fun!
It's always good to start fresh...let's go to file>new to get a clean page.
Tutorial 1 - Line Segments: Now from here we can go many ways, but we'll start simple. We'll create a design using only "line segments" which are the easiest to use. It is best to start with a gradual line so our skateboarder doesn't go flying away on us to fast. We want to keep him under control as much as possible. Click "create new object">"line segment">"ok" to bring up a line segment on our page. We want our segment to start at the left side of our page and near the top since the skateboarder will move left to right and top to bottom. We can do this by setting the X1=0 and Y1=12. Now set the end of the line segment by choosing an appropriate X2 and Y2 (remember...keep it gradual). You can creat a series of line segments by simply creating another object. You will want to start the second line somewhere to the right of the first line to ensure continous motion. Once you have created a series of lines you can add your skateboarder by creating an object and clicking on "skateboarder". You will want his intial coordinates to be just above and just to the right of your intial line.
Project #1: Use what you know about the slope of lines to keep your skateboarder in motion as long as possible without going off the screen. I was able to keep him in motion for 58 seconds before he flew off into the great abyss! If you can keep him in motion longer than that...you will recieve a $15 gift card to walmart...Good luck and have fun!
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