Blue Ribbon Technology October 2003
By Linda Lindroth

Technology is an exciting tool for enhancing your classroom curriculum, but it requires diligent planning and training to stay current with new products as well as learning how to use them. Let's celebrate Computer Learning Month with some exciting products that will add multimedia pizzazz to your instruction.

RoboDemo eLearning Edition
This is a perfect software choice for Computer Learning Month. RoboDemo, from eHelp Corporation, is an easy way to create interactive online tutorials – complete with animation – of any software application, website or on-screen activity. All simulations are in Flash format, which provides high resolution and a small file size to meet the needs of school networks.

The eLearning Edition is SCORM/AICC compliant to allow for storage of all student data in one place. It also incorporates quizzing in the simulations you create and has scoring capability that tracks students as they complete lessons. At the end of each lesson, the scoring report shows the final score, as well as attempts and correct and incorrect responses.

Building and customizing tutorials is easy with RoboDemo from eHelp.

RoboDemo automatically captures the steps as the user works through a product. The software instantly creates a Flash movie that features visible and audible mouse clicks. Autotext captions are created automatically to describe each mouse click the user made while recording the tutorial.

Once the basic steps have been recorded, you can go into the Edit function of RoboDemo to make changes that will make the tutorial look professional. You can edit the mouse pointer to change its direction, change the mouse image or take out the mouse pointer for a test or quiz question. You can edit captions to change their color, text style, callout form or size. You can attach an object or file (even an entire PowerPoint presentation) or group objects within the Flash movie, insert or highlight a box, add hyperlinks and add pre-built text effects for animated introductions, trailers and transitions. Even add your own audio for special instructions.

The really big bonus for classroom teachers and technology coordinators is the ability to create a quiz frame that can be used as a pretest. These quiz frames can have multiple choice menu items that allow the user to access templates. There's also a branching ability inside the tutorial that will send the student to an appropriate frame when he or she fails or succeeds in a task. Each task can have points assigned to it, to generate a score at the end of the lesson or tutorial.

Once a Flash movie is created, you can export that file as Flash, a Word document, Movie Caption text, e-mail or Pocket PC. Use the provided templates and PowerPoint template import function to create a Movie Gallery as a place to post your simulations.

You have to see this product to believe it! Visit www.ehelp.com to test drive RoboDemo eLearning Edition free for 15 days. Call 800-293-0337 for more information. Windows, $449; $179 education price.

Inspiration in Language Arts / Inspiration in Science
New Inspiration 7.5 visual learning software offers writing support and the ability to transfer a file from Inspiration into a word processing program with just a click of Inspiration's new "Transfer" button. The upgrade is free to users of Inspiration 7.0.

Two new curriculum books, Inspiration® in Science and Inspiration® in Language Arts provide classroom support with standards-aligned lesson plans. Each book addresses the process specific to the middle school curriculum, but is consistent for all grade levels.

Each lesson includes an Overview, Preparation ideas for background and content, Lesson procedures and ideas for advanced students. The website also has templates that support the lessons and a free trial of Inspiration 7.5. Our Lucky Subscriber will receive a copy of each curriculum book.

For more information, call 800-877-4292 or visit www.inspiration.com Curriculum books are $39.95 each. Each visual learning lesson plan book is available in pdf format on CD-ROM; $199 for a school license.

ClipArt4 Teachers
DownHill Publishing has thought of everything with the classroom teacher in mind! This impressive collection of graphics is a must-have for everyone looking for images for education. There are 22 categories, in which you'll find Back to School, Backgrounds and Borders, Diplomas, Hall Passes, Objects, Happy Birthday and a variety of holiday and seasonal themes.

All graphics are in full color with a separate black and white image designed specifically for copier reproduction for use on activity pages, blackline masters and the plethora of print products that are used in the school-wide setting. Each of the more than 500 images can be scaled to any size and are in the standard PICT (Mac), TIFF (Win) or JPEG (web) formats.

The attention to detail is outstanding, with a full-color documentation folder that showcases all the graphics. My students are fascinated with the ability to use almost any of the graphics to create a watermark effect – perfect for their story pages, newsletters or report covers. I love the section with Lesson Plans and Teacher's Ideas, which starts with basic Designing Tips and samples of newsletters, flyers, awards and certificates, cards, calendars and worksheets. There's really something for everyone.

Call 800-203-0612 or visit www.ClipArt4Teachers.net for more information. Mac/Win, $24.95; $249.50 for school site license.

Linda K. Lindroth is Technology Editor and Web Coordinator for Teaching Pre K-8. She is also a Technology Resource Teacher in a K-5 computer lab in Lexington, KY.

October 2003, Vol.34, No.2