Apple // Education Forum Chat Log Transcript Topic: AppleWorks in Education Sunday, July 21, 1991 Guests: TIIE Jim and Dave Chez AFL Gayle OK. It's time to start. Our topic tonight is AppleWorks in Education. AFL Gayle For information at any time on AppleWorks and Education, visit the special AFL Gayle AppleWorks in Education section of AED. You will find an area for TIIE and one AFL Gayle for AppleWorks Educator (represented by DaveChez.) AFL Gayle Also, a search in our new files search area using the keyword AppleWorks will AFL Gayle show you the many AppleWorks files we have in our library. We have one free AFL Gayle hour to give away tonight to the lucky person who says the "secret word." You AFL Gayle must say the word in context and you must stay to the end of the chat (9 pm) to AFL Gayle win. That's all I've got for now. I'll open the floor now for questions. No AFL Gayle protocol here. Just jump in with your questions. First, though, let's give AFL Gayle TIIE Jim a few minutes to tell us about TIIE. TIIE Jim Ok... TIIE Jim We publish a monthly disk of AW templates and files... TIIE Jim these are files contributed by our subscribers or created here... TIIE Jim especially for teachers. Right now we have well over 1000 AW files in our... TIIE Jim library and we add more all the time. Our next disk will be released 8/28/91 TIIE Jim and then we will be off and running for the school year. We sell a ... TIIE Jim subscription to this service for $39.95 (six disks) or $75.95 (12 disks). TIIE Jim In addition to the subscription service we also publish and sell STORYWORKS... TIIE Jim the only hypertext program available that works on ANY Apple II and utilizes... TIIE Jim AW word processor files as stacks. It sells for $49.95. TIIE Jim Besides these two enterprises we are about to launch a quarterly disk for... TIIE Jim Mac & PC Microsoft Works users and bring out StoryWorks PC version. TIIE Jim Gayle? AFL Gayle OK. Thanks, Jim. Mary and Tom, do you have any questions about TIIE for Jim? TomD14 I need a way to create a grid, such as in a gradebook, and be able to import TomD14 students names afterwards. Is there an easy way? AFL Gayle Why import student names afterwards, Tom? TomD14 To be able to use the grid as a template and vary the lists. AFL Gayle OK. Any ideas, Jim? TIIE Jim You can send special codes to your printer while printing a spreadsheet which.. TIIE Jim will create a grid. I'd have to go back and look ... haven't done it in a... TIIE Jim while, but I know it is possible. We have carried files like that. TIIE Jim What kind of printer are you using Tom? TomD14 Imagewriter II. MaryEz I use a spreadsheet template that I developed three years ago for both grades and attendance for my TIIE Jim I know I have a file that will do it... I'll run it down and e-mail it to you. MaryEz classes but I do have to type in the names (250) at the beginning of each year. AFL Gayle Thanks, Jim. :) What about his question about importing the names? TomD14 Thanks Jim, I appreciate it. I didn't know if one of the Beagle Bros. ... TomD14 products would be able to help either? AFL Gayle How about uploading your file to the New Files library, Mary? We frequently AFL Gayle have questions about gradebooks. TIIE Jim Probably... also, I think Kingwood Micro has some forms templates they sell. AFL Gayle You might look over the various gradebook programs we have in the libraries AFL Gayle here, too, Tom. There is a new file searching feature in our menu, so you AFL Gayle could just search for the keyword Gradebook. Several of them are AppleWorks AFL Gayle templates. TomD14 I've done gradebooks, but I guess I'm looking for an easy way out, that is MaryEz Where are you importing your names from, Tom? A database? TomD14 to be able to import the names without retyping. TomD14 Yes, a database. TIIE Jim Are you using AW 3.0? TomD14 Yes. TIIE Jim I don't do it a lot, but I believe moving info in 3.0 from DB to SS is fairly.. TIIE Jim straightforward. AFL Gayle But would it be able to import it where he wanted it, Jim? AFL Gayle In just thinking about the possibilities without actually looking at the AFL Gayle program right now, that seems to me that that's where the problem would lie. AFL Gayle AW would want to import them above or below, not right in the exact cells you AFL Gayle wanted, would it, Jim? TIIE Jim I believe he could create a tables report format which might do it... TomD14 Yes, now that you mention it that's what happened when I tried it. TIIE Jim print the report to the clipboard and then move it to the SS... I'd have TIIE Jim to experiment with it. AFL Gayle I wonder maybe whether a set of macros could place the names where you wanted AFL Gayle them? AFL Gayle I was thinking about Beagle's ReportWriter, but it works with the database, AFL Gayle I think, rather than the spreadsheet. TomD14 Speaking of ReportWriter, I recently purchased it, followed the tutorial... TomD14 and it didn't work right! Haven't had a chance to get back to it yet. TomD14 Actually it didn't work at all1 AFL Gayle What didn't work right, Tom? TomD14 See above. TomD14 When I gave the command to cross reference the DB and SS and print out... TIIE Jim I haven't used ReportWriter at all... but from a cursory look I'd say... TomD14 it didn't print or anything. TIIE Jim you want to be ready to dig in and work through it with the manual in your lap. TomD14 I will try again. AFL Gayle I haven't used ReportWriter, either, Tom, so I can't offhand help with the TomD14 How about StoryWorks? I've seen it advertised but have never tried it... AFL Gayle Tutorial. Try it again, and if you still need help, the AppleWorks Forum can AFL Gayle help with questions and there is a support area for Beagle Bros in the Industry AFL Gayle Connection. AFL Gayle I'll let you answer that one, Jim. :) TomD14 What is it's value to me as an educator? AFL Gayle Tom, what grades/subjects do you teach? TIIE Jim Ok... but first I just moved info from the data base to the AW 3.0 spreadsheet. TomD14 Actually, i'm the computer specialist for grades 1-6. TIIE Jim It is a two step process you'll need to first create a new column in your... TIIE Jim existing spreadsheet to hold the data. Copying it will cause it to... TIIE Jim come in above or below the existing spreadheet. Then use block copy to move... TIIE Jim it to the correct location. TIIE Jim Ok... now for StoryWorks. AFL Gayle Hmm... sounds like that will work. Thanks for the instant help, Jim. :) TIIE Jim StoryWorks lets you create hypertext applications with the AW word processor... TomD14 Thanks, jim! I'll try it. TIIE Jim that means that you and your students can create quizzes, tutorials, timelines TIIE Jim and interactive fiction... among other things. Segments of text can be "tied" TIIE Jim to other segments so student (for example) could read about trains, press a... TIIE Jim key and be taken to a segment on steam engines, press a key and go to a... TIIE Jim segment about Union Pacific, etc. The links can be made almost infinitely... TIIE Jim and can be as complex or simple as you like. StoryWorks also allows you to ... TIIE Jim create stacks with sound effects and scoring. It is a very low cost means... TIIE Jim of actually creating your own software without being a programmer. TIIE Jim We also carry a stack or two on each of our monthly disks and have some... TIIE Jim stack collections for sale. TIIE Jim Teachers have used it with students for book reports, research of all sorts, TomD14 Do you need SW to run the stacks? TIIE Jim expert systems, simple games. AFL Gayle There are also some stacks here in our AED Libraries. TIIE Jim Yes, you have to have SW to run the stacks. Otherwise they are just AW word TIIE Jim processor files. AFL Gayle But the purchase of one StoryWorks allows the owner to make 50 copies, isn't AFL Gayle it, Jim? TIIE Jim Thirty-five... and they must be used in a SINGLE classroom or lab. AFL Gayle Tom, a StoryWorks file is just an AppleWorks word processor file with special TomD14 Truthfully, how involved is it to create stack? I ask because i have found.. AFL Gayle commands in it that the StoryWorks program understands. TomD14 that many teachers don't or won't spend the time it takes to learn an ... TomD14 involved process such as Tutor Tech or Hyper Studio. AFL Gayle Welcome, Ira! You have great timing. :) We're talking about StoryWorks. AFL Gayle Ira, Tom just asked how involved is it to create a StoryWorks stack. Can you AFL Gayle answer that? TIIE Jim Well, I think it is easier than either of those. But let's let Sherlock... TIIE Jim tell us what he thinks. How easy is StoryWorks to learn to use Ira? AFL Gayle (Tom, Sherlock has written articles about StoryWorks in the AppleWorks AFL Gayle Educator.) Sherlock4 Well, Tom --- In TAWE I started off by saying that my interest in StoryWorks Sherlock4 was piqued when I realized that most of the stacks in our library online Sherlock4 were written by elementary school kids & that since I teach High School, I Sherlock4 realized that if a 4th grader could do it, then how difficult could it be??:> AFL Gayle Welcome, Dave! Did you get the issue finished? :) Sherlock4 So, does that answer you? AFL Gayle Dave, we were just talking about StoryWorks and that Ira had written some Sherlock4 re:difficulty in writting a stack? Dave Chez We're getting there. The newsletter copy is done, but I now have to do the disk AFL Gayle articles in The AppleWorks Educator about it. TomD14 I guess so. I guess I'm just wary of purchasing another program that ... TomD14 teachers won't utilize. Sherlock4 that what? Sherlock4 Ah, there's the rub. Sherlock4 I found that I must be the one in my dept. to spearhead the guys and gals. Dave Chez StoryWorks is a good program, but you need to be the type of teacher... TIIE Jim Mmmmm... well you can lead a horse to water but... Sherlock4 I just take ted (tooter)'s advise and keep inundating them with material and Dave Chez who spends some time outside of the classroom to experiment and prepare... Sherlock4 examples and sooner or later someone makes the attempt to follow "where only Sherlock4 I have gone" TomD14 Any demos available? Dave Chez but that is essential in my mind for a good teacher anyway. Sherlock4 YOU BET there are demos of stacks tom! TIIE Jim Tom, take a look at some of the stacks in the AED library... AFL Gayle Tom, there are files online, so you can see what the stacks look like, but TIIE Jim that will give you an idea about stack construction. AFL Gayle you can't actually see them working "in action" without StoryWorks. Sherlock4 Tom, if you e-mail me your address, I will photocopy both my review & Sherlock4 the StoryWorks Tutorial articles for you to get a better feel for how AFL Gayle However, the stacks will give you a good idea of the commands required to run Sherlock4 easy it is to do and run. TomD14 Will do, Sherlock. AFL Gayle StoryWorks and that will show you how uncomplicated it is. AFL Gayle Thanks, Ira! :) And that's a good opening for Dave to tell us about The AFL Gayle AppleWorks Educator. :) Go ahead, Dave. Dave Chez Well for the few people left in the world.... TIIE Jim What's the AW Educator?:) Dave Chez who have still not heard about The AppleWorks Educator... AFL Gayle LOL, Jim. ;) Sherlock4 I don't know. What's TIIE? Dave Chez we are THE (read that only) written publication devoted to educators Dave Chez making use of AppleWorks for their personal productivity or in integrating.. Dave Chez into their classroom activities. Each bimonthly issue... Dave Chez offers ideas, tips, news, product reviews, and more. At the conclusion of... Dave Chez the volume year (July/Aug issue) we are now including FREE a Template and File. Dave Chez Disk of files, samples, programs, etc of use and related to the issues... Dave Chez from the year. In this new disk we offer two sides of files, as well as... Dave Chez several very useful AppleWorks supportive programs, desk accessories for GS/OS TomD14 Is there online info for subscribing to TIIE and TAWE? Dave Chez (we cover AppleWorks GS also) and an index for the issues and for resources... Sherlock4 Does a hen lay eggs? AFL Gayle Yes, Tom. Choose Special Interest Groups from the AED menu. Then find the Dave Chez mentioned during the year. AFL Gayle section called AppleWorks in Education. TIIE and TAWE each have their own AFL Gayle message board there. AFL Gayle One of the folders will include subscription information. However, since we AFL Gayle have the publishers here with us, maybe they'll share with you how to order. :) Dave Chez Anyone have any educational AppleWorks or AWGS questions? AFL Gayle Dave, Tom asked earlier about a question he had. He wants to do a gradebook Dave Chez You can order The AppleWorks Educator for $25 mailed to PO Box 72, Leetsdale, AFL Gayle and import the names into it. Jim figured out how to do it with block copies AFL Gayle with the file coming from the DB. Dave Chez PA 15056. You can also get the AppleWorks Teacher Resource disk included... Dave Chez for a total price of only $34.95. AFL Gayle Thanks, Dave. What are some of the topics we can look forward to in upcoming AFL Gayle issues? Sherlock4 for an even $35.00 Dave delivers your issues personally:> Dave Chez The July/August issue includes a neat article on using TimeOut Graph to.. Dave Chez create art or explore math concepts (by Beveryly Cadieux), a full review... Dave Chez of AppleWorks running on the Mac LC/IIe card combo, a review of several AWGS Dave Chez supportive products from inCider special projects, and many tips, resource, Dave Chez and news updates, as well as the usual Beginner's Startup activity. Teacher jn Any problems we should know about using Mac LC/ IIe Card??? Dave Chez Frankly, Apple has done a very good job, but.... Teacher jn There's always a BUT! :)) Dave Chez it is definitely not a IIGS running AW, especiall with the slower screen scroll TomD14 I just tried it yesterday. it crashed when i booted AW 3.0 with TimeOuts ... Dave Chez inferior screen display quality, and inability to use a hard drive. AFL Gayle Have you tried AppleWorks on your Mac LC, Prize? TomD14 installed. It wouldn't boot Children's Writing & Pub. from Learning Co. at all Dave Chez Tom, I used AW 3.0 with several TO modules with no problem and they all worked Dave Chez fine. Sherlock4 Naturally. They HAD a great "platform" (GS) and decided to junk it! Teacher jn That's what I'm expecting! No as a matter of fact I haven't! TomD14 I wonder why mine crashed? AFL Gayle Which TOs did you have installed, Tom? TIIE Jim StoryWorks runs on the Mac Lc with IIe card... so says Dave Chez. TomD14 Numerous! Dave Chez Yes, ran fine, including inverse and mousetext!! AFL Gayle Maybe just try them one by one to see which one is the problem. Teacher jn I know apple expects people to use there 'old' IIe sftwr. w/ the MAC BUT to me it seems One step Teacher jn forward two steps back!! ;(( Dave Chez Maybe try a stripped down version and work up to the packed one. AFL Gayle OK. It's time to announce the winner of our free hour for this evening! TomD14 Wiil do! Dave Chez Oh Boy!! AFL Gayle TomD14 wins one free hour for using the secret word, "gradebook." AFL Gayle Congratulations, Tom! :) AFL Gayle {S Applause} TomD14 Alright!!!!:) Sherlock4 Yea tom. Which gradebook do you use? Dave Chez <><><><> Teacher jn {S Full Orchestra} AFL Gayle A nonprime time free hour will be credited to your account. (It may be awhile Sherlock4 {C Chamber Music} TomD14 I have Report Card II by Sensible Software and have created some with AW. AFL Gayle this time because the free hour person at AO is on vacation, but you will get AFL Gayle it. :) AFL Gayle Our topic next week is Bring Your Own Software Question. As always, we will TomD14 Thanks, Gayle! AFL Gayle have a free hour to give away. AFL Gayle You're welcome, Tom! :) Dave Chez Back to the LC and AppleWorks - if you want AW, buy a IIGS, if you MUST have a TomD14 hope to be here! had a great time. :))) Dave Chez Mac, then consider a Mac LC/IIe card so you can switch to AW when you want to.. Dave Chez get some real work done :) AFL Gayle Great, Tom! We meet every Sunday from 8-9 pm Eastern Time, right here. :) AFL Gayle Thanks to our guests, TIIE Jim and Dave Chez, for coming this evening. :) Dave Chez Great to converse with everyone! TIIE Jim Thanks to all AFL Gayle Check out their areas here online in Special Interest Groups! TomD14 Jim, I'll be sure to try your idea for the SS grid. TIIE Jim Ok... and I'll see if I can run down that file for you. Sherlock4 which one jim? TomD14 Thanks again! TIIE Jim A file that produces a grid using the spreadsheet. AFL Gayle Sure, Tom. We're delighted you came. :) Sherlock4 oh, I vaguely recall it. TIIE Jim So long... I'm out of here. AFL Gayle Good night, all! :)