Create Your Own Educational
Software
By DIANE MCCARGAR
Have you found that even after discovering a good piece of
software, material is never presented exactly the way you would like? If you
have an interest in computers and a desire to tailor software specifically to
what you are teaching in the classroom, here are some options available to you.
Multimedia Authoring Programs
Multimedia authoring programs allow people who aren't computer programmers to
create multimedia programs or presentations that run on a computer. Authoring
programs are not for the faint of heart though; a high level of comfort with
computers and a large time commitment are required. You also need to have
fairly deep pockets. One of the most popular multimedia authoring program,
Macromedia Director, costs approximately $900.
Now before you scrap this option altogether, some software
companies have recognized a niche market among educators and they have started
developing authoring software specifically geared to this market. These
authoring programs are not as complex nor as costly as high end authoring
programs. They also often include templates for different educational
activities such as multiple choice questions, fill in the blank questions,
matching, etc.; and sample graphics, sounds, and videos. Hyperstudio is one
such program that was created by Robert Wagner, a former teacher. (For more
information about this software visit http://www.hyperstudio.com or call 1
800-545-7677). Hotpotatoes, referred to in Volume 3, Issue 5, is a similar
program that helps people create educational activities for the Web. Pierian
Springs Software Co. produces Digital Chisel 3.0, another Web authoring tool
for educators. Digital Chisel 2.0 by the same company is a general educational
authoring tool for Macintosh users. (Pierian Springs Software Co. can be
contacted at 1-800-472-8578 or http://www.pierian.com
Adding Your Exercises to Existing Educational Software
If creating your own software from scratch is more than you would like to
tackle, consider adding your own material to your favourite educational
computer program. Many educational programs come with an authoring tool that
allows you to add your own content. This authoring tool may be part of the main
program or come as an accompanying program. For example, an editing program
called Perfect Copy comes with a management program that allows you to add your
own articles for students to edit. This way you can tailor the types of errors
and the reading level of the articles to your students. (See Volume 1, Issue 1
for more information about Perfect Copy.) Because the authoring tool comes with
the program, no extra costs are involved. It also does not require as much time
as creating your own software from scratch. You should realize though, that if
you are working with software that is installed on several computers in a lab,
you will need to add your material to each computer. If the program is running
from a server then you will only need to do this once.
Creating Your Own Activities Using Common Applications
If you don't have a large selection of educational programs, there are many
things you can do with common applications that come with most new computers.
Presentation programs, database programs and word processing programs can be
used to create activities that look a lot like those found in educational
software. For example, you can use a word processing program or a database
program to create a spelling dictation on the computer. You can also use macros
in word processing programs to create automated writing activities and you can
use presentation programs to create interactive slide show presentations. These
presentations can act like flashcards where the students are presented with
information they can look at or listen to.
Continued on page 14
| BACK |
CONTENTS | NEXT |
|