Starspell 2001, Cont'd

Starspell 2001 is a high- quality, well-organized spelling program making it an attractive program for instructors and learners who like to work through an orderly progression, from the most basic to the more complex spelling rules. The flexibility of the program also allows for use in a more random fashion, as a tool to reinforce spelling tasks that are derived from the greater context of work with an instructor.

Starspell 2001 could be used as a diagnostic tool, to help instructors and learners to identify problem areas for further work. The record- keeping and print capabilities provide a useful means to identify progress towards a stated goal. The program could, for example, be used as part of a goal-setting exercise for a learner who wishes to work on spelling.

We have demonstrated an earlier version of Starspell 2001 to literacy learners and they were enthusiastic about the program and found it easy and "fun" to use. The serious pedagogical intent is not allowed to overshadow the rather light-hearted and enjoyable presentation of the intricacies of spelling.

Maria Moriarty is an Information Resource Officer at the AlphPlus Centre.

In order to create a webpage a few years ago, you had to know complicated computer languages such as HTML (Hyper Text Markup Language). Nowadays however, creating a webpage has gotten easier and more user friendly. If you still want a challenge and a little more control over the final product, then you may choose to learn the necessary HTML tags and perhaps even Java. For those of us who would like to create a professional looking webpage but don’t have the time or desire to learn HTML, there is the option of using a WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get) HTML editing program. There are too many HTML editors to list them all here, but we’ve included a few of the most popular titles.

The first thing you need to consider is what your needs are now and how they will change in the future. Don’t buy an inexpensive piece of software now if it won’t meet your needs in two or three years. One downfall of WYSIWYG software is that the final product may not display properly on all browsers. Some of these WYSIWYG programs also add unnecessary coding which can cause problems in the final product. The program may also quickly become out-of-date. But for most of us, these problems are a small price to pay for the ease and convenience that these programs provide. Some WYSIWYG freeware titles include: WebWizard, IMS Web Dwarf and Cool Pages. All three offer quick and easy drop and drag features that work well for novice to intermediate users. For Mac users try BBEdit 4.0.4 ($119) which is designed for novice to experienced users and offers easy to use tools and templates.

In addition to the WYSIWYG programs, there are also text-based HTML editors. These offer the user more control over the finished product, and are always up-to-date, but they also require more effort. In order to use a text-based program you must have some knowledge of HTML. Here are three popular text-based HTML editors: Adobe GoLive 5.0 ($99 US), Microsoft FrontPage ($239 CND), and Macromedia DreamWeaver 4 ($299 US). GoLive and FrontPage both come highly recommended for novice to experienced Windows users. Both programs are laid out like a word processor, making it easy to create tables, hyperlinks and format text. DreamWeaver is the program of choice for truly experienced computer users. This program offers more advanced features than any other program on the market and although it is quite expensive, it’s worth the cost. For more detailed comparisons of these and other HTML editors check out the following websites: www.builder.com and www.davecentral.com/htmlwys.html.