Thank you for choosing this product. We at Sproglogic are dedicated to bringing you quality educational software without the high cost. We have designed our software to the same high standards as the big companies, but not tacked on the same big price tag.
We have tried to design the interface with you, the customer, in mind. Many hours have gone into this project to make it not only accurate, but easy to use.
Although it is quite possible to begin using the program without reading this manual, there are many features that you might miss. We recommend that you read the manual through completely before using the program.
The purpose of this program is to build language skills in German noun usage. This program is not meant to be a tutor for the German language, but rather a supplement to help the student learn and memorize the forms of German nouns and their articles. Currently, Sproglogic does not have any programs to tutor the other aspects of the German language.
This program is designed to help only with German nouns. A large part of learning a foreign language is the memorization of the words in the new language. Many language courses concentrate on the grammatical aspects of the new language. While grammar is an important part of a new language, grammar without vocabulary is useless. On the other hand, vocabulary without grammar will be equally unintelligible to others. That is why this program should be used in conjunction with a formal language course. Working together, you will be able to develop both vocabulary and grammar skills, which will give you a working, useful knowledge of the language.
Sproglogic will continue to develop language learning aides. For a complete list of our products, call our BBS (Appendix C).
This program will help with English to German and German to English translations of nouns. It will also familiarize students with the definite articles associated with those nouns. This program handles both the singular and plural forms of the nouns. This program also covers the three most common forms of the nouns: Nominative, Accusative, and Dative. The possessive forms are not covered in this program.
This program is designed to provide a computer environment for learning. The computer will allow the student to select from 8 different activities and will monitor progress in three area: articles, nouns, and plurals.
The student can select to work on one lesson (group of words), or to work on a range of lessons. The student also has the option of selecting the difficulty level. The difficulties range from EASY (true/false), through INTERMEDIATE (multiple choice), to HARD (fill in the blank).
There is also a full on-line help system to direct those who do not remember how to use the system.
Sproglogic also has several aides designed to help teachers use this program in their classroom. Please see the section entitled Notes to Schools (Appendix D) for more information.
Use by multiple people
The system is designed to handle multiple users, thought not simultaneously. Each user is asked for a first name, a last name, and class to distinguish them from the other users. They must also select a password for security purposes.
Each users profile is stored separately on the disk. The password must be used to select a session. Once a password is chosen, it can not be changed. The only way to find out a forgotten password is with the teacher package sold separately.
System Requirements
Any MS-DOS compatible computer with at least 512K memory
VGA or SVGA card (must support mode 18)
Optional:
Microsoft compatible mouse with installed driver
Hard Disk with 1 Meg free
Installation
The program may either be used as is, or copied to a hard disk. To use the program off of the disk, log to the floppy drive by typing:
A: or B:
(depending on which drive the disk is in). Then type
GNOUN
To install to a hard disk, log to the floppy drive that the disk is in, and type
INSTALL
Follow the directions presented on the screen. The installation will create a directory called ger1 on your hard disk. The program and data files will be stored there. When the installation is complete, type
GNOUN
to execute the program. Consult your DOS manual for help with logging to floppy drives, and using hard disk directories.
The Screen
The screen is divided up into several parts. Four of which are always visible. They are: the command buttons, the chalkboard, the keyboard area, and the name box. Other area appear as they are needed, and disappear after. These will be discussed in their respective areas.
The command buttons are used to control the flow of the tutor. They will be discussed in more depth in the next section.
The chalkboard is used for the activities. When you are working with the words, instructions and each word appear in this area. When a valid session is loaded, but not running (ie. GO! has not been clicked) the chalkboard displays the activity, the difficulty level, and the lessons to be worked with. When there is no session loaded, the chalkboard is blank. It is also blank for a couple of seconds after each activity in order for you to see your final score.
The keyboard area is where answers are selected with the mouse. This area is also used for some system menu commands, and the graphs and charts section. When running an activity, buttons for the appropriate responses will appear. The keyboard is also used in the SYSTEM submenus for password entry.
The name area displays the name of the current user, and their class if a session is loaded. If no session is loaded, it is blank. The users password is never displayed.
Program interface
The program interface has been designed for ease of use in both an educational and home environment. There is no sound, so there is no need to worry about having more than one workstation in the same room.
The program is also set up to handle both mouse and keyboard input, for those that have a mouse, and those that do not. All sections of the system are set up to use both, with the exception of the entering of passwords, which must be done with keyboard (for security purposes)
Using the mouse
To use the mouse, move it to the item that you with to select, and click the left mouse button. The mouse resembles a pointer in the lower portion of the screen, and changes to a hand in the upper portion to alert you that you are in the command section of the screen. The mouse cursor will disappear when there is nothing to do, and when you are required to enter your password. See the section on the System Menu for more information.
Using the keyboard
There are several different keyboard modes, depending on where you are in the system. The first is used when you are working with the words. Enter the letters of the word, or your selection from the choices presented by pressing the appropriate letter on your keyboard. For TRUE/FALSE questions press T or F for true and false respectively. Press and hold the shift key for capital letters, and press the control (Ctrl) key to umlaut the vowels. The computer will automatically capitalize the umlaut if needed to be.
The second mode is used to select the command functions (along the top of the screen). To select a function, press the corresponding FUNCTION key (F1 - F10). The computer will immediately execute that function, just as if you had clicked on that button.
The method used to select items from the function menus is similar. Press the FUNCTION keys to select which option you wish (F1 - F10). For the Lesson menu, press the FUNCTION key (F1 - F10) to select lessons 1 through 10. Press SHIFT and the FUNCTION key (F1 - F10) to select lessons 11 through 20. Press CONTROL (Ctrl) and the FUNCTION key (F1 - F10) to select lessons 21 through 30.
From the help menu, press 'M' for the main help menu, or any other key to exit help. In the main help menu, select the topic by pressing F1 - F9. Press ESC to exit help.
In the graphs and charts menu, select the lesson to be displayed with the function keys. Use the same system as for the selecting the lesson to be worked on. To select which graph press the first letter of the name (for average, press 'V'). For the type and language press the first letter of the option. Note that unlike other areas of the tutor, the corresponding buttons will be depressed on the screen.
To load or delete sessions, select the session using the arrow keys, and Page Up and Page Down. They function exactly as the buttons on the screen do. Press 'L' or 'D' (or press ENTER) to load or delete respectively. Press ESC to return to the command screen.
Parts of the System
The tutor is divided into three area: the command menu, the submenus, and the learning environment. The command menu is also available while working with the words.
The command menu consists of seven large buttons along the top of the screen. They allow control of various parts of the system. To use one of the command buttons, either click it with the mouse, or press the corresponding FUNCTION key.
The mouse cursor will change to a small hand to remind you that you are in the command button area. Clicking on the Sproglogic name area has no effect.
Clicking any of the four buttons on the left will bring up the appropriate submenu. Each of these controls features of the system.
Each of the three buttons on the right selects which part of the system you are in.
The following sections will further explain each of these buttons.
The System Menu
The system menu is used to load and save sessions. A session must be loaded or created before work can be done.
Load a session
Use this option to load a session from the disk. A list of all sessions saved on the disk will be displayed. The session to be loaded is marked with an 'X'.
Use the four arrow buttons to move the 'X' to the session you wish to load. You may also click directly on the session name. See Appendix A for the keyboard equivalents of the buttons.
When you have selected the correct session, click the LOAD button or press 'L'. You will then be required to enter the password for that session. If you enter it correctly, the session will be loaded. If not, you will be returned to the command screen, without loading.
If you try to load a session that does not exist (there is no name next to the 'X') then you will be returned to the command screen.
If you do not wish to load a session, Click EXIT, or press ESC. This will take you back to the command screen.
Save a session
Use this option to save an already loaded session to the disk. The same name and password will be used, and you will be returned to command screen with no session loaded.
Use this option before you quit for the day, to save your work. If you forget, and QUIT without saving, you will be asked if you want to save.
Start a new session
This option is used to create a new session on the disk. You will be prompted for a first and last name, and a class. These will be echoed to the screen. They must be entered using the keyboard.
You will then be asked for a password. It will not be echoed to the screen. You will be asked to type it a second time. If the second time is different than the first, you will returned to the command screen, and the session will NOT be created. Use this to change your mind about creating a new session.
If everything was entered correctly, then you will be returned to the command screen with this new session loaded.
Delete a session
Use this option to delete a session that is no longer needed. It may only be used when there is no session loaded. Select the session to be deleted using either the buttons (see Appendix A for keyboard equivalents) or by clicking on the name to be deleted. You will be required to enter the password for that session. If you enter it correctly, the session will be deleted, if you enter it incorrectly, it will not. In either case, you will be returned to the command screen.
QUIT
This option will end the system. If there is a session loaded, then you will be asked if you wish to save your work. Select either option by clicking the appropriate button or pressing 'Y' to save or 'N' not to.
The Topic Menu
This menu is used to select the activity. Click the one that you want, or press the corresponding FUNCTION key (See Appendix A).
The Lesson Menu
This menu is used to select the starting and ending lessons. Select the starting lesson and the ending lesson with the keyboard or mouse. If the ending lesson is lower than the starting lesson, the ending lesson will be adjusted to be the same as the starting lesson.
The Level Menu
The level menu allows you to select what format the questions will take. True / False questions are considered the easiest. Next are multiple choice questions. For article practice, three different articles will be presented, and you must choose the correct one. For both translation and plurals, you will be given three different words, all of which will be in the correct form, you must identify which is the correct. For fill in the blank, you must supply the word using either the keyboard or the mouse. Spelling and capitalization must be correct.
Charts and Graphs
The charts and graphs menu allows you to see how you are doing in learning the words. You will be able to see how you did on the last attempt, how well you know the words, and how you are progressing. The last two statistics are averages, and are more accurate the more the system is used.
To see a chart or graph, first select the lesson you would like to see. Only one lesson may be selected at a time, but they may be cycled through without going back to the command screen. If you select a lesson for which there are no words loaded, then the words 'NO DATA will appear near the bottom of the button area.
Second, select which graph or chart you would like to see. Note that average is a composite score, and is only accurate after you have done an activity in each of the three groups.
Next, select what chart or graph you would like to see. Latest shows a chart of your last attempt at the words. The white bars are the words that you got correct. Black bars are words that you missed. Overall takes a composite of the last six times you have attempted the word. See table 2 for an explanation of the colors. Improvement is a graph of the your overall score for the last three attempts. It goes back a total of 8 attempts. The latest overall score is on the top, followed by the next latest overall, and then one before that. Color codes are the same as for overall score (see table 2).
Color Red Yellow Green White
Meaning Poor Average Good Excellent
Score < 70 70 - 105 106-151 152-222
Table 2
Finally select the language that the words will be displayed in. This only affects the displayed language and is provided for ease in seeing where problems are.
A graph or chart will now appear and show you how you have done. You can change any of the parameters by following the instructions above. It is not necessary to enter all four each time you want to see a graph, but nothing will show until you have selected something from each of the four areas (lesson, which, type, and language).
Click STOP! or press ESC to exit to the command screen.
The Help Menu
This menu will give help in navigating around the system. Help is generally available only from the command screen, but options from the main help menu will help in navigating around the system.
Start and Stop
This button is used to start and stop activities. It always displays what it will do. START means that you are not currently in an activity, but by pressing it, you will begin.
Likewise, STOP means that you are in the middle of an activity, and will halt it. It is not necessary to press STOP after the last word in a group, you will be returned to the command screen automatically.
Appendix A
(Only available in the full users manual, please register to receive)
Appendix B
Introduction to the German Language
German nouns have four cases: nominative, accusative, dative, and genitive. These correspond roughly to the English cases of subject, direct object, indirect object, and possessive. Like English, German has a plural form, however, unlike English, it differs in the indirect object (dative) case.
German has articles for both definite and indefinite cases. Unlike, English though, these article differ according to the gender of the noun. German has three genders: masculine, feminine, and neuter. See table 1 for the articles associated with the various cases.
This tutor concentrates on the definite articles for two reasons.. First, they are less straightforward, and require more practice to learn, and second because the indefinite articles follow a similar for. Learning the gender of a noun and having a good knowledge of table 1 is the best way to learn the words.
Appendix C
About Sproglogic
Sproglogic is a small company that exists to provide low cost educational and special purpose software. We cater especially to the school market, but many of our products can also be used for home learning.
If you have a product that you would like to see, or suggestions or complaints for an existing product, feel free to write to us, or to make use of our home BBS. The only way to give people what they want is by finding out what that is.
Although all of our current product line is educational software, we also do special programming jobs on an individual basis. If you would like more information, please write (or use our BBS), and give a description of what you need and a phone number we can contact you at.
Sproglogic
P.O. Box 397
Hancock, Mi 49930
BBS: (906) 487-9513 (9AM - 5PM Eastern Time ONLY)
Appendix D
Note to Schools
There is a support package available to schools and other organizations (it is also available to individuals, but not really needed) to facilitate the use of the system.
It allows teachers and administrators to track the progress of their students, and helps to integrate the program into a school curriculum.
Please write to us at Sproglogic, or call our BBS for more information on this product.
Some of it's features include:
Password recovery (for students who forget)
Print out of each students progress in each area
Print out summary of the class performance for a lesson
Creation of tests and answer keys for use in classroom
Warranty
This software and manual are provided "AS IS", without warranty as to their performance, merchantability, or fitness for any particular purpose.
To registered users of the product, Sproglogic will warranty the magnetic media to be free from defects for a period of one year. If the media is defective, please return it to Sproglogic, and we will replace the media with a new one. This warranty only covers normal use. Abuse or destruction of the media will void this warranty.
Limits of Liability
Except as provided here, Sproglogic shall not be liable or responsible to the customer or any other persons, organizations, or entity with respect to any liability, loss or damage caused by or alleged to be caused directly or indirectly by this software, including, but not limited to any interruption of service, loss of business or anticipatory profits or consequential damages resulting from the use, misuse, or operation of this software.
Copyright
This software has been copyrighted. You may make backup copies for personal use only. Under no circumstances may you have more copies of this program running at the same time than you have purchased. You may not sell more copies of this program than you have purchased from Sproglogic. Dealers must contact Sproglogic directly. Violation of copyright law can result in fines of up to $100,000.
