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1994-01-23
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12KB
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242 lines
Welcome to Drill-Team, version 1.0. Jan 1994
--------------------------------------------
This program helps your child learn the multiplication tables.
While there are many programs that attempt to make games of
learning, this program is based on these premises:
- ultimately the multiplication tables must be memorized
- memorization comes automatically, as a by-product, of repetition
- the program can enforce repetition and track results; however,
you must get your child to participate in the program.
The simple solution - a BRIBE. An agreement.
The child completes 21 lessons, and you deliver a reward.
You agree upon a reward (a toy, a book, a trip, money, whatever) before
the child starts the program.
The right / wrong counts are for the parents to evaluate proficiency
and measure improvement. I believe the child should receive the reward
regardless of the final score. The reward should be for completing the
program, no matter how many the child gets wrong. (However, to discourage
simply rushing through the drills by guessing, you might have to insist
on some minimum correct repsonses).
Installation
------------
1. Copy DRILLTM.EXE to any directory on your hard disk
2. Using the Program Manager File menu, select "New", then select "Item"
3. For Description, type anything (like "DrillTm"). Then click the "Browse"
button; naviagte to the directory that you copied DRILLTM.EXE to, and
double click on DRILLTM.EXE
4. Click OK; Then double click on the DrillTm Icon to run.
Note: To run this program, you need to have the file BWCC.DLL in your
WINDOWS\SYSTEM directory; BWCC.DLL is not included with this program
because it is a large (?) file - about 152,000 bytes, and you
probably already have this file. This is a standard file, and should
be readily available from the BBS or shareware distributor that
you received this program from. It is avaiable on Compuserve as
BWCC.ZIP (40k) - GO BDEVTOOLS.
Alternative: Send $15 payment for program and receive latest version.
------------ Includes the file BWCC.DLL and professional installation
program. Simply place disk in drive A, and from Program
Manager File Menu, select Run and type a:install. (Please
specify if you want shipment immediately, or if you prefer
to wait for the next upgrade).
Upon starting, the program will prompt for the student name.
1. If you click Ok without entering a name, the program will
put you in "practice mode". It will continually ask randomly
selected multiplication problems (each number between 0
and 12). It does not record the scores in practice mode.
2. If you enter a name that has never been entered before,
the program will ask if you want to take the initial exam.
A) If you select no:
- The program will never prompt that student again to take the
initial exam.
- The program will expect you to complete a lesson a day
for 21 days.
- A hint button is available. It draws a picture of the problem
(for example 3 X 4 becomes three boxes containing 4 apples),
where the student can physically COUNT the apples to get the
correct answer. To make counting easier, two buttons are available:
"Group by 5" and "Group by 10". These cause the apples to
alternate in color (red, then green) in groups of 5 or 10,
to make counting easier. If the answer has "remaining" apples
(I.E. is not perfectly divisible by 5 or 10) they
appear colored BLUE.
A "Flip" button reverses the order of the problem on the hint
screen; for example, "3 times 4" becomes "4 times 3".
To exit the "hint" screen, simply click on any visible portion of
the program's main window. It will be brought to the "top", and
the hint window will close automatically after the "go" (geen
traffic signal) button is clicked.
- Each lesson gets progressively more difficult. The questions
begin with a (boring) familiar pattern, but diversifies as time
goes on.
- A lesson consists of 50 questions.
- Right and Wrong answers are recorded (in file STUDENT.DAT,
where "STUDENT" is the name entered by the student).
- You may complete more than one lesson per day, if desired.
- You can quit in the middle of a lesson, and resume at that
point the next time you run the program using the same name.
B) If you select yes:
- the program will ask 50 preselected questions.
- the Hint button is disabled
- each question has a 20 second time limit.
- All answers are recorded (in file NAME.PRE).
- If the student leaves in the middle of the Initil Exam,
it cannot be resumed; it must be restarted from the beginning,
or skipped entirely.
- After the test is taken, running the program again will start at
the first lesson (as described in part A above).
- At the end of the 21 lessons, the student should take the pre-test
again. Simply start the program under a different name (like Johnny2,
for example). It uses the IDENTICAL preselected problems from the
initial exam, so you can measure amount of improvement.
3. When a lesson is completed, the program switches to "Practice" mode,
until the student exits the program by clicking the (though the door)
exit button.
4. A certificate is available upon completion of the 21 lessons. You can
view and print the certificate any time, by clicking the "Award" button.
However, the certificate will use "no name" as the name.
Upon completion of all lessons, the program will prompt you to enter
the student's full name (to be printed on the certificate).
5. There is a "View / Edit History" option on the main menu. Choosing this
ends the program, and invokes NOTEPAD.EXE to edit the student's data file.
Here you can view and print all questions answered by the student thus
far (except the pretest; to access it, choose File | Open from NOTEPAD's
main menu, and enter "Student.PRE" for the filename, where student is the
name entered by the student when starting the program.)
You can even use Notepad to "cheat" - that is change a wrong answer,
if the student accidentally keys in a wrong answer, and gets upset (?)
about it. You must choose FILE | SAVE from Notepad's main menu to save
any changes you make to the history data file.
Additional thoughts on this program:
------------------------------------
You might wonder why this program doesn't also do addition, subtraction,
and division, or why it does not let you select the number of questions,
number of "days", or difficulty of the questions. All of these options are
simlpe to program for.
Well, rather than overwhelm you with a million configuration options, I
felt it would be more effective to approach it with "here's a program,
please try it". No options, just take it right out of the box and follow
it. By taking away all the configuration options, I hoped to take away
the hassle having to decide which configuration is best for your child.
That means that some portion of each lesson will be too simple, and other
parts too difficult for the student. But that also means that all the
student has to do is follow it. No arguements as to whether it's too hard
or too easy. There's no choice in the matter. You're forced to take it or
leave it.
But what we're really interested in here is repetition. Just getting the
child to do the exercises. Fifty questions a day is a lot, but not such a lot
that it's too much to ask. And the student can always quit in the middle of
a lesson, and restart the next day where he or she left off.
Although twenty one days is awhile, it is not such a long while that the
end is not in sight. And even the hardest question is not impossible with
the hint / count option.
So all you have to do is say to your child "Do this for 3 weeks and I'll
buy you a ___________". Yes, you'll have to spend some time teaching the
child how to click the buttons with the mouse, but after that, hopefully
you're out of the loop. And you'll be able to see how if the child is
soing the program, by choosing the View history option, or simply by reading
the title bar of the program, which tells what day and question they are
currently on.
And after 21 days, even if they've learned NOTHING, they deserve the
reward for actually doing the work. They will at least have learned the
value of completing a task in exchange for some form of renumeration.
And hopefully, they've learned the multiplication tables as a by product.
Good luck.
Note:
-----
This is not a free program. If you continue to use this program beyond a
10 day evaluation period, then please pay for it. You will receive the most
recent version of the program, with the shareware notices removed.
If you already have the current version, you will receive the next version,
when available. Please specify which version you have. If a more current
version is not immediately available, you will be promptly notified as to
when you may expect to receive it.
Warranty
--------
There is no warranty, period.
Steve Leonard specifically disclaims all warranties, expressed or implied.
Use this product at your own risk.
In no event shall Steve Leonard be liable for any loss of profit,
or any other damages or loss incurred because of this product.
Distribution of these programs:
-------------------------------
You are encouraged to give away copies of this program. Shareware companies
may include this program on the same dik with other products.
The only requirement is that this DOC file is included, and not altered.
If you continue to use this program after an initial 10 day evaluation
period, then you are required to send a $15 payment to:
Steve Leonard
212 Green Springs Ln.
Madison, AL 35758
I may be reached on Compuserve at : 73557,203
The shareware concept
---------------------
What is Shareware?
It is not a type of program, but rather a DISTRIBUTION METHOD.
With a shareaware program, you get to try the program first, before you
buy it. That way, you can determine if the product fits your needs before
spending your money. Since the product is not sold in stores, which exist
to make a profit, and in turn buy from a distributor who also needs and
deserves a profit, the cost to get the product to you is much lower,
and so is your price.
You are not paying for advertising and packaging. These are real cost
savings. Most shareware authors cannot afford the enormous advertising
and marketing costs to put a product on the store shelves. Without the
shareware method of distribution, this product would never be available to
you. Consequently, you have access to try many more programs than would
otherwise be possible.
Do people really "register" (send payment)?
Yes.
How often / how many?
Well, I can only speak from first hand experience. In the hundreds.
Why should people pay when they already have the program?
A. To be legal
B. To be moral / ethical
C. To support the author, who will then create more shareware programs,
so the user community ultimately benefits.
D. Receive the next version of the program.
As a paying customer, your opinion really matters. You have a say as to
what goes in to the next version. Please use the comments on the
registration form to descibe any additional features you would like to
see in this program.