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2006-10-19
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.IF DSK1.C3
^^^^^^^^^TEXTWARE, SOFTWARE, and ELSEWHERE
^^^^^^^^^^TI Articles and Reviews
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^by Jack Sughrue
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^THE EVERYTHING TEACHER
Although this month's review is about THE
EVERYTHING TEACHER by Intellestar ($39.95 -
Intellestar, 25 West Middle Lane, Rockville,
MD 20850), I must first interject a couple
paragraphs about Super Sketch and add to the
reviews being done in user-group newsletters
Super Sketch is one of the best computer
sketch pad I've used for ANY computer; the
best for the TI. I've used similar pads on
the Apple in school and some of the other
computers in stores. They are all extremely
expensive but, in some cases (Apple,
particularly), not as sensitive.
In addition to doing some of the normal
sketch pad delights (automatic fill, texture
layering, pattern and thickness brush
strokes, full 16 solid colors, instant menu
and return, Super Sketch has a very easy SAVE
and LOAD feature. (Some pads do not have a
SAVE feature.) And it draws lines, rays, and
boxes from points! This is an amazing
feature. And, as other reviews mentioned, it
permits a pixel-by-pixel erasure. It does a
pile of other marvelous things, too, but they
are more complex to write about than do. (As
a point of interest, I brought the thing into
my fifth-grade class the day after I bought
it. "Here," I said to a trio of youngsters,
"try this." Without even asking what it was,
they took it out of the box, plugged it in,
and sailed away ((without even using the
tracing package that comes with it or without
looking into the manual [as all adults would
have had to do].)) Within minutes they not
only got the hang of it and were making
rather beautiful computer paintings, but
within a few minutes of that they were
teaching other classmates how to use this
tool [toy].)
Do you teach kids? Do you have kids? Is
there still a kid locked inside you? Did you
ever have the desire to be an artist? Get
Super Sketch and live a life of exciting
adventure.
>>> How about starting a swap-sketches
club through our dubbing system? Everyone
who has (or will have) made a tape of their
computer painting, bring it in to your user
group and see if we can get a national
swapper going. How many SSs are there out
there? Trade with other artists. I, for
one, would like to share this experience. <<<
But all is not strawberry shortcake. The
one big flaw - BIG flaw - is that that SS
will not give you a hard copy. This is its
biggest drawback. I prefer the sketchpadness
over the other artist programs like GRAPHX
(which is far superior in many other ways to
SS) and TI ARTIST). Though I understand
there is a disk program available now to
allow you to print out your graphics files
made from SS. Haven't used it; haven't even
seen it in operation, so I can't comment on
it. I do hope it solves this problem.<<<
Now where was I?
Oh, yes, Intellestar. How could I forget
them. I purchased a package from them
recently called THE EVERYTHING TEACHER. It
contains six tapes (You can opt for disks.),
a very long (11 full pages) manual, and a
binder/tape holder. Although it is a lot,
THE EVERYTHING TEACHER is not everything. It
doesn't even come close to being everything
that a teacher should be (maybe I'm paranoid,
as a teacher), but it is a heck of a lot.
And what it is is really excellent.
There are four separate games included in
the package: excellent graphics. The "TV
Sweepstakes" is a panel game just like on
the tube, but the questions and answers are
yours. Goofy-looking quizmaster and panelists
add to the fun and there can be a bit of fun
here, too, even in a "testing" situation.
"Baseball" is a two-player (or two-team)
game structured to move players around a
baseball diamond and in to score if your
questions are answered correctly. I didn't
like this as well, though the kids did, and
that is what I bought it for.
"Space Patrol - Lost!" is a bit livelier
and faster and (for me) much more appealing.
The final game -"Last Jellybean on
Earth" - had even more going for it in its
crazy sweets resulting in tooth decay
theme. I liked this one, too. In all cases,
the theme and the individual questions and
answers are yours. My students are looking
forward to the day when they'll create the
"test" situations.
Will it be easy for them?
A rhetorical question. I already know the
answer. Yes!
Thanks to a fifth tape: "The E.T. File
Editor. This ingenious program lets you
load multiple-choice, true-false, or any kind
of question/answer you want, and then store
it for later use (when it's time to study
bones or leaves or states or money or parts
of speech or multiplication of mixed
fractions). And you can load that
information into any of the four game
programs at any time with any large or small
group. Very easily.
Program Six is a sample file so you can
immediately access the system's games. Fun
and learning are really combined here.
Intellestar has done it again.
Their programs are all in Extended BASIC
and, like the comments on the Super Sketch,
if you are, know, or would like to be a kid,
Intellestar programs are your meat.
Ask for their catalog at the above
address. Their programs are peculiar and
fascinating. After a friend had given me
Vyger as a gift, I knew they had me hooked.
I couldn't wait to get THE EVERYTHING
TEACHER. When I finally save up enough to
buy the LIFE SCIENCE SERIES, I'll do another
Intellestar review. (This series has three
tapes on The Cells, one called Heart Attack,
and another call Inside Frankie Stein.)
Meanwhile, I'd highly recommend VYGER and
THE EVERYTHING TEACHER even if you get it for
its clever, easily-accessed data base to make
your own trivia games or whatever.
[Jack Sughrue, Box 459, E.Douglas, MA
01516]
***********
If any newsletter editor prints these
articles, please put me on your mailing list.
Thanks - JS
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