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Text File | 2006-10-19 | 11KB | 328 lines

 ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN
 LIMA NEWSLETTER APRIL 1992


     ~~~~~ TI-101 ~~~~~
     OUR 4/A UNIVERSITY

     by Jack Sughrue
     Box 459
     E.Douglas MA 01516

     #3 DOCENTS
     To Whom One Turns

     You people up back, let's have
 your attention up here!
     Save your questions until the
 end, as I'll probably answer them
 along the way, anyway.
     First, make sure you have your
 notebooks open and pens at the ready.
 There are lots of important names and
 addresses I'll be giving out.  Only
 once.  So, if you miss them the first
 time, it's as the French say, "Zee
 tough cookie."
     Second, in my hand I have a
 SOFTWARE EXCITEMENT Catalog.  These
 $2 catalogs are for the IBM
 compatibles, Amigas, Macs,
 Commodores, and Apples.  They are
 typical of the user-supported
 shareware-type catalogs for those
 machines, most of which contain the
 same items no matter who publishes
 them.  Let's look at what they have
 to offer for $4 per PROGRAM!  If you
 buy a dozen programs they go for $3
 each. 20 brings the price down to
 $2.50.  When you order more than 50
 of these programs the price gets down
 to $2 each.  Plus shipping charges
 and a $3 handling and packing fee.
 But there are only 30 educational
 programs total, pre-school through
 college, anyway, so you couldn't even
 order 50 educational programs if you
 wanted to.  But one has to be
 careful, even if you have a dozen
 children from ages 3 to 23.  AMEMCMP
 (a memory game), for example,
 requires 640K (YES! 640!), a VGA or
 EGA monitor, AND a hard drive.  Whew!
 Sure makes our little, very
 inexpensive, 32K TIs with
 single/single drives look puny,
 doesn't it? Or does it? What does
 this program do? You match up hidden
 pairs.  It's a fancy variation of
 Concentration.
     There is also a program called
 WORD GALLERY which helps children
 associate the printed word with the
 object it describes.  (Doesn't that
 sound a bit like a few cartridges TI
 made about a decade ago?)  There are
 also math programs that teach
 counting, addition, and subtraction
 through endless patience and some
 graphics and games.  (More cartridge
  deja vu ?) There's also  French and
 Spanish tutorials.  And so on.
     Anyway, if you have a use for any
 such fanciness or even ALL of these
 30 programs, they will cost you about
 $70.

     Now, we'll begin with THE
 important educational resources of
 today's American TI Community.
     As I'm not reading from my full
 notes today, Class, I'm afraid I'll
 be leaving out a few important
 resources unintentionally.  Consider
 checking this out and locating the
 missing sources as part of your
 assignment for next time.
     Meanwhile, let me start with some
 comparisons to this $2 shareware
 catalog in my hand.  There's a
 wonderful programmer and writer in
 Columbus by the name of Jim Peterson.
 He has a one-man company which has no
 equal for any other computer in the
 country.  It's called TIGERCUB
 SOFTWARE (156 Collingwood Ave.,
 Whitehall, OH 43213) and offers
 disks at $1.50 each (postpaid for 8
 or more).  Disks!  Not programs.  And
 he has over 550 different disks!
 Jam-packed full of the best authors
 in the TI World, arranged by category
 and auto-loaded from a super menu.
 We're talking THOUSANDS of Public
 Domain and Shareware programs.  Let's
 look under education, for example,
 where, along with the games sections,
 you can find not 30 but THOUSANDS of
 programs, various Concentrations just
 being a smidgeon of these.  For
 example, there are three disks full
 of programs just for Vocabulary &&
 Reading and 15! for math (to name a
 couple).  Here are the programs from
 just ONE of these Vocabulary &&
 Reading disks: Adjective to Adverb,
 Noun to Adjective, Learning to 'ing'
 It, Plural Endings, Animal
 Multitudes, Doctor Who, Vocabulary,
 Vocabulary Quiz, Syllables, Reading
 Practice, Speed Reading, Tense Time,
 Synonyms && Antonyms, Read-Fast, and
 Vocabulary II.  15 educational
 programs for $1.50! Or, in this case,
 just 10 CENTS A PROGRAM! (Or, put
 another way, about 30 programs for
 $3, instead of $70, as is the case
 with the "other" computer.) In
 addition to some neat graphics, some
 of these programs have real speech!
 All for a dime.  Nothing's been a
 dime since Nixon took us off the gold
 standard: not a pack of gum, not a
 comic book, not a candy bar.  But
 now, thanks to Jim Peterson and
 TIGERCUB, the dimey has returned to
 those fortunate enough to own a
 TI-99/4A.  Top quality for wonderful
 prices.  To get his catalog ($1
 deductible on first order) is like
 rolling Chanukah, Kwanzaa, Christmas,
 Druidic Solstice, and 55 Birthdays
 all into one computing event.
     I tell you, Class, it'll make
 your mouth water.
     But where was I?
     Oh, yes, TI resources for
 educational goodies.  Er, tools.
 Educational tools and materials.
     Obviously, if you own a disk
 drive, TIGERCUB is an enormous
 resource.
     The next best resource is an
 active user group.  Makes no
 difference if you live in East
 Douglas or Venedocia (if there really
 are such places), you can make the
 connection by joining by mail.  I
 belong to a few user groups.  In
 addition to monthly newsletters,
 which keep me very informed and up to
 date on TI matters of importance, I
 am also afforded the opportunity of
 participating in the treasure chests
 called Club Libraries.  I'll use the
 Lima, Ohio, group as an example.
 (Lima UG, P.O. Box 647, Venedocia,
 Ohio, 45894).  For my $15 dollars a
 year I receive a MONTHLY newsletter
 of original articles, reviews,
 advice, programs, you-name-its.  Also
 I automatically receive important
 updates of FUNNELWEB, the most used
 piece of software in the TI disk
 world. I have access to a zillion
 world-wide newsletters and other
 pieces of textware, not to mention
 the expertise of a truly sharing
 collection of hard-working, friendly
 99ers.  I am also entitled to the
 free library of cassettes and disks
 put together by this small, dedicated
 contingent of TI goodfellas (and
 gals).  This means that I can look
 over the immense LIMA catalog at my
 home in Massachusetts and send
 cassettes and postage or disks and
 postage and get ANYTHING I want for
 nada, zilch, zero, cribbage 19,
 nothing.  Beat that one, Kiddos!
     Oops!  As I was saying, we must
 look into our educational resources.
 There are many other user groups,
 too, Class.  My local M.U.N.C.H.^(560
 Lincoln Street, P.O.^Box 7193,
 Worcester, MA 01605) is probably my
 best personal resource, as I attend
 our monthly meetings and fairs and so
 on.  We do lots of demos and hands-on
 type things and help each other
 whenever possible.  Anyway, Class, if
 you can find a local group you can go
 to for meetings, that's another great
 resource, but at least join one by
 mail if there are no locals.
     And attend at least one TI Faire
 somewhere once a year, even if (as I
 do) you have to travel over 800
 miles.  It's worth it for all the...
     If you'd hold the talking down
 back there, it would be greatly
 appreciated.  We're running out of
 time, and I did want to...
     Okay, Mr.^Shakespeare, what is
 the question?  I suppose that's the
 only way I can get you to stop waving
 your hand.
     Listen up, Class!  Listen up!
 Mr.^Shakespeare over by the window
 wants to know about some of the
 educational software.  He says he has
 a nephew in junior high who is having
 trouble reading and two
 granddaughters who are 8 and 4,
 respectively, and wants to know what
 the TI can do for him.
     Yes, yes, Ms.^Bronte, I'm AM
 going to tell you about educational
 software for people our age, too, but
 we won't be able to get into too much
 of that for a few sessions.
     Right now, though, I'd just like
 to tell you about a few people who
 had some visions.  It might help.
     Terrie Masters, who used to be
 president of the Los Angeles group,
 spoke to me a few years ago about
 doing some educational networking
 with our TI educators.  I've also
 discussed that same thing more than
 once with Charlie Good (Lima UG). And
 Sister Pat Taylor (1050 Carmel Drive
 #456, Dubuque, Iowa, 52001). And John
 Willforth (RFD #1, Box 73A,
 Jeannette, PA 15644). And Janet Ryan
 and her daughter Jennifer (10 Jolly
 Road, Ellington, CT 06029).  And
 Mickey Schmitt (196 Broadway Ave.,
 Lower Burrell, PA 15068). And Mike
 Wright (45 Centerville Drive, Salem,
 NH 03079).  And Jim Horn
 [EXTENSIVELY] (P.O.^Box 244, Lorton,
 VA 22079). And Rodger Merritt (1949
 Evergreen Ave., Fullerton, CA 92635).
 And fellow elementary teacher Phil
 Townsend (c.o.^ Kawartha 99ers, 224
 Woodward Ave., Peterborough, Ontario,
 Canada, K9L 1J7). And Eunice Spooner
 (Webb Rd., Box 3720, Waterville, ME
 04901). And Barry Traver (835 Green
 Valley Dr., Philadelphia, PA 19128).
 And OFTEN with Jim Peterson.  And,
 once with educational programmer Don
 Shorock (P.O.Box 501, Great Bend, KS
 67530).  And very often with Chris
 Bobbitt even before he founded ASGARD
 (P.O.  Box 10306, Rockville, MD
 20850).  And piles of teachers and
 interested parents and grandparents.
      An educational network has been
 a hot topic for many years in our
 community.  As a matter of fact,
 Terrie mentioned a teacher by the
 name of Joy Warner (Box 518,
 Mt.Baldy, CA 91759, whose daughter is
 a pilot and was in the recent winter
 olympics as a "lugist," one of those
 incredible sledders) who was bent on
 getting a network going.  This past
 year Joy flew all over America trying
 to help Terrie's dream come true by
 meeting with as many TIers as she
 could meet during her whirlwind
 tour.
     She discovered, as I did, that
 there is already much of that network
 in place and ready to connect.  Jim
 Peterson has his TIGERCUB marvel.
 Charlie has been testing (with his
 own wonderful tykes) all kinds of
 marvelous and rare TI educational
 programs from Milliken, Scholastic,
 Disney, and so on.  Mike and Charlie,
 along with Gary Taylor from
 Pittsburgh have been competing for
 ownership of the ulitimate TI
 Collection (in fable known as the TI
 Grail).  Eunice Spooner not only runs
 the only all-kids TI user group in
 America but has the best LOGO video
 and disk program money ($10) can buy.
 Bill Gaskill and Ron Albright have
 been (to our 99 history) the best
 thing to happen to us.  Bill still
 is.  Dick Altman's wonderful Fairware
 List is now in the capable hands of
 Ida McCargar of the Southwest 99ers
 (P.O.Box 17831, Tucson, AZ 85730).
     Oh, sorry, Ms.^Bronte, I didn't
 notice the time.  Anyway, keep this
 list.  It's important when it comes
 time for the final.  Guaranteed this
 material will be on it.
     Did I mention NOTUNG?  Or
 Tex-Comp? Or COMPRODINE?  Or
 MICROpendium?
     Or Regena?  I didn't mention
 Regena?  Quick.  Write down REGENA,
 918 Cedar Knolls West, Cedar City, UT
 84720.
     Ciao!

    (Now let's see.  Who did I leave
 off this list?  And where does the
 time go?)
     .PL 1