NGS PictureShow CD-ROMs enliven basic educational concepts in science and social studies through multimedia presentations. Each CD-ROM includes two shows on related subjects keyed to school curricula. You can select one of three viewing options for each show: a large-screen version, a small-screen version, or a read-along version. You can choose an audio track in either English or Spanish. You can also find additional information on the subject of each show on the CD-ROM. A Student Information file provides background information and a list of key points for each show as well as a glossary. The Classroom Activities section contains suggestions for group discussion and follow-up activities to help students reinforce and extend their understanding of the material. Assessment Sheets allow students to test their knowledge.
NGS PictureShow has been designed to be played on as broad a spectrum of computers as possible. Although we are confident every computer meeting our equipment specifications will be able to run the product, one optionΓÇöthe large showΓÇöis intended for high-end equipment.
MINIMUM HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE REQUIREMENTS
ΓÇó Multimedia PCΓäó with at least 16 MB RAM and a PentiumΓäó microprocessor
• Microsoft® Windows® version 95 or later
ΓÇó DirectX version 3.0 or later is recommended
ΓÇó Monitor with at least 256 colors (NGS PictureShow will look best if you select a resolution of 640 x 480 pixels)
ΓÇó Quad-speed CD-ROM drive
INSTALLING NGS PICTURESHOW
To install NGS PictureShow, follow the steps below.
1. Turn on the computer and monitor, and start Windows. If Windows is already running, quit any applications that are in use.
2. Insert the NGS PictureShow CD-ROM into the CD-ROM drive
3. From the Start button, choose RUN.
4. Assuming your CD-ROM drive is D, in the box with the flashing cursor, type D:\SETUP and click OK.
5. Follow the instructions that appear on the screen to complete the installation process.
6. When installation is complete, a dialog box will tell you so. Click CLOSE to exit the Setup program.
7. Restart the computer and start Windows.
NGS PICTURESHOW FEATURES
Each of the two shows on the CD-ROM offers the features listed below.
ΓÇó Large/Small Viewing Option
The two options for screen size are large and small. The large show option provides the larger viewing screen. (Note: The large show option works properly only on high-end computer systems. For more information, see the TROUBLESHOOTING section of this guide.) The small show option presents the show on a smaller viewing screen. This option is designed to play on all computers meeting the minimum equipment specifications.
ΓÇó Captions/No Captions Option
The captioned show option displays the show along with captions, allowing users to read along. The captioned show is presented on the smaller viewing screen.
ΓÇó English and Spanish Narration
You can hear the narration and see the captions in either English or Spanish.
STARTING NGS PICTURESHOW AND OPENING A SHOW
1. If the NGS PictureShow CD-ROM is not already in the CD-ROM drive, insert it.
2. From the My Computer menu, double-click the CD-ROM drive. On the CD-ROM drive menu, double click PROGRAM or PROGRAM.EXE. The NGS PictureShow will begin with title screens and theme music. The NGS PictureShow Menu screen will appear automatically.
3. Click the title of the show you would like play. The show opens. The default is for the small-size viewing window with English narration and with no captions. If you would like to see the show using the default options, click the PLAY button to start the show. If you do not wish to see the show using the default options, you may choose other options.
4. If the narration is playing in English, clicking the ENG./SPAN. button switches the narration to Spanish. If Spanish is playing, clicking the button changes the narration to English.
5. When the smaller size screen is open, clicking the LG./SM. button changes the viewing screen to the larger size (captions are not available in the larger size); when the large screen is open, clicking the button changes the viewing screen to the smaller size.
6. If the captions are on screen, clicking the CAP./NO CAP. button removes the captions. When the small viewing screen is open and there are no captions, clicking the CAP./NO CAP. button brings up the captions.
7. Click the PLAY button to play a show. YouΓÇÖll notice that the PLAY button changes to a STOP button. When you want to stop playing a show, click the STOP button (which now changes to a PLAY button).
USING THE CONTROLS TO OPERATE A SHOW
The control bar is the horizontal bar that extends along the bottom edge of the viewing screen. The controls you use to operate a show are on the bar.
ΓÇó The PLAY/STOP button. When you open a show, the button has the word PLAY on it. When you click the PLAY button, the show begins to play and the PLAY button changes to a STOP button. When you click the STOP button, the show stops playing and the button changes back to a PLAY button. Click the PLAY button again to continue playing the show.
ΓÇó The Forward and Reverse buttons. The Forward button is located on the immediate right of the PLAY/STOP button. The Reverse button is located on the immediate left of the PLAY/STOP button. Click the Forward button to advance the show. Click the Reverse button to move the show backward. The Forward and Reverse buttons move the show in very small increments.
ΓÇó The Go to Beginning of Movie button. The Go to Beginning of Movie button, located on the far left on the control bar, looks like a single arrow pointing left. Click the Go to Beginning of Movie button to go to the beginning of the show.
ΓÇó The Volume button. The Volume button, located to the far right of the control bar, looks like a bell. To change the volume of the show, click the Volume button. A sectioned bar appears with the numbers 0 through 7. Choose a smaller number to decrease the volume, and choose a larger number to increase the volume.
At any time, you can click the MENU button to return to the Menu screen. You can click the QUIT button at any time to quit NGS PictureShow.
VIEWING SUPPLEMENTARY TEXT
In addition to the two multimedia shows, the CD-ROM includes a variety of supplementary text documents:
ΓÇó Narration Scripts provide the complete text of each show, in both English and Spanish. (The SCRIPT (Narration) button is available once a show has been chosen from the Menu screen.)
ΓÇó This UserΓÇÖs Guide provides detailed instructions for using NGS PictureShow.
ΓÇó A Classroom Activities section contains suggestions for group discussion and follow-up activities to help students reinforce and extend their understanding of the material.
ΓÇó A Student Information file lists the key points of each show, offers background information on the subject of each show, and provides a glossary of the important terms used.
ΓÇó Four Assessment SheetsΓÇötwo for each showΓÇöallow students to test their knowledge.
ΓÇó About NGS PictureShow lists the production credits for this CD-ROM, including the names of the photographers who provided the images.
To view one of these documents, follow these instructions.
1. To view a Narration Script, you must first open the show you want. Then click the ENG./SPAN. button to play the show in the language of your choice. Click the SCRIPT button for the appropriate show. The Narration Script for that show will appear. Once you click the SCRIPT button, it changes to a RETURN button. Click the RETURN button to return to the verbal narration of the show. To view any of the other documents, click one of the buttons along the right side of the Menu screen.
2. When the document appears, click the up or down arrows on the scroll bar to scroll forward or backward through the document. (When viewing the Assessment Sheets, click the NEXT button under the text block to move forward from one sheet to the next. Click the BACK button to move backward from one sheet to the next.)
PRINTING TEXT
You can print any of the text documents included on the CD-ROM. To print a document, follow these instructions.
1. On the Menu screen, click the name of the document you want to print. The document appears.
2. Click PRINT. The Print Setup dialog box appears.
3. Click OK or PRINT to print the document.
COPYING TEXT
You can copy any of the text documents included on the CD-ROM to your hard drive. To copy a document, follow these instructions.
1. On the Menu screen, click the name of the document you want to print. The document appears.
2. Click the COPY button.
3. A dialog box appears asking where you want to save your document. Make your choices and click OK or SAVE, depending on what appears on your screen. When you copy one of the text documents on the CD-ROM, the entire document is copied; delete any parts that you do not want.
PRINTING PICTURES
You can print any of the pictures included in the shows. [WARNING: The digitized images on this CD-ROM are protected by copyright. You may print the images for classroom use, but you do not have unlimited rights to use the images. Any commercial use, unauthorized reproduction, or distribution is prohibited by law.]
To print a picture, follow these instructions:
1. Select the appropriate viewing option for the show from which you want to print. (To print a picture at a large scale, use the LG./SM. button to bring up the size screen you prefer. The picture will print at the size screen you choose.)
2. Using the control bar, locate the picture that you want to print. (For more information on using the control bar, see the section USING THE CONTROLS TO OPERATE A SHOW.) If you want to print a picture that is part of a motion sequence, you may want to use the Forward and Reverse buttons to locate the exact view you want.
3. Click PRINT on the Menu bar at the top of your PictureShow screen.
4. When the Print dialog box appears, click PRINT.
MAKING A REPORT USING PICTURES AND TEXT
You can copy any of the pictures included in the shows, with or without captions, and save these pictures to your hard drive. You can then create text or paste text into the document to make an illustrated report. To make a report, follow these instructions:
1. Select the appropriate viewing option for the show from which you want to copy. (To copy a picture along with its caption, be sure you have selected the language you want, then use the CAP./NO CAP. button to bring up the caption text.) To copy a picture without its caption, select either the large or small viewing screen.
2. Using the control bar, locate the picture that you want to copy. (For more information on using the control bar, see the section USING THE CONTROLS TO OPERATE A SHOW.) If you want to copy a picture that is part of a motion sequence, you may want to use the Forward and Reverse buttons to locate the exact view you want.
3. Click COPY.
4. A dialog box appears asking where you want to save this file. Make your choices and click OK or SAVE. This file is now available for you to use when you need it. Repeat this step for each picture and text document that you want to copy and use in your report. When you copy one of the text documents on the CD-ROM, the entire document is copied; delete any parts that you do not want.
5. Open your word-processing program, and open or create a document.
6. Consult the manual that came with your word-processing program for instructions on pasting a picture into your document.
7. Insert into the document whatever text you want. You can type in your own text, or you can copy and paste text from any of the text documents you copied from the CD-ROM. (For instructions on copying text documents, see the section COPYING TEXT.)
TROUBLESHOOTING
If you have any questions about using the NGS PictureShow CD-ROM, contact our Hot Line via fax at 1-248-848-2195 anytime, Attn: National Geographic Hotline Staff. Include your fax number for a quick response, or email: ngshotline@aol.com. If you are having technical difficulty, the following information may help you.
ΓÇó The computer wonΓÇÖt play the show properlyΓÇöfor example, the narration skips and the show appears jerky.
Be sure that your CD-ROM drive is quad-speed or better. NGS PictureShow will not play properly on an older CD-ROM drive.
Try setting your computer to display 256 colors instead of 65,000 or 16,000,000 colors.
It might be that you have selected a show size that is too large for your computer system. If you have been using the large show option, use small show option instead. The small show should play properly on all computers meeting the equipment specifications.
ΓÇó The narration skips and the show appears jerky when I use the controls to move forward or backward in a show.
If you use the controls to move forward or backward in a show while the show is playing, the show will take a little time to catch up before it can play smoothly again. The amount of time depends on your computer system.
ΓÇó My screensaver comes on while a show is playing.
Reset your screensaver so that it comes on after 30 minutes or more or deactivate the screensaver while you are using NGS PictureShow.
