9 How To Integrate Lester McMultiply Into Your Classroom Routine
10 Warranty, Updates, Upgrades
How to Register...
Pricing:
Single User - $15
Site License (one school) - $80
District Site License - $600
Payment By Check or Cash:
Paying for Lester McMultiply is fairly simple.
1. Open the Register program that accompanies Lester McMultiply.
2. Enter your name, your e-mail address, and the number of single user licenses you desire for each program you wish to purchase (or Site or District licenses).
3. Save or Copy or Print the data from the Register program and send the data and payment to Kagi.
Kagi handles my payment processing. If you are paying with a cash or a check (U.S. Dollars, please!), you should print the data using the Register application and send it to the address shown on the form, which is:
Kagi
1442-A Walnut Street #392-KQ
Berkeley, California 94709-1405
USA
Payment by Purchase Order:
Kagi software does not handle purchase orders, but I do! Here is the info you’ll need to complete your purchase order. If for some strange reason you wish to enclose a check with your order, please make sure it’s made out to Richard MacLemale:
Please note that I do not own a fax machine, nor do I wish to!
After I receive your purchase order, I will mail (or e-mail) you a copy of the program on a floppy disk, an invoice, and your registration code. You may then send me a check (payable to Richard MacLemale).
Payment by Credit Card or First Virtual:
If paying with Credit Card or First Virtual, you can e-mail or fax the data to Kagi. Their e-mail address is sales@kagi.com and their fax number is +1 (510) 652-6589. You can either Copy the data from Register and paste into the body of an e-mail message or you can Save the data to a file and you can attach that file to an e-mail message. There is no need to compress the data file, it's already pretty small. If you have a fax modem, just Print the data to the Kagi fax number.
Payments sent via e-mail are processed within 3 to 4 days. You will receive an e-mail acknowledgement when it is processed. Payments sent via fax take up to 10 days and if you provide a correct Internet e-mail address you will receive an e-mail acknowledgement.
International Payment:
You can pay with a wide variety of cash from different countries but at present if you pay via check, it must be a check drawn in US Dollars. Kagi cannot accept checks in other currencies, the conversion rate for non-USD checks is around USD 15 per check and that is just not practical. If you have a purchasing department, you can enter all the data into the Register program and then select Invoice as your payment method. Print three copies of the form and send it to your accounts payable people. You might want to highlight the line that mentions that they must include a copy of the form with their payment. Kagi can not invoice your company, you need to act on my behalf and generate the invoice and handle all the paperwork on your end. Please do not fax or e-mail payment forms that indicate Cash, Check or Invoice as the payment method. As far as we know, there is still no technology to transfer physical objects via fax or e-mail and without the payment, the form cannot be processed Payments send via postal mail take time to reach Kagi and then up to 10 days for processing. Again, if you include a correct e-mail address, you will hear from Kagi when the form is processed.
Why Register?
Lester McMultiply is the result of numerous hours of hard work and testing. Because it is Shareware, I expect that there will be some teachers who will consider using it for more than 30 days without registering. Here are the reasons why you should register this program, if you use it for more than 30 days:
1. The student screens have a message that the software is unregistered and can be used for 30 days. It must be paid for or thrown out after 30 days. If you use the software past 30 days, your students will probably ask you if you are going to pay for it.
2. This program has been tested by several teachers in several classrooms. Student response has been extremely positive.
3. If you register, you are entitled to free maintenance updates and e-mail support. You can contact me at:
4. Technically speaking, if you do use it past 30 days, you are violating the terms of agreement for using the software, and you are breaking the law. Yes, lots of people do it anyway, but as teachers we should be setting a better example than "lots of people".
5. Finally, if you REALLY like it but don’t want to pay for it, let your students use it for 30 days. Then tell them that if they each bring in 50 cents, you can buy it as a class! Then you don’t have to pay, your students will do it for you.
What does Lester McMultiply do?
Lester McMultiply is a program designed to improve student’s multiplication skills. It is NOT designed as an instructional alternative to the classroom teacher! This page describes in detail how the program works.
The program is designed as a four step process. This process is repeated with each number, 1 - 12:
Step One:
Lester McMultiply will quiz the student on the number 1. This is called a pretest. The pretest randomly quizzes the student on a number (starting with 1), both forward and backward (1 x 3 as well as 3 x 1). The program compiles a list of correct and incorrect answers, as well as the amount of seconds taken to answer each problem. This information is stored for later retrieval.
Step Two:
If the student answered any of the problems too slowly (the time allowed for answering a problem is preset by the teacher), or answered any questions incorrectly, the program will go to remediation mode. The first step of remediation involves having the student count by the number being tested (ie if the number is 2, then 2,4,6,8, etc).
Step Three:
The student is then asked to “fill in the blanks”, in a format similar to the following:
2, __ , 6, 8, __, 12, __, __, 18, 20, __, 24
The student is required to “fill in the blanks” using ten different computer-generated lists.
Step Four:
After counting by the number and then filling in the blanks, the student will be quizzed on any problems that they answered incorrectly during the pretest. If they answer one of these incorrectly, the correct answer is displayed, and the fact is added to the list for the student to answer again.
Step Five:
Finally, a post-test is given. Even if the student passes the post test with 100% accuracy, the program will still remember all of the problems they missed during the pretest. These problems can then be called back later for additional practice.
In addition to the 5 step process used by the program, Lester McMultiply also allows students to practice individual numbers, groups of numbers, and a list of their “problem facts”, facts that they’ve missed while working on the program. The student chooses the practice they want.
Finally, the program is capable of creating reports on any student, including the results of each session, the facts the students had troubles with, and the average time it took students to answer facts correctly.
WARNING! READ THIS!!!!!! *************
Lester McMultiply stores each lesson as a text file in the “Fixitup Files” folder. These files CAN be accessed by using TeachText or Simple Text. Modifying any files in this folder would cause the program to work improperly. If you are using At Ease 2.0 or later, you have nothing to worry about, because students will not be able to access these files. If you are not using any protection system on the computer in your classroom, you’re a very trusting soul! I’d recommend using some kind of protection on your classroom computer... At Ease (2.0 or higher) is excellent, it’s what I use, and I’ve never had any problems.
IMPORTANT!!! - If this program is on a CD-ROM, drag the whole folder to the hard drive. Lester McMultiply will not run properly from a CD-ROM.
IMPORTANT #2 - If you do not have the Speech Manager turned on, Lester will not talk. The Speech Manager is an extension which allows your Macintosh to “speak” in a computerized voice.
Using Lester McMultiply...
(Students pick up on how to use the program very quickly... the program was designed to be simple enough not to need instructions. But if you’d like to post these instructions, please feel free!)
To Run Through Each Lesson (1 - 12) :
1. Find your name on the starting screen and click on it.
2. Click on the “Begin” button.
3. Enter your password.
4. Follow the on-screen instructions and take the pretest.
5. If you miss any questions, the program will take you through a
“practice/review” section.
To Practice a Number or Group of Numbers:
1. Find your name on the starting screen and click on it.
2. Click the “Practice...” button. This will take you to the practice screen.
3. Click the button marked “General Practice”. The program will ask you if you
want to practice a single number, or groups of numbers. Follow on-screen
instructions.
To Practice Your “Problem Facts”:
(Problem facts are the facts that you’ve missed so far while using the program. If you take a test and do not achieve 100% accuracy, any problem you miss becomes a “problem fact”.)
1. Find your name on the starting screen and click on it.
2. Click the “Practice...” button. This will take you to the practice screen.
3. Click the button marked “Practice My Problems List”.
4. The computer will now review your problem facts with you. Follow on-
screen directions.
To Enter Your Name Into the Program:
1. On the starting screen, click the button marked “New Student”.
2. Enter your name.
3. Enter a short password that you won’t forget.
4. Enter the password again to verify it.
To Compete Against Another Student:
1. On the starting screen, click on the button market “Compete!”
2. Enter your names (players one and two).
3. Click on the button marked “Start the Game!”
4. Take turns answering multiplication problems. May the best student win!
The Teacher’s Screen Explained...
Lester McMultiply’s teacher’s screen allows the teacher to do several things, as described below. The password to access this screen is “old sock” without the quotes.
Deleting Names
1. From the starting screen, click the button marked “Teacher’s Screen”.
2. Enter the password (old sock). This brings you to the Teacher’s Screen.
3. Click on the name of the student you wish to remove, then click on the “Delete Name” button.
Viewing a Student Report
Student reports show which levels have been completed, and the rating for each level. The ratings are as follows:
Master = The student took the test and answered all problems correctly in less than the amount of seconds specified by the user or program (default is 2 seconds).
Pro = The student took the test and answered all problems correctly in less than the amount of seconds specified by the user or program (default is 5 seconds).
Beginner = The student took the test and either did not answer all problems correctly, or did not answer all problems within the “Pro” time (default is 5 seconds).
1. From the starting screen, click the button marked “Teacher’s Screen”.
2. Enter the password (old sock). This brings you to the Teacher’s Screen.
3. Click on the name of the student whose report you wish to view, then click on the “Student Report” button.
Setting the Master and Pro Times...
The program allows the teacher to specify what makes a student a “Master” (very fast) and what makes a student a “Pro” (the acceptable amount of time to answer a problem). The defaults are 2 and 5, but the teacher can change these settings. Simply click in each box, delete the preset number, and type in your own!
Restoring the Default Times...
1. From the starting screen, click the button marked “Teacher’s Screen”.
2. Enter the password (old sock). This brings you to the Teacher’s Screen.
3. Click on the “Default Times” button.
How To Integrate Lester McMultiply Into The One Computer Classroom...
The first question that some teachers have is “How can I find time to give my students the opportunity to use this program?” The answer is to stretch it out over the course of the whole week. Use Lester McMultiply as a way for students to earn extra credit, or make it mandatory that all students achieve a certificate and make a contest out of it. Since typing skills are not involved, students with poor keyboarding skills are not penalized.
I like to assign a day to each student, so that on Monday there are only 6 students who may use the program when they have a chance, same on Tuesday, etc. This approach works well.
As of version 2.0, students have the option of competing against each other. If you decide that competition in the classroom is bad, don’t use this feature. If you like to expose students to competition, stress that the object is not winning or losing, but LEARNING. Then step back and watch them play.
Using Lester McMultiply in a computer lab...
At the price of $80 for a whole school site license, Lester McMultiply is an unbeatable lab purchase. Buy a site license, and every Macintosh® computer in your lab (and at your school) can have a copy of Lester McMultiply. Then when you take your class to the lab, you can have them launch the program.
One comment I’ve heard is “Flash cards are fine and I already have a set. Why buy a program that does the same thing? The answer is simple - Lester McMultiply is NOT a set of flash cards! It remembers problems that students have, gives them pretests, takes them through several exercises designed to help improve their multiplication skills, makes them practice their problem facts, and then gives them a post test. It also stores what numbers they have and haven’t done, stores the results, and prints certificates when the program is complete.
Bottom Line:
1. Lester McMultiply is fun to use.
2. Students will want to earn certificates if you attach value to them (ie contest, classroom rewards, etc).
3. Lester McMultiply can be customized for your room (ie Master + Pro times).
4. Lester McMultiply can be used for assessment, if you’d like!
5. Other students in other classrooms will be jealous that your class has it and they don’t!
Warranty, Updates, Upgrades...
Disclaimer of Warranty...
This software and manual are sold “as is” and without warranties as to performance of merchant ability or any other warranties whether expressed or implied. Because of the various hardware and software environments into which this program may be put, no warranty of fitness for a particular purpose is offered. The user must assume the entire risk of using the program. The author will not be held responsible for loss of data. Any liability of the seller will be limited exclusively to product replacement or refund of purchase price.
Updates...
Lester McMultiply has been tested repeatedly for bugs. In the event that a bug or bugs are found in the future, and a maintenance update is produced, all registered users will be provided with the opportunity to download the new version, and the shareware fee for the new version shall be waved.
Upgrades...
In the event that Lester McMultiply is rewritten totally from scratch in the future, registered shareware users will not be entitled to a free upgrade, though they may be offered a discount on the new version.
Contacting the Author...
As of right now, April 20, 1997, I have the following e-mail addresses:
maclemr@kagi.com
RMacLemale@aol.com
You can contact me at any of these e-mail addresses. In addition, I am currently maintaining the following home page:
Please drop by any time. I have several freeware programs available for download, and any new shareware programs that I author will be posted there first!
