*If you are viewing this in Notepad, go to "Edit" and Turn "Word Wrap" on.*
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About the Author:
My name is Joe Tompkins, and I am a Technology Specialist for the Rockdale County School System in Conyers, Georgia. Although I am certified to teach Language Arts, computers have always been an interest of mine. I created "Gepeto Software" from my home and began writing educational software in response to needs that I saw in our schools. The teachers wanted some way to apply technology directly to what they were currently teaching. These programs allow them to do that.
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About Kid Cards:
Kid Cards is a program that allows teachers or parents to easily make their own computerized flashcards from any clipart or digital pictures. An easy interface leads the teacher through the steps of creating the flashcard set, which can then be accessed from a single computer or an entire lab on a network. Once the set is in there, students can interact with the cards through a variety of activities, including a game of concentration, an online quiz, typing (i.e. spelling) practice, or the "old fashioned" rote practice of viewing the cards one-by-one.
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System Requirements:
Kid Cards runs under Windows 95 or 98 on a single computer or a network running Windows-NT.
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Registration:
*This program is shareware. This means that you are free you use it for an evaluation period of 14 days free of charge. To continue using it beyond the evaluation period, please register the program with it's author.*
The registration fee is only $50 for a site license, which allows the program to be used on an unlimited number of computers within a single building, or $10 for a Home or School Single-Use license. To register this program, make out a check or money order to "Joe Tompkins" and send it to
Joe Tompkins
130 Wintergreen Ct
Covington, GA 30016
Please include your name (or your school's name) and your full address (if you want to receive the registration code via postal mail) or your email address (if you want the registration code via email).
For additional information visit Gepeto Software's Web Site at
www.mindspring.com/~jtompkins/gepeto
or contact
Joe Tompkins
jtompkins@mindspring.com
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To Start:
Double-click "kidcards.exe" to start
-or-
create a desktop shortcut to this file for easier access.
IMPORTANT:
*When creating a shortcut or desktop icon, make sure the "Working Directory" listed in the shortcut properties is the directory where "Kid Cards" is stored.*
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Teacher Management:
From the first screen, open the "Go" menu and choose "Teacher Management".
From here, you can:
Create a new set of Flash Cards
Delete a set of Flash Cards
Edit an existing set of cards (including renaming the set)
Change the Teacher Management Password
Change the Sound Options
----> The Teacher Management Password, until it is changed by you, is "password" (lowercase, without the quotation marks). You should change it to a password of your choice as soon as you begin using the program <----
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Tips for Making Better FlashCard Sets:
Picture file types supported are listed below:
.jpg .gif .bmp .wmf .emf .ico .tif
Make sure the picture is as close to a square as possible. If the original picture is too thin or short, then KidCards will stretch it beyond recognition to fit it on a card. If neccessary, you can use a simple image editor (such as "MSPaint") to make the image the right shape.
This is a versatile tool with limitless applications. Use your imagination. Sure, it's great for beginning readers, but how about ESL students trying to learn english? How about scanning pictures of your class and letting new students learn the others' names that way? How about teaching a foreign language? Just rename the cards with foreign names and you have a great learning tool available to you. Be creative!
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Troubleshooting:
*When running Kid Cards over a NETWORK:
-Although it is not recommended, you can increase the performance of Kid Cards on a network by changing the default Sound Option to "Sound Off".
-To do Teacher Management on a network, the program folder must have Sharing on and Permissions set to "Read/Write" or "Full".
-Although it will work, avoid doing Teacher Management while others are using Kid Cards on a network.
*Screen size and fonts:
-Kid Cards was made to run at 640X480 or 800X600 resolutions. If you have trouble with the display in those resolutions, make sure the Font Size is set to "Small Fonts" in the "Settings" menu of the Windows Display Properties.
*Errors:
1) "File not found"
Make sure the following files are all included in the Vocab-Flash directory:
KidCards.exe
KCData.dat
"Sounds" folder
"Pictures" folder
(Each folder in the "Pictures" folder must contain at least one picture for the program to operate correctly.)
*Also, when creating a shortcut or desktop icon, make sure the "Working Directory" listed in the shortcut properties is the directory where "Kid Cards" is stored.*
2) Note: In order for this program to run, you MUST move the files from the folder labeled "Files to copy to Windows-System Folder" into your Windows\System Directory!!!
You can find these files at Gepeto Software's Downloads Page:
http://www.mindspring.com/~jtompkins/gepeto
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NOTE:
Use of this program is at your own risk. This program has been tested on a wide variety of PC's running Windows 95, 98, and NT, on single and networked computers. It has been shown to run problem-free under each of these environments. However, neither the author nor Gepeto Software can be held accountable for damage to files or equipment as a result of this program.
