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Being a Scientist
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Being a Scientist - The Case of the Vanishing Trees (1996)(Anglia)[PC-Mac].iso
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1996-06-21
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Being a Scientist
---------------
Version CD 1.0
This CD ROM is designed to run on MPC and Apple Macintosh computers which
have at least 4 megabytes of memory and a CD ROM drive. It will work with
a 640x480 pixels 256 colour display. For better QuickTime quality it is
advisable to switch to thousands of colours if your computer supports it.
For instructions on how to install and run this program, please consult
the booklet provided with this disc.
CONDITIONS OF USE
Educational users are allowed to extract graphics from this disc to use in
their own work so long as it is not sold for gain or used outside the
purchasing school. The video clips and sound samples must NOT
be extracted from this CD ROM or run from any other medium unless you have
the necessary site licence. Full details of copyright are given on the
printed booklet supplied with the disc.
FULL SCREEN QUICKTIME/MPEG
When running on an MPC, double clicking on a QuickTime movie will expand it
to fill the whole screen. This requires a reasonably powerful computer for
smooth operation but does improve colour rendition in 256 colour display
modes. Double clicking on the movie again cancels full screen mode.
ONLINE SUPPORT
Anglia Multimedia's online service provides extra learning materials linked
to its discs. This is available on the World Wide Web at
http://www.anglia.co.uk. A more comprehensive learning service is provided
by Education Anglia, to be found on AOL UK (America Online). Log on to your
AOL site and use the keyword facility and the word ANGLIA for quick access.
There is also a Survival site on AOL with the keyword SURVIVAL.
SAVE STATUS
For details of the use of the save status and resume feature, please
consult the booklet provided with this disc. Please note that this
feature is not available on Apple Macintosh for this release of the
disc.
By default the program saves a file named RESUME.KAS within the
directory C:\ATV\_TREES\SCRIPTS\STATUS\RESUME.KAS (assuming that drive C
is your system hard disc). This file is automatically reloaded if the
user chooses to 'Resume from Previous Session' when re-running the disc.
In a classroom environment, it may be desirable to instruct each user to
save an individually named status file before leaving the disc. They can
then return to their previous session by explicitly loading their status
file. Status files may be saved within the default directory on the system
hard disc or to a floppy disc (usually drive A or B).
Status files are cross-platform. If you also have the Acorn RISCOS version
of this disc you can interchange status files between computers as follows:
MPC to Acorn:
1. Run this CD ROM on your MPC.
2. Save your current status to an MSDOS format floppy disc.
3. Remove the .KAS extension from the status file or save it as an Acorn
status file (selected from the 'Save file as Type:' menu).
4. Run the Acorn version of the CD ROM on an Acorn RISCOS computer.
Drag the status file from the MSDOS floppy disc onto the program's
main window.
5. The Acorn disc should return to the same place and with the same
status as the MPC version you were running.
Acorn to MPC:
1. Run the Acorn version of the CD ROM on an Acorn RISCOS computer.
2. Save your status to an MSDOS format floppy disc.
3. Run this CDROM on your MPC.
4. Load the status file from the DOS format floppy disc (select
'Acorn Status File' in the 'List files of Type:' menu).
5. The MPC should return to the same place with the same status
as the Acorn version you were running.
USING THIS DISC
Three children find themselves in a forest and meet with a journalist.
The journalist has noticed that areas of the forest have had all the
trees cut down. She is interested to find out who could possibly want
all these trees and where they have gone. The journalist asks the
children to help her find out the information which will eventually
form the basis of an article in her newspaper. From that point on the
user guides the children through the forest, village, countryside and
town.
Everywhere they go there are interesting things to investigate. Hidden
objects can be found throughout the world in which the user finds
himself. Some of the objects present information about woodland
creatures or the area in which they are found. Other objects lead to
scientific puzzles of various levels of difficulty.
There are 7 points on the map where characters linked with the forest
and surrounding region are encountered. The characters live or work in
buildings and inside each of these there are several areas to
investigate. Many of the characters are in need of assistance in
carrying out a scientific test or activity. For example, the forester
wants to analyse the acidity of water samples from the region. The
user is taken step by step through the process of acidity testing and
the use of indicators. In another location the paper mill owner has
had a problem with a batch of inks. These have been causing coloured
fringes when they are used for printing on paper. The user must
identify the sample of ink which is satisfactory for printing.
Every object found, puzzle solved and activity completed raises the
user's score. When the scientific tests and investigations have been
completed in each interior, additional marks are given and the
reporter is able to complete another piece of her newspaper article.
The user sees the additional piece of the article and slowly builds up
a complete double-page spread which the journalist is writing. The
quest is completed when all 7 elements of the newspaper article have
been written and pasted up on the page. At this point the whole
newspaper article is complete and all 7 buildings have been
successfully visited and the activities inside have been completed. It
becomes apparent that the trees do not simply vanish, nor are they
felled in a random way. The forest is managed by a forester and the
timber product which it produces is used in a wide variety of ways.
Once the newspaper article has been completed the main task has
finished. However, the user is informed about the number of puzzles
and hidden objects which have still not been found and it is possible
to return to the area to investigate further.
There is no set way to complete The Case of the Vanishing Trees. Every
person investigating the region will take a different path and
complete the various problems and investigations in a different order.
Those who choose to investigate the forest area first will rapidly come
across the forester who will introduce himself and give some suggestions
as to how to proceed.
It is possible to leave the investigation at any stage, and next time
the user can choose to carry on from where they left off as described
above. Help is always available, as is a description of the current
location together with a map showing the exact whereabouts of the user.
At first the user must move around by going with the children from one
location to another in sequence, but once the major parts of the region
have been visited it is possible to use the map to go there directly.
For parents or teachers who wish to move rapidly to the 7 major areas of
investigation, it is possible to extend the use of the 'help screen'
map so that it can be used to navigate to all areas whether or not
they have previously been visited. To invoke this function, the tree
trunk behind the three youngsters on the very first screen in which
they are seen should be clicked several times, rapidly, until a
message appears. The map will then be reactive to clicks on all the
major buildings and also the ends of the roads and pathways at the
extremities of the region.
SOLVING THE PUZZLE
There are three parts to solving The Case of the Vanishing Trees. Two
of these are optional and simply contribute towards the final score,
while the third is mandatory to the completion of the CD Rom.
Finding hidden objects
----------------------
There are 30 objects in the exterior world which, when clicked on, give
a piece of information and contribute 5 marks towards the final score.
Finding hidden puzzles
----------------------
There are 19 additional objects which, when clicked on, lead to
puzzles requiring a solution. Each puzzle which is solved contributes
25 marks towards the final score.
Activities inside the buildings
-------------------------------
The main science content of the disc occurs inside the 7 buildings
which are to be visited.
These are: the forester's cottage, the charcoal burner's house, the
cabinet maker's workshop, the builder's workshop, the saw mill, the
paper mill and the newspaper offices.
Inside these 7 buildings are a total of 13 activities to be completed.
These activities range from easier observational tasks to more
complicated scientific activity. Most of the activities provide a
reward of 50 marks. The activities are as follows:
In the Forester's Cottage
-------------------------
1) An experiment using indicators to work out the acidity of three
water samples.
2) An experiment to measure the water content of different soil
samples.
In the Charcoal Burner's Cottage
--------------------------------
1) Observations about tree thinning which is used in forest
management.
2) Observing videos about the steps needed to make charcoal.
In the Cabinet Maker's Workshop
-------------------------------
1) An experiment to measure a pulley system used for raising loads.
2) An experiment to estimate the time taken for a boiler to reach its
working temperature.
In the Builder's Workshop
-------------------------
1) An experiment to measure the density of samples of wood.
2) An experiment to measure the stiffness of samples of wood.
In the Saw Mill
---------------
1) An investigation of the map showing uses of wood world-wide.
2) An investigation of the machine room in the Saw Mill.
In the Paper Mill
-----------------
1) An experiment to investigate the dyes used in three samples of ink.
2) An experiment to investigate the amount of water absorbed by
samples of kitchen towel.
In the Newspaper Offices
------------------------
1) A wordsearch about different types of trees.
After each of these interiors has been investigated the user sees an
extra piece of the article which Sue has written and that article is
placed on the page that is being designed. Most of the interiors have
other material which can be investigated but is not mandatory to
complete the stage for the newspaper article.
COPYRIGHT INFORMATION ON RESOURCES
Drawings and animations:
Copyright (c) 1996 Anglia Multimedia and its licensors
Video sequences:
Copyright (c) 1996 Anglia Television Ltd.
QuickTime and the QuickTime Logo are trademarks of Apple Computer, Inc.
used under licence.