Digital Workshop

This is my first post in over 5 years. I started playing around with Opus in 2001 - 2002 but got side tracked into other projects.

However with the advent of interactive whiteboards in seconday school
classrooms I want to use opus to do some whole of class activities.

I want to randomly select student names to participate in these activities.

The problem is that scripting seems a necessity in producing various interactions having watched the forum in recent months. My knowledge of scripting is non existent and I am starting to go through the lessons posted on the forum.

However I seem to get lost pretty quickly and therefore would appreciate some help in this area of randomising text eg names which have been imported without using a scrip. Is this possible?

I read the posts on randomising eg pages and numbers but as I said before it is a very steep learning curse in mastering scripts. Would appreciate anybody pointing the way in this area. I hope this question is not too lame?

Steve A
Brisbane Australia

Opus XE 5.5
Hardware I-Mac 24 running Bootcamp and Windows XP

ps Opus runs perfectly on my Macintosh with the new Intel chip. OS 10 switches seemlessly with Windows XP. All the features seem to work perfectly so far!!!
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Hi Steve

To do what you ask you would probably want to create an array to store the names and the only way I know of doing this is using a script. I have attached an publication that will do as you ask - it does use scripts but these are really easy to understand -

I have attached an imp that will do as you ask. There are 3 very small scripts. One in which runs when the page loads - this creates the array and stores the names and one in each of the buttons.

I created a similar program recently for use on IWBs but using images instead - you can download a copy here:

http://ictstuff.info/index.php?option=c ... itstart=10

Quite happy to post the imp file if you want.

this can be done without scripting using the built in functions.
To demonstrate:-
You have a button, you can add an action to it, which will generate a random number. Look under EDIT ACTIONS-- PROGRAMMING--VARIABLES--RANDOM.
You then select or create a variable in which the random number will be stored and you select the maximum value for the random number.
Following this, you would need a SELECT action and CASE action to 'convert' the random number to the list of names. The SELECT action specifies the variable value to be tested, and the CASE decides what's to be done for each value. Within each case you would then have a SET VARIABLE action to put the student name into the random name variable.


However--if you intend picking up Opus again, why not try a bit of scripting. It always seems harder before you try and there are always people here to help out. You can also 'dabble' in scripting by mixing built in commands and script.


Sandy

Hi David,

Hope you don't mind me asking, but I've had a look at you image randomiser, and need to produce something very similar. However, I keep hitting a brick wall when trying to get Opus to show the images. Can I ask how you did this? I've already sorted the randomising. Would really appreciate your advice.

Adrian

Sandy & David

Thanks for your quick responses. It is very much appreciated.

Scripting looks like it is a better way of going since it seems to save a lot of time and much more versatile. I think I will go back and have another look at the lessons on scripting.

Posting the first query is a unique experience - my spelling mistake of 'learning curve' which came out as 'learning curse' might be at this stage closer to the mark.

I deciding at the moment whether to upgrade to Opus Version 6 to get the extra functionality.

Regards Steve A

Hi Adrian,


I have attached an earlier version of the imp file. This stores the images in a folder which must be in the publication directory (in a later version this can be anywhere on the PC). This version also uses an text file to store the number of images - again the later version is slightly different and stores this variable in the registry.

However, the way images are displayed is the same in both the attached version and the version tha can be downloaded.

David,

Thank you so much. It's so simple now I've seen your publication. I hadn't realised you could refer to a variable in the filename of the image box!

Thanks for sharing your .imp file.

Regards,

Adrian

Hi Sandy and David

I have just spent the last few hours looking at your suggestions.

However I am finding part of it hard to understand. I have the read the manual several times and look at your examples but still cannot get it to do what I want it to do.

I probaly was not clear about what was required for this interactive white board activity.

What I need to do is have teachers text input 15 student names for the whiteboard activity and then randomly select their names using a button action. The teacher or even another teacher could then use the program for a different class and input 15 different student names and so on.

I am having difficulties understanding the select action and case action. There is no examples of how the actions work. At least I could not find any?

Is there any chance of getting an example of how these actions work relative to text inputing the student names? It would be very helpful to get over this hump.

Regards Steve A

Hi Steve,

I have attached a very rough publication which does what I think you ask. It could be improved a great deal!

It's a mixture of script and standard Opus commands. I tend to favour this approach - only using script when I need to - I know others don't. However, the whole thing could be done in script if need be.

David

Can you give a more detailed description of how you want it to work. There are (as usual) many ways to do this.

Do you want 15 text input boxes for the 15 names then a button to select one name at random each time it is pressed....or do you want a randomised list of names to be produced...
or do you want a sequence number in a little text box next to the name?

I assume that each pupil can only be picked once???




Can I ask a question?? What happened to the days when the teacher just said "You boy!!!!! the one with red hair in the back row, what's the answer???"


the select and case method.....

you must use a SELECT before a CASE...they must be used together. You must have at least one case action under the select, but you can have as many as you wish

It's just a way of making a selection based on the value in a variable and it replaces having lots of 'IF' statements, but essentially--that's what it is

an example:
You want to grade a student based on their exam results
You have a variable called result which holds the exam result, the the SELECT variable would be RESULT

the CASE statement has a facility for setting a range of value to compare.

Select "RESULT"

CASE result=0 to 20
Grade=F
CASE result=21 to 40
Grade=E
CASE result=41 to 50
Grade=D

etc etc

Some of the old documentation is on-line

see
viewtopic.php?t=908

For select and case see
http://www.digitalworkshop.com/manuals/ProFeatures.pdf

Page 103, but you probably have read this already

Sandy

Hi Steve,

Here's another way of doing this. It is script based, but I've added comments and notes to explain how it works.

Basically, you pick a class list file. This is just a text file, in notepad, and the program reads the names and picks them at random.

Mack

Hi David and Sandy

Thanks again for your help. You saved me alot of frustration.

I managed to work through both suggestions and now starting to see how randomising names (text) works. I even looked at the scripting to see whether I understand how it works.javascript:emoticon(':lol:') The select and case actions is starting to make sense - I have never used those 2 actions before. I keep it pretty simple - probaly doing things the long way using the basics. Scripting I could see would save all that repetition. Whether I got the patience to learn scripting is another thing.

''Do you want 15 text input boxes for the 15 names then a button to select one name at random each time it is pressed....or do you want a randomised list of names to be produced or do you want a sequence number in a little text box next to the name?'

The teacher could have one student name input box or 15 input boxes on the whiteboard and the students/or teacher could key their names in - 2 groups of 15 students maximum. One input box would be probaly be the easist for students to insert their names. Some classes are smaller so I have to allow for that. Then the student would key the button and a randomised name would be shown. Once picked they would answer the question and if they got it right would get a point for their group - competition works wonders. Often the winning group receives a reward eg no homework. The students can be picked more than once since it keeps them paying attention. I like the students themselves being involved in the whole activity - selecting names, questions etc not just answering questions. It is mainly used as revision activity or a fun activity to make the class more interesting especially at this time of year.

Can I ask a question?? What happened to the days when the teacher just said "You boy!!!!! the one with red hair in the back row, what's the answer???"

You are right - at the moment students/teachers still pick the student names out of ice cream containers. Once set up the interactive whiteboard could save teachers alot of preparation time. Although I do not do alot of teaching anymore I still have a strong interest in producing resources in my subject area for whole of class activities. I know they are used alot at the primary school level but it is still early days at the seconday/high school level.

By using the interactive whiteboard you can get the whole class involved - my pet interest. Interactive boards are starting to get popular in the secondary high schools here although there is a major problem still with most teachers not having their own - at least they have access to one. I was talking to a teacher friend of mine yesterday and their school purchased 10 interactive whiteboards in October for a school enrolment of approximately 1200 students - 1 board to say 7 or 8 teachers.

Thanks again
Stevea

Hi Mack

Thanks for your suggestion - I just saw your post and thought I would would reply separately.

Importing a text file of the students names would be easier for the teacher - save a lot of class time as the teacher could then do all their class lists prior to the activity. Several years ago I had 8 different classes with student numbers ranging from 8 to 30 in the junior classes. So importing these names from existing class lists would be a bonus. I would not have thought of doing it this way - a lack of lateral thinking on my part.

I suppose it depends on whether you want the students to key their own names in or not.

Either way would work, depending on the activity. Maybe the teacher could have the option of both methods of inserting the student names.

Stevea

Hi Steve,

Something you may be interested in and which I have been meaning to do for a while now (just can't find the time) ....

All Schools in our Education Authority have IWBs and I would like to explore ways in which Opus, IWB and alternative input devices such as these Senteo or these Quizdoms could be used to allow greater class participation as you suggest.

The idea would be to create Opus Pubs for IWB which would allow all the class to take part using these devices.

David

Steve

I don't have the experience to get involved in the nitty gritty of this thread, but wonder if you have considered looking at Custom Triggers and Custom Actions?

These can be confusing at the start (but nothing like scripting), but when set up can eliminate repetition.

HTH