Brancher (Alpha Version)
Why Brancher?
Image of a configured Presenter interaction.

Complete Instructions

For complete instructions please open the attached PDF file and print it out.

Please note: You must have Adobe Reader installed for your browser.

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Getting Started :

By default, the first page has a layout of type 'Title'. The 'Title' layout has two fields. Type in the title of your activity in the top field. Type in your name in the bottom field, and then read the instructions under 'Adding Pages'.

 


 

Adding Pages:

After configuring the first page, click on the 'add' button to add additional pages to your presentation. With each page that is added you select a page layout from the drop down list. Some pages are for displaying text, some for images, and some are a combination of the two. In addition there are also a number of question layout options and menu layout options to select from.

The button pictured below enables you to add pages.


Page Types:

Here is a summary of the page types:

Title Page -- used for titles

Full Page Text -- used to display a full page of text.

Full Page Image -- used to display an image, animation or a video.

Col 1:Text | Col 2: Text -- used to display two columns of text

Col 1:Text | Col 2: Image -- used to display one column of text and one column of image

Row 1:Text | Row 2: Image -- used to display one row of text and one row of image

Question (Layout A) -- used to display a question with an image and text area.

Question (Layout B) -- used to display a question with an image and text area.

Question (Layout Without Image) -- used to display a question without an image or supplemental text area.

Menu (Layout A) -- used to display a 4 item menu without images.

Menu (Layout B) -- used to display a 3 item menu with images.

Question Pages:

Questions can appear anywhere within the presentation.

There are three different layouts for questions. Question (Layout A) supports a chunk of formatted text to the left, an image to the right, a question stem and distractors.

This question layout can be used in different ways. The top text box can be used to display useful information. To the right of the top text box appears an image area. You can ignore this or import an image through the various means that lodeStar supports. The long box below the top text box and image area is for a short question. If more space is needed, the top text box can be used.

Below the short question area, you will find four boxes. Place the correct answer in one box and three distractors in the remaining boxes. Distractors are the options. Check off which distractors contain correct answers. More than one answer can be correct and the interface will utilize checkboxes rather than radio buttons.


Hypertext Links:

Hypertext links can now be easily added by using the link button in the richtext toolbar. Once the icon is clicked, you will be prompted to enter a label and the Internet address (URL) of the resource you would like to link to. These resources will be presented in a separate browser window when the user clicks the link.
Image showing how to create a hypertext link.


Adding Music or Narration:

Each page has the option of adding an mp3 asset. When an mp3 file is used a media controller is displayed on screen to allow the user to control the volume as well as play, pause, and rewind control.


Adding Math Equations:

Any place that allows an image to be displayed can also display a math equation. lodeStar has a built in Latex math editor. To access the editor, right click on an image area and select Equation Editor from the menu. After you have entered an equation, click the Render button to see how it will be displayed. Click the Use It button to apply it to your image area.


 


Adding FLV Movies:

Any place that allows an image to be displayed can also display an FLV Movie. These are movies that have been created specifically for playback within Flash movies.

There are two ways to add FLV Movies to your Presenter project.

Option 1: Embedding the FLV Movie
The first way is just like adding a jpg image except in the dialogbox change the filtetype from "*.jpg" to "*.flv". Browse your computer to find the file and click the "Open" button. A copy of your FLV Movie will be placed inside your project.

Option 2: Referencing the FLV Movie
If the movie you want to use is already accessable on the internet by a known web address (URL) then the URL can be pasted into the image area. To do this, copy the url into your clipboard and then right click the image area and select "Paste" from the submenu. This option will not make a copy of the FLV Movie but will load it by reference.

** Important Note Regarding FLV Compatability Issues **
At this time there are two different codec options that can be used when an FLV Movie is created. One is "Sorenson Spark" and is compatible for Flash version 7 and up. The other is "On2 VP6" and requires Flash version 8 and up. Presenter is published for compatiblitiy with Flash version 7 and up so FLV Movies that are made with the "On2 VP6" codec will not display.


Presenter Version 5.01.38
©2008 LodeStar Learning Corp.