Introduction

Learning objectives

The learning objectives for this session are that by the end of it you should:

1. understand the concept behind a HyperStudio stack;
2. be able to create a HyperStudio stack using a variety of objects and actions;
3. be able to compare the relative merits of two pieces of software for producing multimedia materials;
4. know and understand one way of planning for differentiation by learning style.

Return to the top of the page

About this session

HyperStudio is a multimedia authoring tool, originally developed for the Macintosh but also available for PCs. It is based on the concepts of a 'stack' of 'cards' (just like HyperCard on the Macintosh). Each card can contain text, images, sounds, videos and buttons. These buttons can do a wide variety of actions. Some of these are preprogrammed but, in addition, buttons can be used to run HyperLogo procedures. The text fields on a stack can be used both to display text and for the user to input text - which can then be stored. In addition, one can publish HyperStudio stacks on the web, although a plug-in is needed to view them.

These attributes give HyperStudio great functionality - and make creating complex hyperlinked materials relatively easy. For example I produced a (complex) single card stack, which uses buttons to run HyperLogo procedures and text fields to store inputs from the user, for an ESRC project investigating children's understanding of chemical and physical change.

HyperStudio is not of course the only software package that can be used to create multimedia and hyperlinked materials, there is a wide variety of others - including PowerPoint. One of your jobs as a teacher is to be able to select appropriate software for various purposes - and to teach this skill to children. For this reason you are asked to produce a PowerPoint presentation equivalent to the stack and then compare the two.

Return to the top of the page

Products of the session

This is the link to the index to the stacks and slideshows.

Return to the top of the page

The task

Your task today is three-fold:

1. to create a short HyperStudio stack on a topic of your choice - the important thing is that the stack should not have a linear structure - the pages should cross-link;
2. to use PowerPoint to produce as near an equivalent product as you can;
3. to compare the merits of each product for constructing non-linear and hyperlinked materials.

The HyperStudio stack must contain at least:

• one text field;
• one imported graphic;
• one hyperlink;
• four buttons which perform different functions;
• one object or background created using HyperStudio's painting tools;

The topic of your stack and how you choose to create it are up to you. I suggest that you choose one of the following ways - depending on your preferred learning style.

1. If you like to learn 'starting from scratch' then open HyperStudio, select 'New Stack' and use the guide produced by Rebecca Wilson of ICS to create your stack.
2. If you prefer to learn by 'playing' with something that already exists, you could use Rebecca's guide to change one of the examples on the CD-ROM I have prepared for this session.

In either case, you might find it useful to consult the results of AltaVista and Google searches on HyperStudio for additional tutorials and examples.

If you wish to examine (or use) these stacks elsewhere, you can download zipped versions of the 'Beaching' and 'Art Deco' template stacks (and their associated files), and the 'Periodic Table' stack plus the one I made which illustrates the use of HyperLogo.

You can also download a (13 page) .pdf format booklet on 'Using HyperStudio in the Classroom', the references at the end of which might be of use if you are using this piece of software in Assignment 1.

Return to the top of the page

The timetable

Return to the top of the page

Links to other sessions

Return to the top of the page

In the classroom

Misconceptions

The main misconception here relates to the nature of the product. How do pupils conceptualise a hyperlinked product? PowerPoint is usually used to produce linear presentations - and the concept of a 'slide-show' reinforces this idea. However it, and HyperStudio, can also be used to produce something that is not linear in structure - sets of slides or cards that are linked together in a nonlinear way. The structure produced is closer to a concept map (developed by Novak at Cornell). One way of introducing this in the classroom is to get pupils to map out their ideas first and then to make the stack (or slide-show) reproduce this structure. Concept maps are widely used in some curriculum areas (such as science) to allow pupils to show the relationships they believe exist between ideas. Tony Buzan developed the related idea of 'mind mapping' and software for example (MindMapper - a trial version of which can be downloaded)) is now available to help people construct and use such maps of ideas.

Return to the top of the page

Classroom examples

Sy Hussain used PowerPoint very imaginatively as a multimedia tool in a series of three art lessons. It is perhaps best to start by looking at an example of the product the pupils produced and then study the plans for lessons 1, 2 and 3. The objects used in the animation were produced in Paint and Sy produced a worksheet to help pupils make a background and then ones on importing the creatures they had made into PowerPoint, on animating them and then on customising their animation.

The Learning Circuit has an interesting case study of using Hyperstudio with year 6 pupils for a history project.

Return to the top of the page

Teaching point

Two points here:

The main teaching point in this session is to demonstrate one way in which one can accommodate people who prefer to learn in different ways - either starting with a new, blank stack or adapting an existing one. One way of doing this with Office products (e.g. PowerPoint) would be for some to start 'from scratch' while others use a wizard and then 'tweak' the result. This is not an easy form of differentiation to plan for - and it is probably not one you will use much. However, as you get to know your pupils, and their learning styles, you should look for opportunities to allow them to learn and produce materials in different ways and from a variety of starting points. This issue is one to consider when you are writing your on-line tutorial to teach HTML - since one can learn this either by investigating and adapting existing code or by starting with a blank piece of paper.

A second point is that this is a case where people's religious beliefs can impact on what does and does not take place in your classroom. For example (some) Muslims have a prohibition on the use of music (for entertainment) and on images/pictures of living things. You need to be aware of this and plan for it in your teaching.

Return to the top of the page

Other Resources

The DfEE Schemes of Work

You should look at the following units of the DfEE schemes of work:

Key Stage 2: unit 6A Multimedia Presentation;

Key Stage 3: unit 1 Using ICT.

Return to the top of the page

Books/Papers

See chapter 5 of 'Learning to Teach Using ICT in the Secondary School' edited by Marylin Leask and Norbert Pachler (Institute library reference Loyx Ref LEA). The first part of this chapter is about using and evaluating CD-ROMs but the second part is concerned with producing multimedia in the classroom.

'Teaching and Learning with Multimedia' by Janet Collins, Michael Hammond and Jerry Wellington (Institute library reference Loyz COL) is also useful and relevant as is the chapter by Stephen Heppel (Ch. 10) on 'Multimedia and learning' in Jean Underwood's book 'Computer Based Learning: potential into practice' (Institute library reference Loyx UND).

Return to the top of the page