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To make the computer lab component of your program
a success, you should address the items on the following list well
in advance of your first session:
- Confirm that your lab's computers are able
to run the CD ROM game
In most schools you would provide a media specialist or technology
person on staff with the minimum system requirements
for the CD ROM. They should be able to tell you whether your computer
lab's machines are capable of running the game. It is highly
recommended that you also visit the lab yourself and use the
CD ROM in a lab computer to confirm that the game will play well.
At that time you can also preview the game. (See step 5 below)
One of the most common problems
with playing a 3D game, is that computers have video cards that
do not support 3D rendering or the video card does support
3D rendering but the proper and current drivers for the card are
not installed. If the computers do not have 3D cards, the game
will run very slowly and is unplayable. If the proper drivers
for the 3D video cards are not installed or the drivers are not
current then, in most cases, the proper driver can be downloaded
from the card manufacturer's Web site in a few minutes.
If the machines in your school's computer lab are not able to
run the game and you have confirmed that the video card drivers
are current, you should ask the media specialist if there is at
least one machine available that will run the game and a data
projector. If so, demonstrate the game (or let a student play
the game while the class watches) with that computer and let the
other students do the online activities with the other computers.
(See other ways to use the game)
- Confirm that the computers' browsers have
Shockwave installed
Use each of the student computers to visit this
Web page and make sure that the online animation loads and
operates. If it does not, contact your school's media specialist
and request that s/he install the Shockwave player in each machine's
browser or do it yourself by downloading and installing the plug-in
from here.
- Confirm that the computers' browsers have
Javascript enabled
Some of the online activities require Javascript to operate properly.
Sometimes the media specialist or individual users turn off Javascript
in the browsers. Make sure it is on.
- Bookmark the student page in each of the computer's
browsers
Students will have a home page on the Web for this program. Book
mark this student
page in the browser on each of the computers so student can
easily find links to online activities.
- Load game on the lab computers
Unless the game is installed on a network server, it must be copied
from the CD ROM to each of the student computers' desktops. It
is best to have the game copied to the computers before the first
session. However, if you have enough CD ROMs you could have the
students copy the game to their desktops at the beginning of the
first session. Copying the game to the desktop takes about 4 minutes
on a midrange PIII machine. (See instructions)
- Preview the game
Open and play the game yourself (see instructions)
so you become familiar with it before you have the students play
it. One of the most common problems students experience when starting
the game is that, instead of waiting for the game to open after
the first double click, they click on the game's icon multiple
times and open multiple copies of the game which causes the computer
to slow down dramatically.
- Confirm the availability of headphones for
each student
The game has audio and each student should have his/her own pair
of headphones so that the noise level in the room does not become
a distraction. Make sure the audio for each computer is operating
and the volume is up. (However, if no headphones are available,
make sure the volume on each machine is low.)
- Confirm the availability of a writing board
and tools
You should have a whiteboard (dry erase board) and markers or
a black board and chalk ready for the discussions and off-line
activities.
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