do I need to know?
You will not
need to know how to do advanced programming, but you WILL need
a few basic skills. (If you are a former HyperCard or Revolution
user, you may have these skills already.) This includes knowing
how to do the following:
new cards, buttons, and fields
cut, and paste cards, buttons, fields
from browse to button to field mode
existing buttons and fields
the scripts in stacks, cards, buttons, and fields
cards, buttons, and fields
and unlock the text in fields
- import graphics
teachers who don't have any specialized knowledge of computer programming
but who DO have basic computer skills can learn to do all of the
above in an afternoon.
If you don't
know how to do the above, see the LiveCode
for Language Learning page for websites where you can learn
more about LiveCode. Abundant help is available.
fields: Most of the text fields in
these stacks are unlocked to make it easier for you to change
the text. You may want to lock them before you give them to your
some of the text fields are locked because they can't be clicked
on and hidden unless they are locked. These contain a special
script so that you can press the option key, place the mouse over
the field, and click the mouse. The field will be unlocked. You
can then change the text and move the mouse outside the field.
It will automatically become locked again.
scripts: In some cases, there are scripts
in the cards which will hide or show fields and buttons automatically
when the card is closed. In order to preserve these, be sure to
copy the whole card instead of just the buttons and fields on
a card. If you change the names of any fields are buttons on the
card or add or delete these, you will have to make corresponding
changes in the card script to ensure that the card "behaves"
Ideas for Dictations Download
listen to a recording and write what they hear. This can be checked
in a variety of ways.
Karaoke Conversation Download (336K)
exercises permit learners to listen to a dialog, hear it line
by line, record and play back their voices, and read the corresponding
lines of text. Karaoke Conversation is an attempt to permit the
student to "enter" the conversation. The student chooses
a character from the dialog and records that part. When the entire
dialog is played back, the learner's voice is substituted for
that role only -- thus simulating a "real" conversation
with other native speakers. There is also the option of listening
to the original dialog for comparison.
listen to instructions, which direct them to drag an icon to a
different part of the screen.
may be the most difficult to adapt, and you may need help with
the scripts. But it's probably the most fun for students!
are asked to click on a picture. In one mode, the "feedback"
field disappears when they release the mouse, and in another
mode, the fields stay on the screen.
Messy Desk Download
a dialog, then read it line by line, and then answer comprension
questions about the conversation.
multiple-choice exercise which offers 2 choices. Of course, it
can be modified to work with 3 or 4 choices.
Type your answer Download (140k)
some low-tech ways of having students type an answer and getting
some feedback on their answer.
Vocabulary Lesson Download
multiple choice vocabulary items. Individual feedback given for
each answer. Students can see the related word forms for each
word. Traditional, but students love it.
Happening? Download (51K)
Look at the
picture and select the action that describes what is going on.
The stacks are
copyrighted by Claire Bradin Siskin and/or Marc Siskin in various years
which are indicated in the individual stacks. They are freeware and
may be copied and modified for non-commercial use by teachers and their
My husband Marc
Siskin is an accomplished multimedia desgner. I am most grateful
to him for patiently listening to my ideas and finding the scripts
to make them happen. He also assisted with trouble-shooting and
design layout. I could never have gone this far with HyperCard,
Revolution or LiveCode without him.
Many thanks also
to the talented TESOL graduate students at Michigan State University
who recorded the voices in the "Karaoke Conversation" dialog:
David Krise, Kristen Danek, and Beth Queeney.
March 20, 2015