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There is a new version of
StudyMate available at our
Respondus/StudyMate download
site (Windows-based
computers only). It is version
2.0. For those unfamiliar with
StudyMate, it is an authoring
tool that makes it extremely
easy to create any of ten
different Flash-based learning
activities and games, such as
Fact Cards, Flash Cards, Pick a
Letter activities, Fill in the
Blank activities, Matching,
Multiple Choice quizzes,
Crossword puzzles, a
Jeopardy-like game called
Challenge, and a Glossary
builder.
Click here to see a sample
of the various types of
activities. (Samples page will
open in a new window -
Flash player required).
What is new and exciting
about version 2 are its download
options. StudyMate now saves
any or all of the Fact Cards,
Flash Cards and Multiple Choice
quizzes in small screen format
which can be downloaded and
synced to the iPod, the PSP, or
other small screen devices.
Briefly, here's how it works:
A single check box as part of
the StudyMate Publish procedure
will cause it to produce zip
files for download and sync to
iPods, in a 320x240 screen size,
or Nanos, in a (176x132) screen
size.
 The
files it creates are .zip
files--a collection of zipped
bmp images in a folder
structure. Click on the
download link below, and choose
"Save" to save the file
locally. Complete instructions
for downloading and unzipping
can be found
here, but briefly:
- Windows XP users should
right-click the zip file
once it is downloaded and
choose "Extract all..." from
the context sensitive menu.
An unzipped version of the
folder containing the bmp
images will be saved.
- Mac users have the
edge. Mac OS X will
automatically unzip the file
to a folder in the Documents
area.
Now, for both Mac and PC
users, copy the unzipped folder
to your iPod's Photo sync
folder, plug in your iPod, and
let iTunes sync the files
automatically. (This is
assuming you already sync photos
with your iPod. If not, select
your iPod within iTunes, click
on the Photos tab, define a sync
folder, and check the sync box.
The sync operation will then
occur). That's all there is to
it. Now select Photos from the
iPod main menu, choose the
appropriate menu item (it will
be named with the StudyMate
folder name) and start learning.
Any other device capable of
displaying pictures and being
synced from a computer will
probably also work. We tested
it with several devices running
Windows mobile AND ActiveSync,
and they all worked. (An
Audiovox SMT5600 cell phone, a
Sony PSP, an iPAQ 4705 PDA, and
an HP HW6515 Smart Phone). A
conversion from bmp format to
the native format of the device
occurred in all cases (as,
indeed, it does on the iPod).
Most PDAs will use the 320x240
format, phones (except PDA
phones) will use the 176x132
format.
Ironically, it did not work
on the Microsoft Zune because
the Zune could not understand
bmp format. Ironic because this
is a long time standard graphics
format for Windows. Had we
wished to batch convert the bmp
files to jpg format with a
program like Photoshop they
undoubtedly would have loaded
just fine on the Zune, but who's
going to go to that kind of
effort for a few flash cards?
If you wish to try it for
yourself, here are the download
links again:
Download for iPod Video and PSP
(320x240 pixels)
Download for iPod Nano (176x132
pixels)
and
here is the link for complete
instructions for PC, Mac, and
PSP (via Windows):
Download and installation
instructions
These links contain Fact
cards (a "one-sided" card
stating a fact), Flash cards
(the familiar "two-sided" cards
with a term and definition), and
multiple-choice quizzes, all in
the same file.
If you have not yet
downloaded and installed
StudyMate (PC only), go to our
Respondus/StudyMate site,
login using your Palomar email
address as username and email
password as password, read the
instructions, then download and
install the software. If you
have never installed StudyMate
before, you will have to
register the product with the
license key and other
information indicated on the
download page. Version 2 is not
an upgrade from previous
versions, so if you are a 1.5
user (or earlier) you will also
have to download and install
(yes, you can run both
versions), but you should not
have to register the new one.
We have licensed StudyMate and
Respondus for all Palomar
college faculty members and
staff.
If you need assistance
getting it installed, or with
using it, email
onlineclasses@palomar.edu or
call (760) 744-1150 ext. 2862.
Resources
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