.IF DSK1.C3 ^^^^^^^^^TEXTWARE, SOFTWARE, and ELSEWHERE ^^^^^^^^^^TI Articles and Reviews ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^by Jack Sughrue ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^THE EVERYTHING TEACHER Although this month's review is about THE EVERYTHING TEACHER by Intellestar ($39.95 - Intellestar, 25 West Middle Lane, Rockville, MD 20850), I must first interject a couple paragraphs about Super Sketch and add to the reviews being done in user-group newsletters Super Sketch is one of the best computer sketch pad I've used for ANY computer; the best for the TI. I've used similar pads on the Apple in school and some of the other computers in stores. They are all extremely expensive but, in some cases (Apple, particularly), not as sensitive. In addition to doing some of the normal sketch pad delights (automatic fill, texture layering, pattern and thickness brush strokes, full 16 solid colors, instant menu and return, Super Sketch has a very easy SAVE and LOAD feature. (Some pads do not have a SAVE feature.) And it draws lines, rays, and boxes from points! This is an amazing feature. And, as other reviews mentioned, it permits a pixel-by-pixel erasure. It does a pile of other marvelous things, too, but they are more complex to write about than do. (As a point of interest, I brought the thing into my fifth-grade class the day after I bought it. "Here," I said to a trio of youngsters, "try this." Without even asking what it was, they took it out of the box, plugged it in, and sailed away ((without even using the tracing package that comes with it or without looking into the manual [as all adults would have had to do].)) Within minutes they not only got the hang of it and were making rather beautiful computer paintings, but within a few minutes of that they were teaching other classmates how to use this tool [toy].) Do you teach kids? Do you have kids? Is there still a kid locked inside you? Did you ever have the desire to be an artist? Get Super Sketch and live a life of exciting adventure. >>> How about starting a swap-sketches club through our dubbing system? Everyone who has (or will have) made a tape of their computer painting, bring it in to your user group and see if we can get a national swapper going. How many SSs are there out there? Trade with other artists. I, for one, would like to share this experience. <<< But all is not strawberry shortcake. The one big flaw - BIG flaw - is that that SS will not give you a hard copy. This is its biggest drawback. I prefer the sketchpadness over the other artist programs like GRAPHX (which is far superior in many other ways to SS) and TI ARTIST). Though I understand there is a disk program available now to allow you to print out your graphics files made from SS. Haven't used it; haven't even seen it in operation, so I can't comment on it. I do hope it solves this problem.<<< Now where was I? Oh, yes, Intellestar. How could I forget them. I purchased a package from them recently called THE EVERYTHING TEACHER. It contains six tapes (You can opt for disks.), a very long (11 full pages) manual, and a binder/tape holder. Although it is a lot, THE EVERYTHING TEACHER is not everything. It doesn't even come close to being everything that a teacher should be (maybe I'm paranoid, as a teacher), but it is a heck of a lot. And what it is is really excellent. There are four separate games included in the package: excellent graphics. The "TV Sweepstakes" is a panel game just like on the tube, but the questions and answers are yours. Goofy-looking quizmaster and panelists add to the fun and there can be a bit of fun here, too, even in a "testing" situation. "Baseball" is a two-player (or two-team) game structured to move players around a baseball diamond and in to score if your questions are answered correctly. I didn't like this as well, though the kids did, and that is what I bought it for. "Space Patrol - Lost!" is a bit livelier and faster and (for me) much more appealing. The final game -"Last Jellybean on Earth" - had even more going for it in its crazy sweets resulting in tooth decay theme. I liked this one, too. In all cases, the theme and the individual questions and answers are yours. My students are looking forward to the day when they'll create the "test" situations. Will it be easy for them? A rhetorical question. I already know the answer. Yes! Thanks to a fifth tape: "The E.T. File Editor. This ingenious program lets you load multiple-choice, true-false, or any kind of question/answer you want, and then store it for later use (when it's time to study bones or leaves or states or money or parts of speech or multiplication of mixed fractions). And you can load that information into any of the four game programs at any time with any large or small group. Very easily. Program Six is a sample file so you can immediately access the system's games. Fun and learning are really combined here. Intellestar has done it again. Their programs are all in Extended BASIC and, like the comments on the Super Sketch, if you are, know, or would like to be a kid, Intellestar programs are your meat. Ask for their catalog at the above address. Their programs are peculiar and fascinating. After a friend had given me Vyger as a gift, I knew they had me hooked. I couldn't wait to get THE EVERYTHING TEACHER. When I finally save up enough to buy the LIFE SCIENCE SERIES, I'll do another Intellestar review. (This series has three tapes on The Cells, one called Heart Attack, and another call Inside Frankie Stein.) Meanwhile, I'd highly recommend VYGER and THE EVERYTHING TEACHER even if you get it for its clever, easily-accessed data base to make your own trivia games or whatever. [Jack Sughrue, Box 459, E.Douglas, MA 01516] *********** If any newsletter editor prints these articles, please put me on your mailing list. Thanks - JS €•€Â†‹•˜Ÿİ³½ĠĠĠĠĠĠĠ€˜