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An introduction to SuperCard

SuperCard is a very difficult application to classify, like Apples abandoned HyperCard it can do many many things: databases, animation, multimedia and create applications of all sorts. Of course Supercard is still in devlopment and has a much fuller feature set that HyperCard.

MacUser Editor Keith Martin described SuperCard as a "toolkit for the imagination".

Danny Goodman described HyperCard as "Programming for Poets" in his The Complete HyperCard Handbook.

The real beauty of these tools is that they take you gently into development, with an 'I did that' grin all over your face.

NCET's document Multimedia Authoring for School states:
"Working with multimedia stimulates the development of a wide range of skills enabling pupils and students to select new ways of presenting and communicating ideas in any area of the curriculum"

SuperCard is probably the easiest and least expensive way to start multimedia authoring on a mac.

SuperCard is a great tool for any computer user and especially for teachers and children.
You can use them at a basic level to do all sorts of stuff quickly and easily or you can delve deeper.

• Children Might Work On:
  • Book Report;- build up a class data base of book reports with a book, pupil and author indexes.
  • Topic work;- groups of children produce multimedia for topic work using text pictures and sound. Incorporate Quick Take or other digital camera photos, scanned or Graphic programme art work, video, the sky is the limit and very simple stuff looks great.
  • Individual or Class Portfolios;- Including Children's work, photos, and text. Make that All About Us topic come alive.
• Teachers Can Create:
  • Interactive Quizzes. Text Questions or graphics eg What is that shape?
  • Databases for children to search.
  • Drill and Practice applications.
  • Applications developed for your situation.

You don't need SuperCard to use files created with it. SuperCard has a free Player which lets you run other people's projects. Link to get the player is on my Card Links page. There are also a fairly comprehensive set of links that will give you some idea of the range of Supercard projects
Of course SuperCard is a very powerful application, capable of a lot more than I can or need to do here are some of the things some people have done with them: 'Card Limits Page.

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