OpenTeacher, a new concept in educational software

Media Lessons

The media module in OpenTeacher makes it possible to incorporate publicly available media files into instructional materials. You do this similarly to other modules.

First, you assign a detailed title to the lesson. Then you can incorporate media files from the Internet by clicking on the Add remote media button at the bottom left of the program window. A new window will open, and you can enter the URL for the media file.

OpenTeacher also accepts content from various video portals as a source. The URL will be displayed at the top left of the window in the list view. It is necessary to re-enter the URL at the bottom left in the Name: input field. Below this field, you can enter the lesson content in the Question: and Answer: fields. Once the unit is finished, you should save it via the dialog by selecting the Open Teaching – Media option.

If you reload this file, the software will switch into editing mode. The prompt will change with one click on the Teach me! tab at the lower left of the program window.

At this point, the list indicator will change, the video will play, and the accompanying question will appear. The corresponding question then will appear in the very bottom answer field. To the right, you will see the progress indicator for the test (Figure 8).

Figure 8: The media module can be used for instruction in art and music.

Typing Tutor

The final instructional capability offered by OpenTeacher is the typing tutor. This tutor makes it easy to learn 10-finger typing. To access the typing tutor, just click on Typing Tutor after calling the program, enter your username in the field that comes up, and select the keyboard layout you want. After clicking on OK , a brief tutorial in English on how to position your fingers on the keyboard will appear.

With a click on Start exercise , you can begin the first lesson. The program has a total of 57 different levels of difficulty. You can go to the next lesson only when you have achieved a passing result on the preceding lesson. Mistakes made choosing keys are indicated in red on the program window. When you have successfully completed a lesson, statistical data relating to your performance, such as number of errors, typing speed, and level of difficulty, will be displayed as text (Figure 9).