An
interactive whiteboard activity where students
drag and drop force arrows onto various images,
The force arrows can be rotated by dragging on
the arrow head and resized by dragging on the
arrow tip.
This version allows you to choose your own selection
of up to 5 pictures. You can also create a settings
file to set the five scenes up by choosing the
size, position and rotation of the force arrows.
Instructions
- Download the zip file here and
unzip it onto your hard drive. The folder contains
a more detailed instruction
sheet in Word format.
- Check that it contains the following files:
- forces.swf (the flash animation)
- force1.jpg through to force5.jpg (some
pictures)
- forces.xml (a data file containing the
settings needed to position the arrows
- Run the flash file. It will load the forces.xml
settings and then load in the pictures as you
click on the next button.
- Remember that the files must all be in the
same folder for the animation to run properly.
You can call the folder anything you like but
the files inside must have their original names.
- If you want to save the position of the arrows
on any scene, click on the save button. Unfortunately
this doesn't save the settings to your hard
drive (flash can't do this) but it will store
the settings for later.
- When you want to create a new settings file,
click on the output button to display the settings.
- Use the mouse or keyboard to copy the text.
- Create a new text file (e.g. forces.txt using
notepad).
- Paste the settings data into it - be careful
not to leave bits out or alter them in any
way.
- Save the text file and then rename it as
forces.xml
- If you replace the original forces.xml with
your new file, the animation will position
the arrows as you intended.
- If you want to alter any of the pictures,
just copy your own into the folder, replacing
the five that are already there by using the
same filenames.
Suggestions
You could create a number of forces folders,
each with different arrow positions and or pictures
for different groups. If you call the folders
different things, the files inside will work
independently. Remember that the flash animation
looks for forces.xml and force1.jpg etc. automatically.
Try a "What happens next" starter by seting
the forces so that the object will sink or slow
down or speed up.
Place arrows that are in the wrong position
and ask "Spot the mistake".
Replace one of the pictures with a photograph
taken in a class investigation to start the next
lesson.
Copy the same picture to each picture file and
position the forces so that something different
is happening to the object each time.