Kidspiration Basics

Symbol palette – library of symbols and shapes. Orange arrow displays all symbols available, blue arrows navigate to the next and previous sets of symbols.

Creating a diagram

Start Kidspiration

Choose picture view

Click on your first circle so that it gets red squares around it.

Click on the add symbol button twice.

5. Now you can add details to your character map.

Use the symbol palette to add more symbols. Pick the down arrow and choose animals & plants.

Drag the symbols that you like into your picture. Hint: When you’ve dragged one symbol into your picture, be careful to click off of it so that when you click on another symbol it doesn’t change the one you just inserted.

Next we’ll be connecting "fears" with the owl. Click the fears circle. Click link symbols button.

Click the owl picture to create a link to "fears". Hint: you must select link symbols after linking objects or it will continue to link.

Revising

To clear part of your diagram, click the erase button.

To fix a mistake, click the undo button.

To change the look of your symbols, select your symbol. The symbol colors tool appears.

Click the color you want to change, then click the new color on the menu. If you want to change the red on the motorcycle, select red on the lower menu.

You can change the bike to lime green if you want to!

Hint: DO NOT model this feature for kids until they have completed the task you asked them to. Kids always gravitate towards the least educational aspects of a program. They are likely to change colors all day.

Switching views

While you work in picture view, Kidspiration builds a writing project using your ideas in a diagram. Click on the writing view button.

In writing view, your ideas are organized from top to bottom. Your pictures have automatically been added.

To add an idea, select the "fears" idea. Click the add idea button. Add your idea and use the right arrow to move the box over.

You can easily add details to your ideas by clicking below the magenta line and typing. Click on the picture view once again to see how Kidspiration automatically adds your ideas.

Other features

Super Grouper

1. Start a new project in Kidspiration by selecting "new". Click the picture view. Click on the "first idea" symbol and press the clear button (eraser).

2. On the picture toolbar, click on the SuperGrouper button, select the rectangle.

3. Click off of your rectangle so that it’s no longer selected. Add a second SuperGrouper category. Click above each rectangle and type in category titles.

4. Students can easily add symbols to the categories.

More Features & Tips

Helpful Hints for successful technology Lessons

You don’t have to reinvent the wheel. Use existing templates or others’ ideas to save yourself time.

Allow students to get aquatinted or "play" with new software before doing a focused lesson.

Use a projection device to demonstrate the lesson.

Have students work in pairs or small groups.

Break the lesson into very small steps. Do one step at a time as a class.

Allow students to help each other. Have one of your class jobs be "computer expert". Train the computer experts on the specific task you’ll be asking students to complete. They can walk around and help others while students work. THEY LOVE THIS!

Have some activity for early finishers, just as you would in the classroom. Hint: pick something that all students can open and work in independently such as type to learn or another familiar program.

If students need to print, ask them to raise their hand. You send the document to the printer yourself, to avoid the "crazy clicker" i.e., 500 print jobs jamming the printers.

Most importantly – if you can’t do it better using technology, stick to the "old fashioned" way of teaching – technology is not appropriate for every concept.

Kidspiration Resources

Web sites about Kidspiration:

http://www.canby.k12.or.us/Technology/Projects/tlcf/kidspiration/kidspiration.html

Overview & demo

http://www.inspiration.com/test/dswmedia/kidspiration.html

Kidspiration basics

http://exit3.i-55.com/~vickib/kidspiration.html

Free online training

http://www.atomiclearning.com/freekidspc.shtml

Main Kidspiration page

http://www.inspiration.com/productinfo/kidspiration/index.cfm

Kidspiration Training Manual (need Acrobat Reader to download)

http://edtech.lisd.k12.mi.us/pd/materials/kidspiration.pdf