1 EDUCATION NEWS AutoSketch — a precision drawing package for craft, design and technology AutoS ketch for the Archimedes computer, significant figures; measurements of angle developed and ported by AutoDesk, was and the distance between any two points launched in March at CAD/CAM 88, are given to the same degree of accuracy where it aroused a great deal of interest. It and are updated when the object con- will be available for educational users at cerned is altered. £79.00 plus VAT. Part or all of a drawing can be printed out It must first be stated that this package has on one of a wide range of graphics printers nothing to do with sketching — it is and pen plotters supported by the program, intended primarily for the CDT depart- including plotters up to A0 size and ment, rather than the art department. Postscript and LaserJet laser printers. AutoS ketch is an inexpensive precision AutoSketch will also produce AutoCad drawing package that has been extracted slides, which can be used as templates or by Autodesk from their widely used pro- in a visual filing system. fessional CAD/CAM system, AutoCad. Thus it has most of AutoCad's basic The main advantage of AutoS ketch on the functions but includes none of the frills Archimedes computer is that it runs that customise the professional package to approximately five times as fast as on a a particular market (and can push its price standard PC-compatible machine. As is above £2500). This makes it an excellent usual for precision-drawing packages, all introduction to using CAD, and an ideal information about the points and lines stepping-stone for all students who are that make up a drawing are stored math- intending to work in a CAD design ematically, rather than as a screen map. environment: in engineering, in archi- Thus whenever a drawing is loaded from tecture, or as a draftsperson. disc, or the whole picture is 'zoomed out' to form a detail, the positions of the lines It is easy to start using AutoSketch: the on the screen must be plotted from pop-down menus offer all the options for scratch. The RISC-based architecture of drawing, editing, zooming in to a detail, the Archimedes computer is ideal for this setting the parameters and measuring task: the drawings appear in seconds distances from the drawing. (Some func- rather than minutes which PC users have tions are also accessible with the function come to expect. keys.) Lines, arcs, circles and curves can rs. Inside: be drawn in different colours and assigned For further details please contact: Simon to one of the ten drawing layers; text can Hodgson of Autodesk 01 928 7868 be added and objects can be measured and 1st Word Plus across the dimensioned automatically. The coordi- curriculum nates of a point may be displayed to 6 Networks in schools — the future Snaps and snippets Acorn's RISC technology gains The Archimedes Computer sounds third award Are you on the Econet news exciting — it's a MIDI instrument network? The BBC B Microcomputer is acknow- eight-voice digital stereo sound is accept- Dates for your diary ledged to be a tremendously successful able to even the most demanding teachers music controller. However, now the latest of music; indeed, the sound is better than generation of BBC Micros Acom's RISC- that of many MIDI instruments. When based Archimedes 300 series open up new combined with the speed of RISC pro- opportunities for electronic music — the cessing, the possibilities are almost Archimedes range can act not just as a unlimited. music controller, it can also become a musical instrument in its own right. The Several music makers, already tuned in to will ultimately form a complete MIDI project is high on his list of priorities. the BBC micro environment, are now system. Soundsynth allows users to load, developing packages that exploit the edit, combine and save sounds. Sounds A completely different approach to music capabilities of the Archimedes range. can be entered directly by sampling the in the classroom is taken by Phil Ellis, With either Acorn's own MIDI upgrade, output from an instrument, or from a MESU Principal Research Fellow in Arts or the MIDI Interface Unit, designed for microphone, they can be drawn as a wave- Education at the University of Warwick. the BBC Microcomputer by Electromusic form on the screen with the mouse, or can He believes that the computer must Research Ltd (EMR), fitted onto the be expressed as a mathematical equation. enhance and take forward existing good Archimedes I/O expansion card, the com- Up to sixteen sounds can be combined to curriculum practice, rather than the music puter becomes a sophisticated MIDI con- form a complex wave-form which can be curriculum being formed by the latest troller — it is the only microcomputer with seen as well as heard. technology. His research has led to the all MIDI calls built into its ROM. production of Touching Sound, a fully Programs written by EMR for the BBC integrated suite of programs for the BBC Mike Beecher, the driving force behind Microcomputer can also be used on Microcomputer designed to give access to EMR, spent twenty years as a music Archimedes models, and there are already the exploration, creation and performance teacher and examiner before devoting many available for primary and secondary Df music for children in primary and himself full-time to his company. His pupils, and those with special needs. EMR secondary schools, and for those with mission in life is to help music teachers in is currently working with researchers at special needs. He sees the Archimedes schools spend their small capitation Cardiff University on a single-switch range as having exciting potential for allowance to best advantage; to achieve device that will provide the severely education. this he is prepared to give them the handicapped with a means of creating technical backup they need to use com- 16-track symphonic music. Both Mike Beecher and Phil Ellis will be puter music in education; he will also demonstrating their systems and approach advise teachers on the most effective ways Mike Beecher believes that the speed of to music in education at the British Music of expanding their music system when Archimedes computers should allow them Fair, held at the Wembley Conference they have more money to spend. to display the correct musical notation on Centre from 22-24 July. Acorn's own the screen as soon as notes are played at MIDI expansion card for the Archimedes EMR has already produced the first instal- the keyboard, enabling children who hear system will be unveiled at the same event. ment of a range of more than twenty a sound to identify with its written products for the Archimedes system that equivalent straight away. Realising this 1st Word Plus across the curriculum At Netherhall School in Cambridge, by pond dipping, counting pieces of litter, Moreover, the memory capacity of the Alastair Wells, the Head of Information testing the water and air temperatures, for computer is such that they don't have to Technology and Geology, is experimenting example — all of which must be collated, save data, swop discs, or perform many of with 1st Word Plus and an Archimedes 305 interpreted, and presented as part of their the other operations that caused problems computer, both for the production of his coursework. in the past. own worksheet and information sheets, and to assess the benefits to the students To guide their investigations Mr Wells "The demands of the pond project can when they write up their project work. produced a series of worksheets using his have spin-offs into information technology. Archimedes machine. "1st Word Plus is so For example, one student designed a easy! I don't have to type in any commands, program that analyses data from a tempera- and I can even include the pictures I ture sensor in the pond, and this counts create using Clares Micro Supplies' towards his GCSE in Technology. Artisan. Once a picture is safely on disc it can be used in many different applications." "From the organisational point of view the system has an additional bonus: it is so Using Presenter, a graph-drawing package light and compact it's easy to move around soon to be published by Lingenuity, pupils the school — even the wires are user- simply enter their data into the computer, friendly!" a bar chart, pie chart or graph is produced automatically and almost instantaneously. Other projects involving the Archimedes This representation can then be incorpor- system in the school stem from subject ated straight into the final documents they initiatives. They include: write up with 1st Word Plus. • termly news bulletins produced during Mr Wells describes the main advantages of media studies classes with the English the system: "The work the students pro- department, in conjunction with each duce is lifted into a different class by the pastoral head of year. The inclusion of quality of its presentation, an important graphics will add to their interest. consideration when so much of the course work counts towards their examination • a weather project using data collected In the past year the school has set up an results. Low-ability fifth years in particular from the school's own weather station environmental project centred around a have found Presenter invaluable: although and live pictures received from the pond on their school field. Funded by a they have difficulty in drawing the WSR weather satellite. The satellite grant from the Nature Conservancy diagrams themselves, they can interpret pictures can be copied using Artisan, Council, this cross-curricular project is the results that are displayed on the and a daily summary produced with 1 st integrated into lower school science, Archimedes machine.