A Guide to Clicker 5

Clicker is a word processing tool for children of all abilities. It offers support for writing through the Clicker Grid.

Clicker is split into the Clicker document, also known as the Clicker Writer, (top half of screen), and the Clicker Grid (bottom half of screen). Clicker sees these as separate entities, and both need saving separately. The Clicker Grid consists of cells to which text, pictures and sounds can be added.

Clicker 5 can be used for three main purposes:

for writing using Clicker Grids

for labelling activities

for reading and writing using Clicker Talking Books

Ready Made Grids and Talking Books

Clicker has produced a wide variety of Grids and Books. It is worth exploring these. I find that often they offer me inspiration for what I want to achieve using Clicker. It also offers the opportunity to practise navigating around Clicker.

To locate these;

  1. Click on shared Clicker Files, and double-click on Examples
  2. Choose a topic, ie English, and double-click on it
  3. Double–click on a grid, ie I can sentences
  4. Navigate through the grids.

Learning Grids

More grids are available from Clicker’s Learning Grids website. You will need to register to use this site, however this is free.

To download grids

  1. Launch Internet Explorer or Safari, type in URL address
  2. Choose UK site.
  3. To register, click on FREE registration, and follow the online instructions. NB: You will need access to an email account.

  1. Select a subject category from the left hand side, and make a selection.
  2. Click on more info, to see a thumbnail of your grid.
  3. To download this grid, click on either Windows or Mac, dependent upon the platform of your computer.
  4. The grid automatically downloaded to your computer.

Clicker 5 has two modes, a play mode, and an edit mode. To create a new activity or make any additional changes to a grid, you need to be in edit mode. To do this, click on Edit in the toolbar, and choose edit.

Creating a Folder

The first time you use Clicker on a new computer you will need to create a folder to save your Clicker grids into.

  1. Minimise Clicker
  2. Open My Documents, by double-clicking on My Computer, then My Documents(pc) or open Users\username\documents (mac).
  3. Click on new folder and name this your username, ie pupil’s name or class name.
  4. Close My Documents/Document and maximise Clicker.

Altering Grids

Any ready made grid can be altered quickly and simply.

  1. Open the grid you want to alter eg examples, I can sentences.

  1. To change the text in the cell, hold down the shift key, and click on the cell you want to alter (shift-click). The appearance of cell will change. Type the new word. Press the tab key to move to the next cell.

  1. To change a picture, click on pictures within the floating toolbar called Editing Tools. The picture palette will open.
  1. Navigate to Crick Picture Library Two and find the graphic you want. Drag this graphic to cell onto the cell you want to replace the graphic.

  1. To change the colour of the cell, right-click to open the cell menu, click on properties to open the cell properties box. Click background colour and select new colour.
  2. To change the text within the cell, right-click on the cell. Within the text window, click on the icon for font to open the font window and make changes. Click on the text palette within the text window to alter the font colour. Click Ok
  3. Save your grid.

Saving Grids

  1. Click on File and then Save Grid Set As
  2. In Save As window, locate your personal folder (within documents) and open it.
  3. Name your grid-set and click save.

A Guide to the Grid Properties Menu.

This, alongside, the cell properties menu I find is the most useful tool in Clicker. Both these menus give you access to many additional features for the gridsets. It worthwhile exploring these menus, particularly if you’re looking to use more advanced Clicker features.

  1. Right-click on the background of the grid. (Note this will not work if you accidentally control-click on a cell)
  2. A menu will pop up, click on Grid Properties to open the menu.

A Guide to the Cell Properties Menu

If you know Clicker 4, you will be familiar with this cell properties menu. The characteristics of it are very similar.

  1. Right-click on the cell you want to change the properties of.
  1. A menu will pop up, click on Properties to open the menu.

Making Grids

Clicker 5 has a large number of templates that can be used to create grids.

The grids are created as gridsets, enabling you to link grids together quickly. This also means that the grids made can be saved as gridset, rather than individually linked grids.

There are two main types of grids available “writing” grids, and pop-ups.

Master Grids

The master grids are blank copies of grids that you have available within a gridset. When a master grid is edited these changes apply to all the grids based upon it in that grid set.

Making Grids

To make a new gridset;

  1. Make sure Clicker is in Edit Mode. (Go to Edit, click on Edit Mode – NB this will be ticked if you are already in Edit Mode.
  2. Go to File, click on New Grid Set. Double-click on chosen template genre, ie sentence building folder, then double click on sentence building template. A number of master grids are available.
  3. Click on chosen master grid, ie _5x2_ and click on create.
  4. To add text, shift-click on the cell, type text, press tab to move to the next cell and repeat.
  5. To add a picture, click on pictures within the Editing Tools, locate picture and drag.
  6. Once the first grid is complete, click on the Explorer icon in the Editing Tools, this will take you to clicker explorer. Clicker Explorer enables you to add new grids to a gridset, or alter the sequence of the gridset.
  7. To add a new grid, drag a master grid into sequence 1. Highlight the grid, and rename by clicking on rename in grid tasks. Double click on the new grid to open, and repeat steps 1-6.
  8. Most grids within the set will have a forward navigation button, you may want the learner to move forwards and backwards through a gridset. To do this, click on cell palette in the Editing Tool, click on red, and drag a left-facing arrow onto the grid.
  9. Save your gridset in your personal folder.

Changing the sequence of the grids

  1. Click on Explorer icon to open Clicker Explorer.
  2. Click on grid in sequence 1 that you want to move, and drag it to new position.
  3. Repeat for other grids.
  4. Save changes.

If you are familiar with powerpoint, or smart notebook software, this works in a similar way.

Creating A Talking Book Without Pop-ups

  1. In Clicker Explorer, click create new gridset, and double-click on Book Making, choose on of templates, ie Landscape 12
  2. Check that you are in Edit Mode.
  3. Open grid cover 1.
  4. Shift-click on cell containing word title to add text, press enter.
  5. Open picture palette, and find picture, drag this to large white cell.
  6. Click next icon to open page 1 of book, shift-click on text box to add text.
  7. Open picture palette, find picture and drag this onto cell
  8. Click on next icon and repeat process until book is written.
  9. Save gridset in your personal folder.

Deleting Extra Pages within a Talking Book

The template used may have too many pages. The unused grids can be deleted.

  1. In Edit Mode, go to Clicker Explorer.
  2. Highlight the page you want to delete, click on Delete and then confirm with yes
  3. Delete all unused grids in the same way
  4. Save the gridset
  5. Go to run mode to see changes.

Deleting Unwanted Action Cells

To delete cells within template books, such as a microphone cell;

  1. Right-click on the cell you want to remove
  2. Choose delete, and click Yes

Pop-up Grids

Pop-up Grids allow access to additional words/pictures or information. They support in writing activities within talking books and labelling activities.

Creating a Book with Pop-up Grids

Clicker has a book making templates with have pop-up grids incorporated in them.

  1. In Clicker Explorer, click create new gridset, and double-click on Book Making, choose on of templates, ie with Words and Pictures pop-ups - Landscape 12.
  2. Check that you are in Edit mode.
  3. Add text and pictures to your book as previously.
  4. Now go to Clicker Explorer and open the pop-up grid pictures 1
  1. Edit the grid as per norm.
  2. Go to Clicker Explorer and open the pop-up grid words1.
  3. Add text as desired. Delete unwanted cells by control-clicking on cell and choosing delete from the drop-down menu.
  1. Click next icon and repeat process until book is finished.
  2. Save Gridset As …. in personal folder.

Labelling Grids

Clicker has a range of templates for labelling activities. These contain pop-up grids, similar to the book making grids.

  1. In Clicker Explorer, go to make a new gridset, double click on labelling, choose words multiple, click create.
  2. Check that you are in Edit Mode.
  3. Add pictures to larger cells, ie different modes of transport. Either drag pictures from the picture menu, or type in word in the cell, tab, and subsequently delete the word.
  4. Click on the first smaller cell to open the pop-up. Shift-click and type in the choice of labels. Repeat this for each of the other pop-ups.
  5. Save Gridset as ….. in your personal folder.

Other Useful Information

User Preferences

These can be found in Options, User Preferences

Specific Clicker Settings

These can be found in File under Settings. This is where you can set your instant pictures for cells and writer, and also hide toolbars.

REMEMBER!

CONTROL-CLICK(mac) RIGHT-CLICK(pc) to open cell properties menu

SHIFT-CLICK to type text in a cell

EDIT MODE TO OPEN EDITING TOOLBAR AND MAKE CHANGES TO GRIDS!

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