Help

What software do I need to be able to create thinking guides?

The thinking guide editor is a part of the site driven using Adobe Flash. If you do not have Flash installed on your computer you will not be able to create, view or edit thinking guides.

What is the thinking guide editor?

The thinking guide application allows you to edit and create thinking guides. These thinking guides can be made from scratch or from a template.

To learn more about creating thinking guides watch this video.

How do I resize an object?

When you create any element you will see there are squares at the corner of the marquee surrounding the element. Clicking and dragging the square will allow you to resize the object.

You can also resize text and objects by set increments using the plus and minus symbols in the left-hand toolbar.

How do I print my thinking guides?

There is a print option in the top toolbar of the application. There are A4 guides in the editor that show you how many pages you will need to print out your guide.

Sending to a friend

The send to a friend option allows you to send to another individual or individuals. You may send to a known username or e-mail address, either is fine. If you wish to send to more than one then usernames/e-mail addresses must be separated by a comma (,) for example: 'Joebloggs, janebloggs' or 'joe@bloggs.com, jane@bloggs.com'.

Submit for review

If you wish to send your thinking guide to others for commenting and don't wish others to edit it then you can submit it for commenting. Recipients of your guide will then be able to leave comments on your work but not edit it directly.

Students can use this function to send to their teacher when they are ready to submit their work.

How do I share my thinking guide?

The share option allows you to collaboratively work with others (i.e. you can work on the same project). This doesn't mean you can both work on it at the same time. It does mean you can work together, taking it in turns to update your thinking guide, and when one person saves the other will see those changes the next time they open the thinking guide. To use this feature click the share icon on the thinking guide you would like to share and you will be presented with a screen which allows you to share with others by either their username or e-mail address. If you wish to share with more than one other please separate each subsequent user by a comma (,) for example: 'Joebloggs, janebloggs' or 'joe@bloggs.com, jane@bloggs.com'.

What does the 'View comments' feature do?

This is a way to leave comments for someone else to see on their thinking guide. They have to first send you their guide for you to be able to comment by using the 'Send', and then 'Submit for comments' feature.

View the tutorial video here: Adding comments to a thinking guide.

How do I add comments on my own work?

To comment on work you need to click the 'View comments' button and then the 'Add comments' button on the top menu bar. The 'Add comments' button adds a new comment element that is invisible in any other mode other than 'View comments'.

How do I move my thinking guide?

The move command allows you to organise your thinking guides within folders you have created. For example you may wish to create thinking guides for biology and history classes and have folders to keep them separate from each other. To move your guides click the move icon next to the guide you wish to move. The screen you are then shown gives you a drop-down which allows you to select the folders you can move to. Note, you cannot move thinking guides between tabs i.e. 'My thinking guides' to folders in 'Projects for review'. To do this you need to submit the guide for review.

How do I make a new group?

If you wish to set up a group, for example if you have a set of friends you work regularly with in your chemistry class or you are a teacher wishing to set up a group for your class then you can make a new group. You can do this via the 'Add a new group' link under 'My groups' on the green left hand column of Exploratree. You will be given the option to assign a name e.g. 'Joe's chemistry class' and then add people via e-mail or usernames. If you add more than one other person to the group you will need to separate with a comma (,) for example: 'Joebloggs, janebloggs' or 'joe@bloggs.com, jane@bloggs.com'.

When you have created a new group you are given the option to review the group. From here you will be told if you have added any unrecognised usernames. You will also be given the opportunity to delete users from the group and add more if you have missed anyone.

How do I sequence my guides?

When making a thinking guide you may wish to sequence it so that one part is shown before another is revealed. You can do this in the 'Create it' mode using the 'Make a sequence' option on the right-hand side. To set up a sequence, click on 'Make a sequence', and drag and drop the appropriate step number to your chosen object. Note, you will need to add a number to each object that you want to appear in that step. You can have up to 16 steps in your sequence, and each step can include as many objects as you wish.

For example dragging the number 1 to a box will tell that box to appear in step 1, and dragging the number 2 to a triangle will tell the triangle to be invisible in step 1 but to appear in step 2. If you do not drag a number onto a shape then it will show throughout all steps.

Use the 'Next' and 'Previous' buttons in the centre of the screen to move from one step to the next.

View the tutorial video here: Using the sequencing feature.