MarkBook - Sample Classes

    MarkBook^®     section 1-2

The License Agreement and MarkBook's Sample Classes

MarkBook comes with several sample classes stored in a self-extracting zip file. This file, called sample04.exe, was automatically installed on your hard drive during the installation process as described in section 1-1. "Unzip" this file to open these classes. Have a few laughs while you learn about some of the powerful features of MarkBook.

STARTING MarkBook FOR THE FIRST TIME.

The version number is in the upper right of this screen and the Open screen. Check the web site regularly for free mid-year updates.

From your Windows operating screen, double click the MarkBook icon as created in section 1-1. This will launch/start MarkBook and give you this Welcome screen. You will be asked to read the terms of the License Agreement. Use the scroll bar at the right to view and read the full text of the Agreement. Notice that you have the right to install MarkBook at work as well as on personal computers at home.

Once read, click on the I Accept button in the screen above and you will be provided with some choices for date format etc. Select your choices and click Next. Once you get to the following screen, you have the option to Install Sample Classes from the samples file already on your hard drive.

Options Screen

Note that there is a Quick Start Guide supplied with MarkBook. Click that button to launch the Guide. It may be launched from other places in MarkBook at any time later.

MarkBook comes with several sample classes stored in a self-extracting zip file. This file, called Sample04.exe, was automatically installed on your hard drive during the installation process as described in section 1-1. You can now "unzip" this file to open these classes. Have a few laughs while you learn about some of the powerful features of MarkBook. The sample classes demonstrate some of the unique and powerful features of MarkBook such as Mark Sets, Comment Construction, Modal Analysis, and Attendance Analysis. Click on the Install Sample Classes button above to get the next screen.

Open a Sample Class Screen

Click OK. This will close MarkBook and open the WinZip Self-Extractor file. In the image following, the Unzip to folder: window will have c:\MkBk200X by default. If that's where you installed MarkBook, as in section 1-1, click the Unzip button. Otherwise, type in the path to your MarkBook directory if you installed it in a different location. If you have already played with the samples and are re-installing the originals, check the Overwrite files without prompting cell before clicking the Unzip button.

Run WinZip to Install the Sample Classes

Run WinZip to Install the Sample Classes

Once WinZip is done (about a second typically), Close WinZip and launch MarkBook again by double clicking the icon on your desktop. MarkBook will now open with the following OPEN a CLASS screen.

Double click the MarkBook icon to launch. Today's date appears at the left center of this screen. If it's incorrect on your computer, use your settings function (Start, Settings, Control Panel, Date/Time) to re-set it.

Open a Sample Class Screen

If installed, the samples folder will be located on your hard drive in your MarkBook directory. Double click on Sample04 in the Folders window to expose the classes inside. In this screen, the teacher has classes from the zip in the c:MkBk200X directory.

Look at the names of the class folders e.g. MB4AG004. 'MB' stands for MarkBook. The last two digits indicate the beginning of the academic year for the class. The classes shown are 2004/2005 classes. If necessary, change the School Year to 2004/2005 to match the class you wish to look at by clicking up on the School Year toggle. MarkBook will also open any older classes. For instance, if the class folders end in 00 (indicating 2000/01 classes), or 01 (2001/02 classes), change the school year to 2000/2001 or 2001/2002.

Single click on one of the folders. The folder name will highlight in blue and the class will appear in the upper Select a Class window. Click on Open with your mouse. MarkBook will move to the Main Operating Screen, section 3-1, with your chosen class data loaded.

'MB' Folder Error

MarkBook’s class data files are folders with several files inside. MarkBook can launch (open) a folder but not a file. If you double click on a class folder, you will get an 'MB' Folder Error as in this image. Double click the Sample04 folder again to remove this warning. Then, single click on the class of choice and click Open. The sample classes are provided to demonstrate some of MarkBook's potent features.

Class 4AG0 is a high school class showing a category and unit structure that is typical of senior classes. It's a split class with two academic streams in the same classroom studying similar courses. The two halves are separated into Mark Sets. This split class model could be used for any classroom with multiple groups, e.g. a small school class with year/form 3, 4, and 5 students in the same room.

Class 7B is a mathematics class showing lots of assessment entries.

Class 7X is a class taking three subjects, English, Social Studies, and Science (called Mark Sets) from one teacher. This educator has set up each subject independently yet has the ability to create a Combined Subject Report Card at any time. Also, look at the comments prepared for 7X.

The most elaborate example is class 8D - a class taking Mathematics and Science over three terms. There are 6 separate Mark Sets - one for each subject, each term. Look at the multiple sets of comments and the attendance codes. This model facilitates "evidence of most recent achievement" by weighting the recent Mark Sets heavily.

DEMO is designed to show the wide variance that can occur between "weighted average" and "most consistent level" (mode).

Four of the students have an identical average but vary widely in their mode. This class also tracks learning skills as categories with extremely low weights. Open DEMO and click on the Anecdotal Notes button. All of the sample classes use a modal analysis scheme with five levels. You may set up and employ any other scheme that you’d like.

If you're unfamiliar with MarkBook, we recommend examining the features of these sample classes and printing some of the reports e.g. a student report with a trend graph, a code-name class report, a seating plan/chart, a monthly attendance form with bar codes, etc. Experiment by modifying weights, adding more assessment and attendance data, editing the seating plan, etc. These changes will save to your hard drive if your computer clock is set in the same academic year as the sample class. If you wish to restore the original sample files, click on File in the main operating screen, section 3-1 and select Install Sample Classes. The self-extracting zip file will replace your modified sample classes with the originals.

Once you have opened MarkBook for the first time, the Welcome screens will not re-appear. Instead, you'll go directly to this OPEN a CLASS screen each time you launch MarkBook. See section 2-1 for further details on how to open a class folder. If you wish to review this Welcome process again, open Windows Explorer (see section 12-1), click on your MkBk2004 directory, and delete the file called MkBk8prg.cfg. This is a program configuration file created by MarkBook the first time you launched it. Its removal tricks MarkBook into thinking that this is your first time using the software. Then, launch MarkBook. You will get the Welcome screen at the beginning of this section.

Manual: Go to section 1-3 to see how to create a new class folder.