The Qedoc quiz software contains extensive and advanced support for mathematical exercises which aid teaching time. The tools placed at the teacher's disposal will assist all levels of time teaching from the first pre-school steps right up to the most advanced time calculations used at the end of primary education.
The main features of the clock tools are:- Three basic display types: graphical (clockface), digital, verbal.
- Hybrid display types, combining graphical with digital or verbal displays.
- Optionally interactive clocks: the learner can adjust the hands of the clock.
- Difficulty levels: all times can be approximated to the time interval used at the current learning level (e.g. full hours only; quarter hour intervals; 5-minute intervals); the interactive clocks automatically jump to the next valid time.
- Randomisation routines which constantly select new tasks within the permitted difficulty level and parameter ranges.
The task types available with the clock tools are:- Simple time response (the user must set a clock in response to a question written into a quiz by the teacher).
- Multiple choice time selection (several time displays are offered, one of which is correct).
- Time matching (set a clock to a given prompt).
- Time addition (move a clock forward by a specified time period).
- Time subtraction (move a clock back by a specified time period.
- Time difference (calculate the difference between two time displays).
- Optional use of am/pm and 24-hour clock formats.
- NB: further task types testing knowledge of units of time and calculations with units of time are available under weights and measures.
Illustrations and examples.
There are thousands of different ways the tools can be combined by a teacher to customize a sequence of tasks for a specific class. The following is a very limited set of examples of what can be achieved with just a few minutes of quiz design work.
The following screenshot shows a different kind of exercise and choice of interface styles. The exercise consists of converting a digital time onto a clockface. A hybrid clockface is used with a verbal auxiliary display. The auxiliary display shows the time in words, as it would be said. The auxiliary display constantly updates as the learner turns the clock hands to the correct time.
The following screenshot shows a multiple choice exercise where the learner has to connect a given verbal time expression to one of a choice of graphical time expressions. The combination of expression formats can be changed - for example, a digital time could be given along with a choice of verbal expressions. The times are constantly randomized to ensure replayability.
Demonstrations.
Sample modules showing the mathematical capabilities can be downloaded from the online learning library.
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