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GO Solve Word Problems Technical Support
Installation and Setup FAQs | GO Solve Word Problems Student FAQs |
GO Solve Word Problems Teacher Manager FAQs | System Requirements |
Tech Notes
Installation and Setup FAQs
Q: Our school has all three modules. What’s the recommended way to install them?
A: With all three modules (Addition & Subtraction, Multiplication & Division, Advanced Multiplication & Division), you should run the general installation from all three CDs before running the client installer once from the hard disk or network drive.
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Q: What is the difference between "Easy Install" and "Low Disk Space" in the client installer?
A: The Easy Install should be used when GO Solve Word Problems is installed on a network. The client installer will copy most of the program files to the hard drive of each computer. Student performance data will still be stored on the network so that students can log in on any computer.
The Low Disk Space option will not copy files to the local hard drive. Shortcuts will be installed in the Start menu on Windows or the Applications folder on Macintosh. This option may cause the program to launch and run slowly. It is not supported for any wireless networks.
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Q: I'm installing GO Solve Word Problems on a single computer without a network. Is there anything special I should do?
A: When installing GO Solve Word Problems on a single computer you need to make sure that the location you install to is read/write for all users of the computer. The Program Files directory on Windows may not be a good choice. If there is only one Windows user of the computer the My Documents folder is a better choice. Also, you should run the client installer on Windows, but make sure to choose the "Low Disk Space" option so that shortcuts only will be installed.
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Q: Do I need access to the server console to install the software on a network server?
A: No, the software should be installed to the network server from a workstation. The person installing the software to the server must have write permissions on the network. We recommend that you install to a Windows server from a Windows client, and to a Macintosh server from a Macintosh client.
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Q: How can a teacher or administrator run the Setup Wizard after the first launch?
A: The Setup Wizard cannot be run after the first launch. All of the tasks performed by the setup wizard can be accessed through the Class List Manager. After logging into the program, go to Teacher Utilities and click the Edit button to open the Class List Manger windows. The Tools menu contains Preferences, the Import Teacher Wizard and the Import Student Wizard.
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Q: I can't launch the applications on my Mac client machines when using a Netware 6.5 server.
A: The SP3 release available for Netware 6.5 must be installed to use Mac clients over AFP.
See http://support.novell.com/cgi-bin/search/searchtid.cgi?/10092060.htm
for more details.
Note: When using Windows computers with Novell servers, it is preferable to use Novell supplied networking client software to connect to those servers. Macintosh clients must use the AFP protocol to connect to all servers.
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Q: Are there any restrictions in the creation of a password?
A: Passwords must be between 4 and 12 characters in length using any combination of letters and/or numbers with no blank spaces. Passwords are not case-sensitive.
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Q: How do I prepare a file to import student data into the GO Solve Word Problems database?
A: You will need to create a tab-delimited text file with defined columns. The only columns required to create a student account are First Name and Last Name. If you do not include passwords, the student will be prompted to create his/her own password when logging in to the program.
A Header Row in the file is optional; however, we strongly recommend you create a row of column headers so you can check the file for accuracy before importing it and to identify the field name during the import process. The following additional name and demographic fields are available for import:
Required:
First name
Last Name
Optional:
Student ID
Middle Name
Suffix
Nickname
Gender
Password (must be between 4 and 12 characters in length)
Grade
Meal Status
English Proficiency
Ethnicity
Special Education
Migrant Status
Other (User Defined)
Please note: Passwords must be between 4 and 12 characters in length using letters and/or numbers with no blank spaces. Passwords are not case-sensitive.
There are many ways to prepare the import file. If you are able to export the student information from another database, you can use the following steps to prepare the file.
- When exporting information from another database, export the file as a plain text or text only file (.txt on Windows and Macintosh).
- Start Microsoft Excel. Select the file you exported and click Open. Excel has its own import wizard, so follow the steps to bring the data into a spreadsheet document.
- Within Excel, organize the columns and check the data so that at least the First and Last names are included along with any of the above optional information. Be sure to check the data for accuracy.
- Save the file as a Text File (.txt).
- Log in to the GO Solve Word Problems program as an administrator, choose Teacher Utilities, and click the Edit button next to the Class List. Go to the Tools menu on the Class List Manager window and select Import Student Wizard.
- Click the Browse button to locate the file. If the first row of data in the import file contains column headings ("First Name," "Last Name," etc.), select the checkbox labeled Do not include first line (header information). Selecting this option will ignore the column headings during import. Click Next.
- Identify Data to Import you will see two columns of information, in the first column you will see the header name from the columns in your import file and in the second column you need to select a name from the dropdown list that most closely matches your name. If you do not want to import specific data under a particular header name then select Not Used from the dropdown list. Click Next.
- Finally, you need to carefully review the records before completing the import.
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Q: How do I prepare a file to import teacher data in to the GO Solve Word Problems database?
A: You will need to create a tab-delimited text file with defined columns. The only columns required to create a teacher account are First Name, Last Name and Password. Passwords must be between 4 and 12 characters in length using letters and/or numbers with no blank spaces. Passwords are not case-sensitive.
The Header Row in the file is optional; however, we strongly recommend you create a row of column headers so you can check the file for accuracy before importing it and to identify the field name during the import process. The following additional name and demographic fields are available for import:
Required:
First name
Last Name
Password (must be between 4 and 12 characters in length)
Optional:
Teacher ID
Title
Middle Name
Suffix
Nickname
Administrator (a yes in this field will give the teacher Administrator privileges)
There are many ways to prepare the import file. If you are able to export the student information from another database, you can use the following steps to prepare the file.
- When exporting information from another database, export the file as a plain text or text only file (.txt on Windows and Macintosh).
- Start Microsoft Excel. Select the file you exported and click Open.
Excel has its own import wizard, so follow the steps to bring the data into a spreadsheet document.
- Within Excel, organize the columns and check the data so that at least the First and Last names are included along with any of the above optional information. Be sure to check the data for accuracy.
- Save the file as a Text File (.txt).
- Log in to the GO Solve Word Problems program as an administrator, choose Teacher Utilities, and click the Edit button next to the Class List. Go to the Tools menu on the Class List Manager window and select Import Teacher Wizard.
- Click the Browse button to locate the file.
If the first row of data in the import file contains column headings ("First Name," "Last Name," etc.), select the checkbox labeled Do not include first line (header information). Selecting this option will ignore the column headings during import. Click Next.
- Under Identify Data to Import you will see two columns of information, in the first column you will see the header name from the columns in your import file and in the second column you need to select a name from the dropdown list that most closely matches your name. If you do not want to import specific data under a particular header name then select Not Used from the dropdown list. Click Next.
- Finally, you need to carefully review the records before completing the import.
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Q: I’m installing GO Solve Word Problems on the same computer or network as Thinking Reader, and I’m experiencing some problems. What should I do?
A: If Thinking Reader was installed first:
--and you have Thinking Reader 1.0, please call us to upgrade to Thinking Reader 1.2.
If GO Solve Word Problems was installed first:
--and you have Thinking Reader 1.0, please call us to upgrade to Thinking Reader 1.2.
--and you installed Thinking Reader 1.2 from a Macintosh, re-run the GO Solve Word Problems installer in the same location. The affected files should now be restored, and the application should be able to launch.
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Q: We use the program on a network, and we’d like to maximize performance. What do you recommend?
A: Performance can depend on many factors, such as the speed of the network and the number of performance records in the database. Specific performance symptoms may be treated in different ways.
- Improve launches: If you can, try staggering the number of users who launch the application simultaneously. Try staggering them by 1-3 minutes.
- Improve software performance: Check which type of installation was done on the machine running the application. Our installation process recommends choosing the Easy Install option, which places most files on the client machine itself instead of leaving them on the network. (Student performance data will be stored on the network so that students can log in on any computer.)
- Improve report generation: If you can, use a Windows client to generate reports. Use a wired, not wireless, workstation to generate reports.
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GO Solve Word Problems Student
FAQs
Q: Will students encounter multistep word problems?
A: Yes, a student will encounter multistep word problems upon advancement in the mixed practice phase. Multi-step problems are presented only after students achieve a measure of success in single-step problems. About 25% of the problems in the practice environment are multi-step problems.
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Q: How long will it take for a student to go through the program?
A: A student should be able to complete one module (e.g., Multiplication & Division) in a total time of 3-5 hours. We recommend using the program at least once a week for 45 minutes, within a 9-week timeframe. This will allow almost all students to complete the instructional activities and work through some problem sets in mixed practice. Of course, there are many more problems available for them to practice solving, so you could continue to use it to reinforce and practice problem-solving skills.
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Q: Is there a way for students to show their work?
A:
We have two methods for students to show their work.
One way is by requiring students to use the Notebook feature in the software when they are solving problems. Teachers can customize the Notebook prompt, such as the prompt “Explain how you solved the problem.” The information entered by students is saved with their performance records for printing and review.
Another way for students to show their work is on paper. Even though this is a computer program, it’s very important for students to work with pencil and paper throughout the experience. The program has GO Pads for students to use during their problem solving, for computational work and making their own organizer drawings. Teachers can print more GO Pad sheets on demand from the software’s teacher resources.
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Q:Does the software support special needs students or English language learners?
A: In the animations: All animation movies have optional text captioning. Animations can also be paused, backed up, fast-forwarded, and replayed.
- In the tutorial activities: Instructions are given in audio and screen text. Problems are narrated in audio and shown in screen text.
- In the practice: Computer text-to-speech support is available for the word problems themselves, feedback, the hints, and the notebook.
- Students can change some individual software settings to adjust text size and text contrast.
There is no Spanish language feature.
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Q:On my Macintosh I can’t see any of the tutorial movies, and I have QuickTime 7.1.3. What’s the solution?
A: GO Solve Word Problems uses QuickTime to play the tutorial movies. These movies are in Flash format, and Apple has changed the way Flash content is played by QuickTime 7.1.3. Support for Flash content is disabled by default. Follow these steps to enable Flash content in QuickTime 7.1.3:
- Open System Preferences
- Click on the QuickTime logo under “Internet & Network”
- Click on the “Advanced” Tab and then check the box next to “Enable Flash”
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Q:On my Macintosh I can’t see any of the tutorial movies, and I have QuickTime 7.3.1 or later. What’s the solution?
A: QuickTime 7.3.1 removed the ability to play Flash movies within QuickTime. GO Solve Word Problems relied on this feature to play the tutorial movies and was disabled by the change to QuickTime. A GO Solve Word Problems software update is available to fix the problem. Here are the instructions for downloading and installing the update:
- Download the GO Solve Word Problems Flash update.
- If "GOSolveFlashUpdate.zip" does not expand automatically, double-click the file.
- Copy the contents of the "GOSolveFlashUpdate" folder to your GO Solve Word Problems installation folder. Be sure to copy the contents of the folder, not the folder itself. There are 19 items in the folder.
- The default installation folder for single computer licenses is /Applications/Tom Snyder Applications
- The default installation folder for network licenses is /Applications/GOSolve.
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GO Solve Word Problems Teacher Manager FAQs
Q: Can a teacher use this with a whole class? Or have students work in pairs?
A: GO Solve Word Problems is flexible enough to use with your students in a number of ways: a teacher can work through parts with the entire class, have students work in pairs, or have the students work through the program individually.
If you have access to a projector or interactive whiteboard, using parts of GO Solve Word Problems with the whole class is an excellent way to engage everyone in problem solving. We recommend that you use the instructional parts of the program (the “tutorials) with the class, and then have students use the program individually to practice solving problems. When you cover some of the instruction in a class setting, use the Settings in Teacher Utilities to manually advance the assignment setting for each student to the practice mode.
Students can also work in pairs to go through the instructional sequence. Conversation between students can often enhance the learning experience and lead to greater understanding than a student who goes through the instruction alone. Students would still practice solving problems independently, after going through the instruction assignment in pairs.
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Q: Can a teacher choose the number forms in the practice problems (whole numbers, fractions, decimals)?
A: The practice problems include whole numbers, fractions, and decimals. Whole number problems are always included. The teacher can change settings to exclude fractions and/or decimals from student practice. Log in as a teacher, go to Teacher Utilities, and click the Settings tab. Now you can change the settings for the whole class by using the top of the column, or for individual students by using specific cells in the Settings table.
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Q: Can a teacher turn the Calculator off?
A: Yes, the teacher can control which of the learning supports are offered: calculator, hints, notebook. The teacher can change this setting for the whole class or for individual students by using the Settings in the Teacher Utilities.
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