What You Need To Know About FLOWCHARTING

FLOWCHARTING

A flowchart is used to communicate a process, and its power is in making the process visual. Consisting of shapes, text, and arrows, flowcharts range from giving step by step instructions to mapping the flow of an idea.

Flowcharting allows us, future teachers, to break any process down into individual events or activities and to display these in shorthand form showing the logical relationships between them. They can be used in a lesson to promote better understanding of processes, resulting in students' success.



An example of a process, explained by a flowchart is, a caterpiller turning into a butterfly or an addition sum. The symbols used to represent each event may take any form. They may be boxes, circles, diamonds or other shapes, or events may simply be described in words. Connections between events are always represented by lines; usually with arrowheads to show the direction or order in which they occur. These lines represent the flow of activity in the process being described; hence the name of the technique.

SIMPLE EXAMPLE OF A FLOWCHART

Draw a flowchart to find the largest of three numbers A, B, and C.

Advantages of Flowcharting in the Classroom

• Communication: Flowcharts are better way of communicating the logic of a system to all the students


• Effective analysis: With the help of flowchart, problem can be analysed in more effective way.


• Build a step-by-step picture of the process for analysis and discussion.

Disadvantages of Flowcharting

• Complex logic: Sometimes, the program logic is quite complicated. In that case, flowchart becomes complex and clumsy.


• Alterations and Modifications: If alterations are required the flowchart may require re-drawing completely.


• Reproduction: As the flowchart symbols cannot be typed, reproduction of flowchart becomes a problem.


• The essentials of what is done can easily be lost in the technical details of how it is done.

To learn more about flowcharting you can take a look at this video

http://video.about.com/presentationsoft/Creating-PowerPoint-Flowchart.htm

If you love to read then you can visit this site to learn more about flowcharts and how to create a flowchart.

http://office.microsoft.com/training/Training.aspx?AssetID=RP010198891033&CTT=6&Origin=RC010198841033

REFERENCES

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flowchart

http://www.hci.com.au/hcisite2/toolkit/flowchar.htm

http://www.edrawsoft.com/flowchart-examples.php

RESEARCH AND REFERENCE TOOLS- ELECTRONIC DICTIONARIES

As aspiring teachers, we must be up-to- date with respect to our method and strategies of teaching. Technology and more specfically research and reference tools can and will assist us with this. Research and Reference tools are technology software support tools used in teaching and learning. The different types of research and reference tools are electronic encyclopaedias, electronic atlases, electronic dictionaries and educational resources.



An electronic dictionary is either a small handheld computer with integrated reference materials, a program downloaded from the internet or purchased on a CD-ROM or DVD and it can be searched and consulted online. It can either be hand-held device or a software. A PDA and smartphone contains a dictionary feature and because it is fully portable the devices are battery-powered and made with durable casing material.



Some of the features of both hand held dictionaries and software dictionaries include stroke order animations, voice output, handwriting recognition, language learning programs,a calculator , PDA -like organizer functions, encyclopedias, and time zone and currency converters, and crossword puzzle solvers.



Usefulness Of Electronic Dictionaries

• In an electronic dictionary there are the extra space and colour which make the entry clearer and easier to read. Traditional dictionaries need to cram a lot of text into a small space.


• They allow more complex searches, you can retrace your steps and add notes.


• They can be integrated with other related works: exercise or a thesaurus or encyclopedia for example.

Using Electronic Dictionaries in the Classroom

Despite the ease of use that electronic dictionaries provide, they are still an under-used resource and very little teaching actually goes on where they are available. This is a pity, as linking an electronic dictionary to reading or other activities is easy to do and can be a powerful learning tool, as the example of Encarta in Figure 1 illustrates.

Figure 1: double clicking a word invokes the dictionary reference in Encarta

Electronic Dictionaries are very uselful and it is fun to use. If you haven't used an electronic dictionary then GO BUY ONE!!!!!!!!! If you are not working like me then you can visit these online dictionaries. I guarantee you, it is fun!

Online dictionaries

http://encarta.msn.com/encnet/features/dictionary/dictionaryhome.aspx

http://www.merriam-webster.com/

http://vintage-anchor.knopfdoubleday.com/

http://www.lightlink.com/bobp/wedt/site.htm

REFERENCES

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electronic_dictionary

www.electronics-manufacturers.com/...electronics/electronic-dictionary.html

www.flixya.com/.../The_benefits_of_using_electronic_dictionary

Working with an Electronic Dictionary
by Naomi Epstein http://www.etni.org.il/hearing/edictionary.htm