Introduction To Main and The Soft Keyboard: Lesson 2
Introduction To Main and The Soft Keyboard: Lesson 2
Introduction To Main and The Soft Keyboard: Lesson 2
Lesson 2
Introduction to Main and the Soft Keyboard
Welcome
In this lesson, we will eventually explore the ClassPad’s Main
application and the soft keyboard. To begin, though, we need to cover
some terminology that is common to all PC applications and some
specific to the ClassPad.
Lesson Goals
• To learn basic window terminology
• To become comfortable using the Main Application
• To learn how to use the soft keyboard
• To learn how to change number format
Time required
About 60 minutes.
Getting Started
What is an application? In the computer world, we define application as a
computer program with a user interface. You can think of an application as
any program that you can open on your computer and do work in. The
ClassPad Manager is an application with other applications inside. Most of its
components (or parts) are the same as other PC applications; only a few are
unique.
PART I
[Important] Become familiar with basic window terminology.
System Menu
Button
(ClassPad Specific) Menu Bar
Toolbar
Window Scrollbar
Border
Work Area
Cursor Pad
(Calculator Specific)
Keypad
(Calculator Specific)
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System Menu Button ( ) Opens a menu that looks similar in all
ClassPad applications. The System menu provides you with many
dialogs to set ClassPad modes and other window options.
Menu Bar Provides a row of menus that you can open and select
commands from. The ClassPad’s “Menu bar” will change for each
different application. For example, notice the different menu bars and
toolbars:
The Main
Application
The Geometry
Application
The SpreadSheet
Application
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Window Border A box or edge defining an application’s work area.
When more than one window is open, the active window (window
with focus) will have a bolder border.
You will learn a lot more about window borders and focus in the
next lesson. For now, please just notice the difference.
Notice the
This window toolbar
Notice the is active and
toolbar and window
(has focus).
bolder border
window changed.
border.
This window
is active
(has focus).
Icon Panel Provides a row of buttons that you can click at any
time.
Cursor Pad Provides a way to move cursor position up, down, left
or right.
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PART I
Practice Exercises
Before beginning the practice exercises, open a word
document, type in the following information and then save it
as Lesson2 in your CASIO folder within My Documents:
• Date: (enter today's date)
• To: (put your instructor’s name here)
• From: (put your name here)
• Re: Lesson 2
10. Select your answer by clicking on it and then click the button again.
Notice that the button toggles your answer between a fraction and
decimal.
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PART II
In this part, you will begin exploring the ClassPad’s soft keyboard. As you will
see, the soft keyboard is not just an everyday keyboard. It does contain a
regular keyboard, but also many other very useful keys.
1. 2D Math Page
Sometimes in the instructions you will see a “/” between words. The “/” is
a shorthand notation commonly used when writing instructions for
working with menus. For example, Edit/Clear All indicates that you
should open the Edit menu and select Clear All.
a. Open the Main
application (M)
b. Clear your window
(select Edit/Clear All)
c. Press k
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3. Single Variables
In Algebra we learn that no symbol between variables (letters) means
multiplication. The ClassPad also thinks this way when we use its single
variables (bolder letters). Sometimes, however, we want to define a variable
with more than one letter. For example, let width = length – 12. To do this,
we can use letters from the regular keyboard.
a. Clear your window
(select Edit/Clear All)
b. Click the 9 or )
tab
c. Click the VAR button
(along the bottom).
d. Input ab and press EXE
*Notice the result
e. Click the 0 tab
f. Input ab and press EXE
*Notice the result
b. Click the 9 or )
tab AND the I if it is
showing
c. Input 7 W ab and press
EXE
d. Input ab on the next line
and press EXE
e. Input 10ab and press
EXE
f. Press the VAR key
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PART II
Practice Exercises
1. Open the Main application, clear your window and then open the system
menu ( ) and select Keyboard. This is another way to open and close
the keyboard.
[Hint: After inputting , press the right arrow key to get out from
under the square root. Notice the blinking cursor becomes larger.]
3. Change your answer to a decimal.
4. Get a screen capture and paste it into your Lesson2 document (under
a title of PART II).
5. Click on the next math line (you will see the cursor). Open the Action
menu, select Transformation and then toDMS. DMS stands for
degrees minutes seconds and is used in angle measurements.
6. Evaluate toDMS(81.25).
7. Get a screen capture. Please add two blank spaces following the first
screen capture and then paste this one.
8. Open the Interactive menu, select List-Create and then seq. Fill in
the dialog that appears as follows:
9. Ok, now we will sum the sequence. Select your answer from step 9 and
drag to the next math line.
10. Select the sequence you just dragged and then open the Interactive
menu, select List-Calculation and then sum. Click Ok to the dialog
that appears.
11. Get a screen capture. Add two blank spaces following the second
screen capture and then paste this one.
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PART III
In this part, you will learn another way to store values, how to use the one
finger toolbar button, change base and change the form in which your
numbers display. For example, always show results as a decimal. Or, you
may want to work with angles in degrees instead of radians. To change most
settings we can use the Basic Format dialog box or just click the status bar.
We usually call these format settings “mode settings”. Mode settings control
how the ClassPad Manager handles math and other settings.
Important: What are your ClassPad’s mode settings? Your status bar (along
the bottom of this window) might say: Alg Standard Real Rad
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2. Status Bar and One Line at a Time
a. Notice your status bar
b. Click Decimal to toggle
it back to Standard
c. Click on your first math
line and then the
button
d. Notice only the 1st
output changed
*One line at a time please!
Just tap it!
**Or, press EXE to re-
execute everything.
3. Changing Base
What does “base” mean? It has to do with place value. Well, as you know,
234=2*100+3*10+4. This can also be written as 234=2*102+3*101+4*100
(note that any # raised to the 0 power equals 1 except 00).
We work in base 10, but computers often work in base 2 or base 16. Base 2
is called binary and base 16 is called hexadecimal. For example, 5 in base
2 is 101=1*22+0*21+20. There are also many other bases that are common.
You could really write a number in any base you want to!
For now, we will experiment with base 2 (binary) only. You may someday
find this useful! It is definitely fun to think in a different base.
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PART III
Practice Exercises
1. Open the Main application and select Edit/Clear All. Notice the status
bar changed to show all modes again (no longer in Bin mode). This is a
good thing!
2. A flea traveled 3.76 yards on the first day of its journey, 2.57 yards on
the second and 1.99 yards on the last day. Using the Main application,
calculate the total distance traveled.
3. To the nearest tenth, how far did the flea travel? Hint: Change your mode
setting to Fix 1 and re-execute line one to display a decimal.
4. Get a screen capture and paste it into your Lesson2 document (under a
title of PART III).
7. Click Real in the status bar to toggle to Cplx or open the Basic Format
dialog box and check the box for Complex Format. Re-evaluate . So,
you see .
= i [i is often called the imaginary unit. “imaginary” in this
sense does NOT mean non-existent; it means not a real number (not on
the real number line).]
8. Get a screen capture. Please add two blank spaces following the first
screen capture and then paste this one.
9. Ok, time to explore the soft keyboard. Try to find two music note symbols
within the soft keyboard (they look like: ).
[Hint: You will find them by looking in one of the pages that appear when
you click a lower button on the abc page! Remember to click the back
arrow button to get back and the down arrows on the right to see more of
a page.]
10. Click the symbols when you find them so that they show in your window.
Get a screen capture. Add two blank spaces following the second screen
capture and then paste this one.
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PART IV
Written Exercises
Please copy and paste the following questions into your Lesson2 document
and answer them.
1. What information shows in the status bar?
2. What are two ways to open the soft keyboard?
3. What does the button do?
4. What does the button do?
Reflection Exercises
You have just completed the second lesson in ClassPad 101, great! Learning
terminology is not as much fun as entering things into the ClassPad, but
learning the terminology is important so that we can talk in a technical way!
Try to review pages 2 and 3 until you are comfortable with each term. Or,
you can print them so that you can refer to them quickly as needed.
Please take a few moments to copy and paste the following three questions
at the end of your Lesson2 document and answer them.
1. Approximately how long did it take you to complete this lesson?
2. Which activity did you enjoy the most?
3. Did you find any part of this activity difficult to follow? If so, which part?
Also, how did you overcome the difficulty?
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