Hot Potatoes™ - images and sounds

Why use images and sounds in a Hot Potatoes activity?

 A crossword or quiz generally relies on written clues (cryptic or standard) that the student reads and responds with a written answer.

Images can be incorporated into a Hot Potatoes™ activity to provide visual clues for the learner. Sound clips can provide a verbal clue so that a learner needs to listen to a word or sentence before responding with the answer in writing.

How to create a JCross activity with picture clues

The following instructions will help you create the JCross activity shown above.

1. Start Hot Potatoes™ (Start > All Programs > Hot Potatoes 6) and double-click on
   JCross.
   
   
2. Click on Create a grid layout automatically button on the toolbar.
   
   
3. Type the following words into the box provided:
   
   
   1. cup
      
      
   2. knife
      
      
   3. fork
      
      
   4. plate
      
      
   5. spoon
      
      
   6. glass
      
      
   7. placemat

When finished, click on Make the Grid.

To insert the picture clues

4. It is necessary to save the activity before inserting the images as clues. Go to File > Save As. You will notice in the Activity files folder on your E-Guides USB memory stick, there is a folder name table. Open this folder and save this crossword as tableware.
   
   NOTE:  When you create a Hot Potatoes™ activity and insert images, sound clips or video clips you must create a folder that will contain all the necessary files in order for the activity to work.
   
   
5. Click on Add Clues on the left side of the screen. The Add Clues
   dialogue box opens.
   
   
6. Select the first clue. Go to Insert > Picture > Picture from local file. Browse the E-Guides USB memory stick: Activity files > table.  Open the table folder and you will notice that several images are already stored in the folder.  Select fork.jpg and click Open.
   The fork.jpg dialogue box opens. As you do not want the learner to see the name of the image when viewing on a computer screen the Alt text description needs to be changed.
   
   
7. Change the Link URL and the Title
   in the same way. Click OK.
   
   
8. Information is placed into the clue section.  Click OK.
   
   
9. Repeat the procedure for the next clue.  Select Spoon go to Insert > Picture > Picture from File. Select the image of the spoon and change the Alt Text, Link URL and Title information.
   
   Repeat for the remaining clues. When finished, click OK.
   
   
10. Save the changes you have made to the crossword. Go to File > Save.
    
    
11. To enable the interactive exercise the exercise must be saved and converted
    to HTML. File > Create Webpage > Web page for v6 browsers or click on
    the icon on the toolbar.
    
    
12. Once the HTML file has been saved a View or upload the exercise dialogue box opens. Click View the exercise in
    my browser.

Why not have a look at the Hot Potatoes’ ClipArt gallery (http://hcmc.uvic.ca/clipart). There is a wide range of free images covering drawings such as clothing, food, jewellery and utensils.

Now that you have tried a JCross activity with images why not create another activity, or try an activity with sound clips?

How to create a JQuiz activity with sound clips

The following instructions will help you create the JQuiz activity shown to the left.

1. Start Hot Potatoes™ (Start > All Programs > Hot Potatoes 6) and double-click on JQuiz.
   
   
2. Enter the title ‘quel est cet animal?’
   
   
3. It is necessary to save the activity before inserting the sound clips as clues.  Go File > Save As. You will notice in the Activity files folder on your E-Guides USB memory stick, there is a folder named French animals. Open this folder and save this quiz activity as animals.
   
   NOTE: When you create a Hot Potatoes™ activity and insert images, sound clips or video clips you must create a folder that will contain all the necessary files in order for the activity to work.
   
   
4. In the section for Question 1 enter the following instruction:
   
   Click to listen to the animal.
   
   Press the spacebar two times before following the next instruction to insert the sound clip.
   
   
5. Go to Insert > Link > Link to local file. Browse the E-Guides USB memory stick:  Activity files > French animals. In the French animals folder and you will notice that several sound clips are already stored in the folder. Select chicken.wav and click Open.
   
   
6. An Insert Link dialogue box opens. Confirm OK. You will notice information has been entered into the question section.
   
   
7. Add the following answers into A-D:

1. a cow
2. a horse
3. a chicken
4. a pig.

Ensure a tick is placed against the row containing the correct answer, a chicken.

8. Go to the second question. Click on the UP arrow beside Q1. Enter a new sound clip and add the options. Make sure you place a tick beside the correct answer.
   
   
9. Save the changes you have made to the quiz. Go to File > Save.
   
   
10. To enable the interactive exercise the exercise must be saved and converted to HTML. (File > Create Webpage > Web page for v6 browsers) or click
    on the icon on the toolbar. When prompted to save, use the file name
    suggested and confirm Save.
    
    
11. Once the HTML file has been saved a View or upload the exercise dialogue box opens

Now that you have tried a JQuiz activity with sound clips why not create another activity, or try an activity with video clips?

To insert a video clip, follow the same instructions you have followed to insert a sound clip. Why not create a Hot Potatoes™ activity and insert a video clip? In the section Content creation on your E-Guides USB memory stick open the folder Activity files and use the video clip Windows Sample.avi.

Suggestions for use

The Ashcombe School have created a rich resource bank of videos incorporated within Hot Potatoes™ activities to check listening skills in French, German, Italian and Spanish.

Further resources:

File types to incorporate into Hot Potatoes™ activities:

• help.hotpotatoes.info/teacher
• French exercises
• Extraction of Metals
• Dictation exercises
• Sampling quiz(video).