6/26/09
Roger,

I found that if I deleted the text field and rewrote it it remained formatted. I also changed some sounds so that when the two elements combined wedding bells sound. Here is a link to the updated version of the Covalent compounds stack.

Also if you like click-n-drag here is a stack I wrote years ago called the Ionic Chip Lab. I just updated it to run in HS5. It is a spinoff of an activity I did as a high school chemistry student. We were to write 20+ chemical formulas then use paper cutout "chips" of the elements to make models of the compound then check our answers. The metals had "points" and the nonmetal "indents". They would be matched up to make a rectangle - if the shape was right the formula was too. I find it useful to get my students to visualize what is occurring in chemical bonding as well as to check their formlas.

I used the paper chips when I first started teaching but the students would lose them or, over the years, they wore out. Now they are electronic with sounds to help drill it in.

Enjoy,
Doug

Earlier message (June 25, 2009)

Here is what I have done of the first stack I am attempting to rewrite in HS5. Have experienced lots of problems with hyperlinks disappearing or failing to activate - so many that I have used hiden buttons instead. Also having a problem with text fields changing their formatting in play mode (I've attached a movie).

Writing & Naming Chemical Formulas (27 MB zipped, polyatomic not yet finished) You are more than welcome to use any of it at the conference.

Student Program Sheet - for the old version of the program in case you want to show how the programs are being used in the classroom.

Movie of text field problem - text field is rearranging as I go from edit to play mode. Have experienced this problem frequently - doesn't matter if the text field is Rotatable or Scroll Box.

Thanks again for all the help - I appreciate it. I will spend time this weekend looking over the massive amount of info you sent.

Doug