A simple design tool
With SpexClassic as a tool the pupil becomes an interior designer, using graphics to design and furnish the rooms in a house. This task involves making predictions, decisions and plans, and exploring the possibilities of the situation.
The design process
Pupils start the design process by thinking about the uses a room is put to and who uses it, deciding how big the room will be, where to put the windows and doors, what furniture is needed, where it will be positioned, and what colour scheme to have.
Refining the design
As the planning process goes on the pupil can switch to the 3D view of the room layout and decide whether anything needs to be changed. He or she can then switch back to the plan view to alter it, and when the plan is right, print it out.
Computer Modelling Made Easy
SpexClassic allows pupils to model imaginary rooms into which they place furniture, move things around, change their minds and see the overall cost. This is modelling without all the hassle of doing it for real.
Pupils ask and answer the question "What will happen if?" For instance, "If I put an extra bed in the bedroom, will there be enough room? How will it look? Will there be enough money left over?
Computer Graphics Modelling
Learning to manipulate graphics is an important part of the Computer Modelling strand of the ICT requirements and Spex+ is useful to help address the QCA Unit 5A Graphical modelling.
As pupils are planning the layout of the room, they choose furniture from a library of graphics. When they arrange the furniture in the room they will select, drag and drop, move and rotate the graphic elements.
Spreadsheet Modelling
Spreadsheet modelling is quite an abstract concept to grasp, especially for young pupils. Spex+ provides a valuable bridge to this area of modelling with a simple built-in spreadsheet display.
The Spex+ spreadsheet displays the names of the furniture used in the design together with prices and the total cost. When items of furniture are added or removed from the design this is reflected in the spreadsheet.
Maths Skills and Concepts
SpexClassic helps pupils grasp 3D spatial concepts in a practical setting, by moving and rotating items of furniture and seeing how they relate to each other.
SpexClassic makes the relationship between plan view and 3D view easy to understand and gives pupils good practice in using words for shapes, space and dimensions, scale, proportion and symmetry. It has a budget facility which helps pupils to learn about budgeting and handling money.
Spreadsheet Modelling
Spreadsheet modelling is quite an abstract concept to grasp, especially for young pupils. SpexClassic provides a valuable bridge to this area of modelling with a simple built-in spreadsheet display.
The SpexClassic spreadsheet displays the names of the furniture used in the design together with prices and the total cost. When items of furniture are added or removed from the design this is reflected in the spreadsheet.