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What’s new: Week of Feb. 16 2015

If you’ve explored the site before, I wanted to provide some updates on things that are newly installed, things that work better, and the Big Thing that I hope to drop on Wed. or Thu. of this week

As has no doubt become apparent, this page will be a major work in progress forever unless I fail to find a job for the Fall, in which case I may finally get the time to really focus!

New in Structure-function (3D) tutorials

Overall, I’ve updated the ‘how to‘ information, and added current information about what works in each browser. I’ve also created a ‘runs on the desktop’ version (link launches the download).

I started to re-create the opsin explorations using some of the capabilities I’ve learned. These are derived from original work by Frieda Reichsmann; I’m adding functionality and exploring ways of putting more power in the hands of students while (hopefully) keeping things relatively simple.

The annoying ‘first visit always requires a re-load page’ issue has been worked around.

The ‘Hemoglobinopathies‘ pages has been extended with new presentation mode as well as some work making several of the previously somewhat impenetrable ones much more “figure out-able” by students.

New: Integrated courseware launcher

At present, much of the software requires me to post both Mac and Windows versions, and requires users to magically know when a new version is available–which I must post, and they must upload.

It’s ready! At least, the first release version. Grab it here. This beast will allow access to thinkBio assessments (kinda like quizzes, but with expanded capabilities), thinkBio tutorials (organized approaches to the hemoglobin structure investigation series), and all course software. The format allows easier updating of software by me and users need only launch; if a newer version (of anything EXCEPT the courseware launcher) is available, it is grabbed behind the scenes before launching.

New year’s resolutions

I’ve always been a dreamer. I hope to convert some of the aging Adobe Director software modules to LiveCode because the latter is more robust, doesn’t run into the security headaches, and should I run out of things to do, could be converted to run on iPad. Targets include PathFinder, Cricket and VocabuWary. That’s about a years’ work right there, so I’ll stop for now :-).

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