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Project//Draw 0.6 - AutoDesk Labs Grades 4 to 12

TeachersFirst Edge entry: no special skills needed, just a little willingness to "play"! This product-in-development (beta) is an online vector drawing/technical drawing tool for geometry, science, engineering, and more. Vector drawings are far more precise because they are based on mathematical formulas (which you cannot see, of course), instead of the "little boxes" of pixels. Free membership allows you to save and re-access drawings later, all via the web. You can also export drawings to be saved on your own computer is several file formats. The drawing grid allows you to make floor plans, circuit diagrams, flow charts, project mock-ups, or simply demonstrate geometry concepts. Our editors noted that the way to make a shape "no fill" is to set its transparency to 0.0. A little experimentation will help you figure out the drag and drop tools. The tool works best in Firefox 1.5+ or Internet Explorer 6+. Editors' note: we tried the "upload an image" feature and found it "glitchy." You should not count on that feature.
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In the Classroom:
This tool is amazing on interactive whiteboard. Teach simple concepts, such as area,on the board or have students at computers create their own floor plans or maps to reinforce concepts of proportion, direction, and more. Students can even collaborate from home or continue over several days, since the files can be saved on the system. If you wish to save drawings on Project//Draw, create a single class log-in using an "extra" teacher email account and have all students use that log-in, as well. [We recommend that every teacher keep a secondary email account just for memberships.] Make sure you specify some standard ways for students to name files so you know who created them!

Safety note: students who log in and venture throughout the support site behind this will eventually find some bulletin boards where people are discussing features of the program. These discussions are largely technical and do not involve "social networking," but you should be aware of them. Also, since this tool is "in beta," you should not assume that drawings will remain online indefinitely. If you wish to keep one that is complete, download it and save it locally.

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