Clicker Paint as a tool for creating accessible activities?
In a small way, I have using Clicker Paint as a means of creating accessible activities in maths that would be much harder to deliver by any other means. The intended users are touch screen users. If they touch an area not intended to be filled, then it will not be filled. Clicker paint also allows you to add “hotspots” that can be scanned by switch users.
In this example, the user has to fill in all the examples of a particular shape in the same colour. It’s the sort of activity found in all early maths schemes. I created it using Xara Xtreme – this is a vector ( line based) drawing package derived from Artworks on the Acorn computer.
Here’s how I did it;
- Create your blank page of shapes – making sure that all shapes are transparent and lines bold. It’s probably a good idea to put two invisible points in, top left and bottom right to indicated the corners)
- Save this file as a .png file. Make sure that the Option – transparent is ticked. Under colour depth I choose – True colour + Alpha. I do not know if this matters. I think so. Make sure you choose the largest dpi resolution and a large picture size – say 1000 pixels wide.
- Load up Clicker paint. Open a new template – probably landscape.
- Load this file into Clicker Paint and fill in the background a very light colour.
- Save the file as a .png again
- Open a new template – probably Landscape
- Go to File > Settings > Activity Details
- Click ‘choose picture’ then load your .png file
- Select Assistant Layer Position – ‘On top of painting’ and then click on OK
- Now save you activity as a Clicker paint Template
Give this a try as a method of creating accessible materials for pupils using alternatives to mouse access.
I have not tried adding scanning yet.
You do not need to use Xara. It can all be done in Clicker Paint. Create your exercise in Clicker paint and go to 5)
