TeachMac 3.0
reviewed by Wayne LeFevre
Grass Valley, CA Demo: http://www.teachmac.com/video.html Released: August 2006 Application is Free. Modules Free to $15 USD per Module, or a $49 a year for a subscription. Requirements: Apple Macintosh computer with a PowerPC G3, G4, G5, or Intel processor; Mac OS X 10.3.9 or higher; QuickTime 7 or later; Internet connection for downloading modules. Strengths: Training sessions are set up into modules. Each of those modules are split up into sections that can be viewed all at once or one at a time. Ability to add new modules and create your own modules. Some modules are free to low cost. Every Tuesday there is a small free module you can download. Weaknesses: No bookmarking feature or way to see that you've already watched a section or module. Can only be watched with TeachMac software, not exportable to other formats. Not a great number of modules yet. No way of previewing a module to determine if it is right for you. Must have application to see what modules are available. Web site uninformative. |
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What it is
TeachMac is a brilliant application that can help individuals, schools and corporations. From the website it explains "With TeachMac, a school or organization can offer all the training its staff needs without depleting the technology and staff development budgets. With TeachMac, and TeachIt (for the PC), we’ve created a platform-independent training system. All modules run in both programs, so people most comfortable with one platform can learn and teach about another. Using a PC or a Mac, a trainer could demonstrate proper document formatting, for instance, using examples from Word for Macs and Word for PCs."
After downloading the application you will be presented with all the free modules. Modules are considered like a training section. When a module is selected you are presented with all the sections within that module. For example, there is a module called Intro to the Mac. From within that module the sections are Hardware, Operating System, The Finder Window, Working with Objects, Applications, Documents, Managing Your Computer and System Preferences. Now within those sections are the actual lessons, which are also listed, but for brevity, I will not list them all. Most lessons are extremely short, which is unfortunate at times. Also quality can differ from lesson to lesson, even from within the same module. Sometimes the sound can be good, and other times it can sound far away and canny (as in like being inside a can).
You can then decide to purchase new modules, or you can purchase a year subscription that will provide you with all the modules for download for a year.
Modules that are included have a lot to do with AppleWorks, which I do not have, nor do I know if the new Macs include it. There are modules for teachers and modules for students, which is neat. It will teach you from making lesson plans if your a teacher, to creating Research Papers for students. There are modules that really run the gamut from the inexperienced to the power user. Also, since the application is free, you can install it onto your mother's computer and have her watch the Intro to Mail module. That way, she won't be calling at 10 at night wondering how she can get her mail!
I should mention that there is also a pane for text, so not only can you have a movie showing you how to make an iTunes playlist, but there is text that can explain things also. There is also a Kiosk mode that the application can take over your screen, and thus play the module lessons in order, and not let the kids just pick and choose what they want to see.
If that was all there was, I would not have been to impressed, and would leave it at that. There are many fine video teaching podcasts out there, some are free, and some are subscription service, but most have nice, descriptive lessons. Some that come to mind are Lynda and ScreenCastsOnline.
But here is where TeachMac has the Potential to really make it an ace product.
First, TeachMac has the ability to create your own custom modules from previous modules. This is cool. You can take bits and pieces from other modules and create and distribute your own module. Back to your mom. You can create a module that tells her how to use e-mail from that module, from another module you can show how to use iTunes, and from another module, how to use iCal. Now these modules are surprisingly small, even e-mailable. Another example is you can create your own modules for teaching your students just the applications that they need to use, then they won't need to watch extra material that they don't have to.
Another ability of TeachMac is similar to the last. You can create your own modules. That is, actually create a module showing how to use an application of your choosing. This would be fantastic for businesses wanting to train their employees on a certain applications that may be in-house only, or not mass market. You can also create a module and actually sell it on the TeachMac website, and receive half of the cost. There are already many modules in work to do just that.
Summary
With the program the way it is, I would give it 3.5 stars, however, I would be willing to give it 4 stars for its potential. Right now it is missing a certain lack of professionalism, (such as same voice, audio level, etc. in one module) that I’m sure will change as more modules become available. I can’t wait to see what some of the public can come up with.
