Making the site work for you

To use the digital materials online you will, of course, need a computer with access to the Internet. If you are working from a CD ROM, you will need a computer with a CD ROM drive. Your monitor resolution should be 800X600 or better.

You don't need to be a computer expert. You just need to be familiar with basics such as how to use the mouse and how to navigate using Internet browsers.

System Requirements: Windows or Macintosh, Internet Explorer or Navigator, version 4 or better. In several places, the Macromedia Shockwave Player is required. It is available free to download at:
http://www.macromedia.com/shockwave/download/

The 'Continue' and 'Back' buttons

The 'Continue' and 'Back' buttons look like this:

'Continue' takes you through the materials according to the suggested sequence. If you don't see a 'Continue' button you are viewing a page which (while it may be important) branches off from the suggested sequence. The 'Back' button takes you back to the last page you viewed.

Hyperlinks

As you probably know, you move from one page of the site to another, through the use of hyperlinks. (The 'Continue' and 'Back' buttons are simple examples of hyperlinks.)

On this site, other hyperlinks looks like this: hyperlink

When you click your mouse on the hyperlink, it will take you to a new page. Sometimes, a small 'popup' screen will appear in front of the original page. These popup screens usually provide additional information at some point in the text. To close a popup screen, just click your mouse on the 'Close' button, which looks like this:

Sometimes hyperlinks can take you outside this site, to other Internet sites. When you click your mouse on such a hyperlink, a new window will open on top of What Works. The Work Program. When you have finished looking at the 'new' site, just close its window. (Of course, if you are working from a CD ROM and have no Internet access, then these sites will not be available to you.)

The site map

Most pages in the site provide access to a Site Map. If you want to go to a particular part of the materials, using the Site Map can be a quick way of getting there.

The search facility

The site provides a search facility, which can also be used at any time to help you find a particular part of the materials.

A further use, however, is to locate pages within the site which relate to a particular topic. If, for example, you search using the word 'literacy', the search will produce a list of documents related to that topic.

Using 'Bookmarks' or 'Favorites'

As you work with these materials, you might find that some pages are particularly important to you, in your setting. Or, if you are working through the suggested pathway, you probably won't be doing it all in one sitting. When you come back to the work, how will you get back to where you were?

In either of these cases, you can use the 'Bookmarks' or 'Favorites' functions in your browser to make a note of any page you want to remember. Then it will be simple to return to it when you want to. (This only works, of course, if you are coming back to the same computer! If you use a different computer you might need to use the site map or search facility to get back to the page you want.)

Printing pages from the site

At any time, you can use the 'print' button of your browser to print the page you are seeing on your screen. (You must, of course, be connected to a printer!)

The format of the result will vary according to a number of factors, including the particular browser you are using.

There are particular and obvious reasons, however, for wanting to print particular pages, such as planning documents and discussion papers. Many of these have been designed to allow you to download them to your computer. You can then save them and print them at your leisure or use them as you like in your work.

Pages such as these are available in 'pdf' (portable document format) or 'rtf' (rich text format) versions and buttons to get them look like this:

document.rtf

document.pdf

'pdf' documents open with software such as Adobe Acrobat which is available free to download from Adobe at: http://www.adobe.com/support/downloads/main.html

'rtf' documents can be opened with typical word processing software such as Microsoft Word or Word Perfect.

The advantage of both of these formats is that they allow you to produce a clean, formatted version of documents no matter what kind of computer or browser you are using.

Health and safety considerations

Finally, remember that whenever you are working on a computer it is good practice to make sure you are seated correctly, with the keyboard and monitor set at an appropriate height for you. It is also important to take regular breaks away from the computer. Walking and stretching exercises are highly recommended.