Learning Friends - Download

Click the links below to download the Pulse Math Final Report, User Scenario and Learning Friends People. These describe a project funded by the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation. The links below in the "Math Activity" section lead to the activity described in the reports.

Reports

Math Activity

Here are the files you can download to play "Miranda's Math: Zak Learns Place Value," a prototype first grade math activity. The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation funded this project.

Miranda's Math is available to you free of charge. Let us know how you liked it! Contact: ann@learningfriends.com.

This prototype is designed to show how next generation, "high play value, high learning value" software can help transform education for children around the world. With a comprehensive set of programs like this, children can learn "expanded basics," starting with math and how to read and write in English.

If you choose to contribute funds for maintaining this service and funding future development, click on the Amazon button to the right. Payments to Learning Friends are not tax-deductible. We are grateful for your gifts!

To discuss investment, partnership or how to make tax-deductible donations for furthering this work via a university alliance, contact us: ann@learningfriends.com. We look forward to hearing from you.

PC Users

Download this file: LF.1.0.rc2.zip

Expand the file (with Winzip or Stuffit Expander). That will create a folder called "LearningFriends.1.0.rc2".

Go into the folder and open the "Start Here.html" with your browser while you're online, and the Pulse3D plugin will automatically install.

Mac Users

You'll need Netscape to play the game (OS X users, download Netscape 6.2.3 here if you don't already have it).

Then download and install the appropriate Pulse3D plugin:

Mac OS 8 or 9: PulsePlayer5.2Mac
Mac OS X: PulsePlayer5.2MacX

Next, download this file: LF.1.0.rc2.zip

Expand the file (with Stuffit Expander). That will create a folder called "LearningFriends.1.0.rc2".

Go into the folder and open the "Start Here.html" file with Netscape.

Note on Hardware Acceleration

To run smoothly on your computer, Pulse3D requires a graphic card with a minimum of 32 MB of VRAM.

PC users can check this with the following steps:

To check your VRAM on a PC you need to run a DirectX Diagnostic Tool called DXDIAG. If DirectX has been installed on the PC then this file should be there.

Click on the Start icon at the lower left of your screen.

Select Run.

Enter dxdiag in the file name window and then press OK.

When the application appears press the Display tab.

One of the diagnostics on the screen will say Approximate Total Memory. That is how much VRAM you have. If it's less than 32MB, the game should still run, but the animation may be very slow.

Mac users running OS X may be able to check this with the following steps:

If you have Jaguar (OS X 10.2), then under the Apple menu, select About This Mac. Then click "More Info..." button. (If you have an earlier version of OS X, go into the Applications:Utilities folder and launch "Apple System Profiler")

Click on the "Devices and Volumes" tab.

Click the triangle next to PC Slot-1(AGP).

This will expose information about your graphics card.

You may see information there showing how much VRAM you have. (If it doesn't say, most Nvidia cards will have enough VRAM.)

If it's less than 32MB, the game should still run, but the animation may be very slow.

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