Boardmaker 5 Basic Tutorial Beginning Level – You will

learn to: Make a button Spray a grid Find and place symbols Remove symbols Combine symbols Make color-coded symbols Use lasso tool

Starting Boardmaker

Be sure the CD is in the drive.

Use the short-cut on the desktop to start your Boardmaker

Or, click on START>Programs and select Boardmaker.

Double-click on the Boardmaker icon on the desktop

Open via the START menu

OR

Creating a New Board After the program opens, you have choices. . . Select “Open a new board” for this exercise.

This button will open the pre-made grid and template folder

Click on “Open a

new board”

This button will open a saved board

Creating a New Board

Boardmaker opens to a blank workspace.

The tool pallet has the design, writing, and color tools

Drawing a Button Select the

“Button Tool” from the tool palette.

Move the cursor to the blank workspace.

Click and drag diagonally to create a button.

Click on the button tool

Click, HOLD, and drag to the right. DO NOT release the mouse key until the button is drawn.

Spraying a Grid Select the “Button

Sprayer Tool” from the tool pallet.

Move the cursor into the center of the button.

Click and HOLD DOWN the mouse key. Drag cursor to the right.

For this exercise, make a grid 4 cells across and 2 cells down.

Note: to change the grid position. Select EDIT>SELECT ALL and move all the buttons at once.

Finding a symbol To open the

Symbol Finder Window, click on the Boardmaker icon in the tool pallet.

The symbol finder window will open.

Click on the Boardmaker icon.

Finding a symbol - Step 1

Type the word “story” in the “Symbol Search Window”.

Symbol Search Window

Next

Search whole word

Search anywhere in word

Search beginning of word

3 ways to search

Finding a symbol - Step 2

Click on the “thumbnail” view button to display symbols that match “story”.

Thumbnail view button

(this is one button with 3 objects on it)

Thumbnail view

Next

Finding a symbol - Step 3

Select the “storyteller” choice and type the words “Let’s read” in the Alternative Symbol Name Field.

Alternative Symbol Name Field

Click on the storyteller selection

Next

Finding a symbol - Step 4

Press the Enter Key and the symbol will be placed in the grid.

Building a Board

Continue building your board by typing “bear” in the Symbol Search Window.

Select one of the bears from the thumbnail selections.

Type in 6 more words of your choice and fill the buttons of the grid.

When placing a symbol by clicking in a cell, the cursor will change to the Boardmaker Icon symbol.

Removing a symbol

Type the word “butterfly in the Symbol Search Window.

Click on the button that has the bear.

When the prompt comes up asking you to Replace, Add to, or Cancel, select Replace.

Put Two Symbols on a Button

Type the word “read” in the Symbol Search Window.

Click on “thumbnails” and select the stick figure reading.

Remove the word from the Alternative Symbol Name window.

Next

Highlight the word and use the delete key on your keyboard to remove the word.

Put Two Symbols on a Button

Click on a button to add the symbol.

A prompt will appear asking if you want to Replace, Add To, or Cancel. Select “Add To”.

The symbol will be added to the button. Nex

t

Put Two Symbols on a Button

Work with the two symbols to make them fit nicely on the button. Practice this step with several symbols.

Symbol is added to button. Now there are 2 symbols on the button.

Click in center of “read” (top symbol). Dotted line will appear around this symbol.

Click on the lower right corner of the dotted line. An arrow will appear. Move arrow diagonally to left. Do this slowly.

Repeat with the second symbol. Then move the 2 symbols around on the button to look good.

Using the Lasso/Marquee Tool

Using the Symbol Finder Window, type “I want to talk to you”.

Click on the Lasso/Marquee tool.

Use the cursor to draw around a portion of the symbol.

Press enter key to add to grid.

Marquee tool is a square. Lasso tool is an irregular circle.

Try adding this to another symbol on your grid.

Add a Background Color

Click on the background.

Click on the color tool on the tool pallet.

Select one of the colors.

Clearing Symbols from Buttons

Remove symbols but leave the grid.

Close the Symbol Finder Window.

Pull down the Edit Menu from the Menu Bar choose Select All.

Pull down the Edit Menu again and select Clear.

Close Symbol Finder Window here.

B/W Symbol-Color Background

Click on the Boardmaker Icon to open the Symbol Finder Window

Click on the Symbol Finder Settings Button.

Select “Use Black & White Symbols” and click on OK.

Symbol Finder Settings Button

Note: This window also controls the languages, word default size and more.

Next

B/W Symbol-Color Background

Type the word “happy” in the Symbol Finder Window.

Click on thumbnails and select one of the happy symbols.

Add several more symbols to your grid.

Note: the thumbnails will appear in color but will transfer to the grid in black and white.

Next

B/W Symbol-Color Background

To add color to a button, click on the button first.

Click on the Color Tool selection on the Tool Pallet.

Click on the word “Button” and choose a color.

Repeat for other buttons.

Adding a Title to the Board Click on the “A” tool

on the Tool Pallet. Click above your grid

and type a title. Without clicking off

the sentence, pull down the Text menu from the menu bar and select 30 pts.

Use the arrow tool to center the sentence.

Review

This completes the Boardmaker basics. You can now: Draw buttons and spray grids Add background color Add a board title Place symbols on buttons Add to and remove symbols Create color-coded symbols Change the symbols from color to

B/W