Headline Changes in Releases & Versions

Version 5:  (Years 2014 to present)

With seven years of development, Version 5 of Wordshark and Numbershark has greatly updated the “look and feel” of v3 and v4, whilst retaining almost all features of these earlier versions and expanding capability in many ways. Unlike v3 and v4, the current production v5 releases can be updated/patched (in most cases via Help/Check for updates) .  Visit  www.wordshark.co.uk for the main headline changes.

Version 4:  (Years 2008 to 2013)

As far as possible the same “look and feel”  as version 3 is retained, along with the content of  version 3.  Version 4 ran to ten releases,

Wordshark 4.01:

Significant expansion of phonics, including “Letters and Sounds” and many new games

Numbershark 4.01:

Significant expansion of topics, including fractions, decimals (inc money, measurement), percentages and introduction to negative numbers, along with 10 new games

Both programs 4.01:

Mac network ready:

2-level administrator capability, allowing use with large numbers of staff/students: Network managers as “Administrators” and education staff as “Subadministrators”,  the latter having streamlined menus that exclude many technical and administrative functions not needed for day to day teaching. Ability for any child to be set different work by several staff (v3 allowed each child to have just one “set work”)

Both programs have redesigned “Specially recommended games” screens for several courses, allowing easier choice of most effective games for a topic/list

Both programs:

Release 4.02:  “Drag and Drop” introduced for setting work.  Pause/Resume button for teachers, for use when demonstrating/teaching

Numbershark 4.02:

17 more topics added, mainly  in addition, subtraction and decimals courses

Release 4.06: Windows 7 compatibility introduced, both for Win7 x32bit  and x64 bit.

Release 4.08: Mac Lion  & Mountain Lion (OSX 10.7 and 10.8) compatibility introduced.

Release 4.08: Administrators have video tutorials within the “Help” menu.

Release 4.08.08: Administrators have .pdf manuals within the “Help” menu.

Release 4.09:  Network products now include MSI support.

Version 3:  (Years 2000 to 2007)

Version 3 had nine releases over several years, so version 3.09 contained many features not found in version 3.0.  Features introduced in v3 releases are all included in v4.

Wordshark:  3s.02:  The “s” stands for  the addition of“Secondary School Subjects” lists.

Release 3.03: New game “Spelling Test” / “Sum Test”.  The first wireless network compatible release.

 

Release 3.05: Interactive whiteboard features and compatibility added

Release 3.06: The first release suitable for stand-alone Apple Mac computers.

Release 3.07: Backup and restore features, automatic signing on using Active Directory, bulk registration of students. For Wordshark, addition of some games and phonics lists and finger-spelling (BSL).

Release 3.08: Several adaptations to improve  Vista compatibility.