If you are planning to come to the workshop on using Hot Potatoes, and you have a laptop, we'd be really grateful if you could install the program beforehand on your computer and bring it along. That way, you'll be able to learn it by using it (Task-based learning, anyone?), which is a far better way of learning how to use a program than simply watching someone else and trying to remember.
If you don't have a laptop, or would rather not bring it to the session, you are, of course, still more than welcome to attend!
So if you can bring a laptop along, here's how you go about installing Hot Potatoes on a Windows computer:
Part I: Installation:
1) Go to http://hotpot.uvic.ca/
2) Look for the "Downloads" section around halfway down the page and click on Hot Potatoes 6.2 installer. A dialogue box will open; click on "Run".
3) After a couple of minutes, another dialogue box will pop up with the question "The publisher could not be verified. Are you sure you want to run this software?". Click on "Run".
4) Choose the language you want to use and click "OK".
5) A new box will open saying "Welcome to the Hot Potatoes 6 Setup Wizard". Click "Next" to continue.
6) You will be asked to accept the License Agreement. Basically it says that Hot Potatoes is free if you work in an educational institution and make anything you create using the software generally available by putting it up on the Internet (don't worry, we'll show you how to do that!). Click on "I accept the agreement" and click "Next".
7) Another box will appear with information about Hot Potatoes. This is purely for information; you don't have to agree to anything so you can just click "Next".
8) A new box ("Select Destination Location") will tell you where on your hard drive Hot Potatoes will be installed. Again, this is for information only so just click "Next".
9) The next box ("Select Start Menu Folder") tells you where it's going to place the shortcut. Again, you can leave that alone and just click "Next".
10) The next box ("Select Additional Tasks") will give you the option of creating a desktop icon and a quick launch icon. These will save you having to go to Start > Programs to start Hot Potatoes, so whether you have them or not is up to you. If you think you're going to use the programs a lot, you should leave "Create a desktop icon" clicked. If you expect to use it most of the time, click on "Create a Quick Launch icon", which will make the program start more quickly, but at the expense of making other programs run more slowly. Once you've chosen, click "Next".
11) Click "Install" and wait.
12) Click "Finish". Congratulations! You've installed Hot Potatoes! Now you'll need to register to get the full benefits of the programs.
Part II: Registering.
1) Start Hot Potatoes.
2) Click on Help > Register
3) A new box will open. Click on the button "Get a Key". Your web browser will open automatically.
4) You'll see a set of instructions for getting a key. First, click on the link that says "Please read the license terms".
5) Read the terms and click the box under the agreement that says "I have read the license agreement"
6) Complete the form at the bottom of the page (your name, email address and country of residence). If you don't want to receive emails from them, uncheck the box. Click "Submit".
7) Now check your email. You should have a message from hotpot@uvic.ca, which will tell you your user name and key.
8) Go back to the box that opened when you said you wanted to register Hot Potatoes. Enter your user name and key. Ignore the box that says "I am a network administrator" and click "OK".
9) A box will pop up to confirm registration is completed. Click "OK".
Congratulations! You've installed and registered Hot Potatoes, and you're now ready to start creating your own web exercises.
Providing substance, solace and stimulation to the worthy English teachers of France!
