MarkChrisSoft - Author's Background

MarkChrisSoft

As well as having an interest in programming, I have also found it difficult to find good software for tackling certain aspects of the IT curriculum. Some of the software existed in a simplified form for the old BBC machines, but I could not find it for either the Acorn or PC formats. I therefore started to produce my own programs, tailored to my classroom requirements.

To make it worthwhile spending all the necessary development time on these programs, I decided that as well as using them in school, I would try and market them as shareware. Given my middle name, I could not resist adopting the trading name MarkChrisSoft. The registration fees have helped to offset the cost of development and distribution, however, MarkChrisSoft remains largely a hobby. I currently have registered users in Spain, Germany, Switzerland, South Africa and Taiwan, as well as England and Scotland.

Most of my programs were programmed using Turbo Pascal and are therefore DOS-based. I wrote Competition Arranger using Delphi (for Windows), in part as a learning exercise. The idea was prompted by the 'A' level projects of two of my students and the provision of a mathematical solution to league arranging that was given to me by a colleague. I have long intended to produce a Windows version of Crosswords for Teachers, but I am still some way from completing this.

Demonstration/shareware copies of my programs (mostly DOS .exe format) are available for download from this site. The shareware copies are generally fully functional, allowing most or all features to be tried out. However, there are some restrictions, to encourage users to register! I have used the educational programs successfully in school, mostly with secondary age pupils, although Crosswords for Teachers is appropriate for a wide age-range.

Author's Background

I began my teaching career in 1985, at The Woodrush High School, Hollywood, near Birmingham, teaching maths with a little physics and photography. I then moved abroad, to the Gulf English School in Kuwait, where I started teaching Computer Studies, on BBC Masters and Arcs. I ran the department for a year, before the Iraqi invasion interrupted my employment. A short spell in Taiwan followed, at Taipei German School, where I bought my first PC and got thoroughly hooked! I managed to end the year as Acting Principal, which was an unusual position for an Englishman!

I returned to the UK, via an MSc in Computer Science from The University of Birmingham and I became Head of Computing at The Mary Hare Grammar School for the Deaf, near Newbury, Berks. The school caters for over 200 severely and profoundly deaf young people, from all over the UK and offers them a full academic curriculum. There was a history of Acorn hardware, but we moved steadily over to the PC platform. Many of the sixth formers had Elonex workstations in their study-bedrooms and these linked back to the main file server in school, via a fibre optic link. The department taught discrete IT, including GCSE Information Technology and 'A' Level Computing. We ran Novel 3.12 / Windows 3.11 and our main packages were Microsoft Office Pro, Borland Pascal/Turbo Pascal and Corel Draw.

I left Mary Hare in March 1997 and am now working for Research Machines, a commercial company that provides a range of services to schools. I work as an Educational Consultant and most of my time has been spent providing consultancy and training to schools that are implementing integrated learning systems. However I have been seconded to various projects and have worked with the Dudley LEA managed service team and the Maths Alive pilot. My focus has recently shifted to content production, helping to develop the materials for ICT Alive. I hope shortly to begin a secondment to Bracknell Forest Borough Council as a Key Stage 3 ICT Consultant.

The Author c1999, Attempted self-portrait 1992, Taiwan

(With thanks to Ben for kindly pointing out how out of date the right-hand photo is now...)

MarkChrisSoft Contact Information

MarkChrisSoft Address: Athabasca, Falkland Drive, Newbury RG14 6JQ, UK.

MarkChrisSoft programs are delivered by surface mail (3.5" discs), or electronically over the Internet. An air mail service is offered, please e-mail me for details.