This is a teacher's guide to creating a learning object that contains a series of Hot Potatoes activities. This is great for creating theme based learning events.

1. Create a Masher activity – A combination of activities
The Process
1. Put all the Hot Potatoes data files for the unit you want to build in a single folder.
2. Data files are the project files, not the student friendly HTML files
3. Make sure you save the Masher file in the same folder
4. Note that the Images are included
5. The Masher file must be saved in this folder
Create the Masher file
1. Open Hot Potatoes
2. Choose The Masher

2. 3. The Masher Main screen appears.
4. Click on the +Add Files button
5. Locate the folder containing the Hot Potatoes project files
6. Select this folder
7. Click on the Open button
8. Select all of the project files (not the image files)

3. 9. Click on the Open button
10. Accept the default by click on the OK to All button

4. 11. All of the items in the folder appear in The Masher Main screen
12. At this point you can sort the order of appearance of these activities
13. Select one of the files then use the up and down arrows to move a data file
14. After you have set the order of appearance of the data files (activities), select the
Appearance tab
15. Change the colour and text size settings to suit your needs
16. Select the Index tab

5. 17. Type a title in the Unit or chapter title text box
18. Click on the Build unit button
19. The Masher creates the activity, you may be prompted to answer questions on capitalization
20. After the Mash is complete, you should choose Yes to preview the project
21. The Mashed project appears, this is a good time to reconsider”
• image choices
• colours
• font size
• font colours
• File names (they transfer
to the text link to each
activity)
22. This process of refinement will
lead to better presentations in
the future

6. Testing the Mashed Activity
23. Select the first text hyperlink at the top of the Mashed project
24. The activity opens with arrowed navigation and a link to the main (index) page
25. Complete the activity (please note that the first
forward arrow does not work unless the activity
has been passed)
26. Note that in the original folder the Mashed activities can be quickly accessed by opening the
index.htm file