On Wed, Jan 26, 2011 at 8:18 PM, Edward Cherlin wrote:
We have the offer of a calculus book for elementary grades.
http://lists.squeakland.org/pipermail/etoys-dev/2011-January/006025.html ...
Existing Etoys projects probably cover some of Don Cohen's ground. I can't help recalling the well-known drive-a-car project already in Etoys and Sugar http://dobbse.net/thinair/2008/12/drive-a-car.html Alan Kay's approach to differential equations with a simple geometric series also strikes me as similar: http://dobbse.net/thinair/2008/12/growth-and-polygons.html
At a brief (and all too cursory) first impression, Don Cohen's approach seems to be based on what a student can discover with pencil and paper. These are good things. Yet, to me, one strong appeal of calculus is its dynamic applications, which can be revealed (numerically if not analytically) to students who build their own animated Etoys.
Don Cohen's 'map to calculus' examples could surely be translated into Etoys, either as simple e-books or slideshows or in a more interactive fashion. There may be more value in a hybrid approach, that brings in existing or novel etoys projects and lesson plans along the journey.
(I have copied this to the squeakland mailing list http://lists.squeakland.org/mailman/listinfo/squeakland )