squeakland November 2010

squeakland@lists.squeakfoundation.org

12 participants
21 discussions

Teaching in digital society vs industrial society
by Carlos Rabassa 21 Apr '11

21 Apr '11

I have just watched a most interesting video a friend pointed out to me. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZlAnkExQabY The ideas presented in the video seem to be correct and most interesting. Even more, it seems to me the opportunity of having all those XOs already distributed, we might have the perfect opportunity to apply these ideas. Of course, I am just a volunteer. I would really like to listen to the opinion of teachers, educators and other experts. Mi impression is that, as Mr. Toffler says, the problem he describes in the U.S., is not an exclusive problem of this country. We will see it in other countries as they go from industrial to digital societies. Who is the speaker in this video_ ¿Quién es el orador en este video? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alvin_Toffler Carlos Rabassa Volunteer Plan Ceibal Support Network Montevideo, Uruguay

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Etoys developer chat today
by Bert Freudenberg 29 Nov '10

29 Nov '10

Please join our weekly Etoys developer chat today, as every Monday at 12 noon Squeakland Time. For local time and how to participate, look here: http://etoys.squeak.org/chat/ Logs are also linked from that page. Here's a conversation we had last week: http://meeting.sugarlabs.org/etoys/2010-11-22#i_2593924 - Bert -

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Questions on Kedama
by Steve Thomas 29 Nov '10

29 Nov '10

Yoshiki, I am working on having my son use kedama to model chemical reactions (in particular model varying concentrations of vinegar in a solution and how it affects the rate of dissolving of Tums). So this has provided the incentive to really learn Kedama. 1. What is the execution model of Kedama. I ask because: 1. I tried creating an epidemic using a PDF of yours I found (later realized this was an older version and incorrect) but it had be call an infect script (which turned out not to work, I needed to inline the infect script tiles into a test in the setup script. 2. I saw in your project: Particles Epidemic<http://www.squeakland.org/showcase/project.jsp?id=7431> that the "oneStep" script had: 1. a set of "Test" tiles that all did the same "test" <villager's:isinfected> 2. a tile to that set KedamWorld's:infectedCount<-0 2. So in Kedama, does it execute each tile for ALL Turtles at the same time, then execute the next tile for all turtles? This would explain (at least in my limited mental model of how Kedama works) as to why you can set KedamWorld's:infectedCount<-0 each time. 3. Is there any problem if the "oneStep" script is modified to use only one test (See attached) 4. Also In the attached project I point to the set of tiles that were in the earlier PDF in a script, why can't we do this? If my assumption in #2 is correct, that would explain why this does not work. Also, in what ways (if any) is the execution model of Kedama different from the execution model in Etoys? (realize this is a broad question, but any information that you think may be important would be appreciated). Thanks, Stephen

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[ANN] DrGeo release 10.12
by Hilaire Fernandes 28 Nov '10

28 Nov '10

Ready to use: http://community.ofset.org/index.php/DrGeo Updated video demonstration at: http://community.ofset.org/index.php/Screencast_DrGeo Change log for the curious: http://community.ofset.org/index.php/DrGeoChangeLog Hilaire -- Education 0.2 -- http://blog.ofset.org/hilaire

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squeakland week
by Rita Freudenberg 26 Nov '10

26 Nov '10

Dear Squeaklanders, here is a short overview about interesting activities this week. It was a shorter week, due to the thanksgiving festivities in the US. I hope you all have good time! Even here in Germany, we will have a big turkey dinner with friends tomorrow :) #1. The etoys chat channel now has a translation service, thanks to Alexey Lim from sugar labs! Come and try it on the Monday developer chat, it is a bit less frequented in the last weeks. Remember, you can always read the log files here [1] #2. We had a post from Caryl Bigenho this week about a project at a high school, where students are creating games to be used by children in Ghana. They used Scratch last year and were not satisfeid, and will try Etoys now. The discussion grew on the IAEP-list, the Sugar Labs mailing list. Steve made some nice suggestions. You can read the thread it in their archives [2] #3. Bert made an experimental Etoys-To-Go version with Russian font, using a patch submitted by Nikolay Suslov. Thanks to both of you! [3] #4. The education meeting this week didn't happen (would have been on Thanksgiving :) But we tried something else, a meeting for an online Etoys session. We tried Teleplace, the 3D meeting environment former known as Qwaq. We didn't get to start the real course within one hour, because we all needed time to adjust in the environment. But we will keep it going, try other systems to find out how distant teaching could work. Let us know if you are doing it already, if you are interested, and what you think or want to know about it! #5. Hilaire Fernandez released a new version of Dr. Geo! Find out more about it in his blog, including a video demonstration and change list [4] [1] http://meeting.sugarlabs.org/etoys/ [2] http://lists.sugarlabs.org/archive/iaep/2010-November/012020.html [3] http://tracker.squeakland.org/secure/ViewProfile.jspa?name=bert [4] http://blog.ofset.org/hilaire/index.php?post/2010/11/20/Dr.-Geo-sketch-prev…

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Re: [squeakland] changing language in Etoys with Russian font (K. K. Subramaniam)
by Liliya Makarevitch 22 Nov '10

22 Nov '10

Hello! I have many Cyrillic fonts on my computer, and I tried to load fonts from Etoys, but in all cases I get the same message - Cannot load additional fonts. I don't know which fonts are needed for Etoys. I have Russian Windows on my second computer, but the same problem is with it. Your advices do not work. What additional ideas do you have? Thank you, Lilia

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Etoys developer chat today
by Bert Freudenberg 22 Nov '10

22 Nov '10

Please join our weekly Etoys developer chat today, as every Monday at 12 noon Squeakland Time. For local time and how to participate, look here: http://etoys.squeak.org/chat/ Logs are also linked from that page. Here's one conversation we had last week: http://meeting.sugarlabs.org/etoys/2010-11-15#i_2591670 - Bert -

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Re: [squeakland] [IAEP] NewTechHigh@Coppell and Etoys info needed
by Steve Thomas 21 Nov '10

21 Nov '10

On Sat, Nov 20, 2010 at 3:19 PM, Caryl Bigenho <cbigenho(a)hotmail.com> wrote: > they want to create math games for these children to use on the XOs. > Wonderful. Games are a great way to learn. A couple of games come to mind: 1. Tic-Tac-Toe 2. Bingo 3. Guess my Rule *Tic-Tac-Toe* One really good game is tic-tac-toe with some math twists. This is based on a teacher warm-up developed by Robert Davis as part of the Madison project. First draw a grid of dots 5 x 5. Break the kids into two teams and have the kids pick two numbers between 0 and 9 (let's say they pick 2 and 4) you start at the dot in the lower left and count from 0 to 2 (getting to the third dot) then count up from 0 getting to the fourth do and place an X. Then the other team goes and their mark is O. You get the idea, if they go off the board simply say sorry you moved off the board. This will teach them counting and coordinate geometry all without having to explicitely tell them what they are learning. Part of the key is to NOT explain the rules to the kids and let them figure it out. Varying versions of this can be created in Etoys. You can then extend the game to include concepts like "a number is all the ways you can name it" where they pick two numbers and you apply an operation to those numbers (you could have them guess the operation as part of the game as well, see guess my rule below). You can also use it when introducing negative numbers by moving the origin so that they have to use negative numbers to win. Here is a link to a post<http://mrstevesscience.blogspot.com/search/label/Robert%20B.%20Davis>I wrote about the game a while back. *Bingo* I got this idea from Avigail Snir, who created a Bingo game for kids where they are given two or three numbers and asked to apply mathematical operations to those numbers to come up with a number on their Bingo board. *Guess my Rule* * * This was another game created by Robert Davis to teach kids about functions. The function machine (played by a student or teacher) comes up with a rule (ex: x +2, x *2, (x + 1) * 2, etc) then the players say a number and the function machine spits out the answer. The players have to "guess the rule". Eventually this leads to some interesting conversations when some kid comes up with a rule like (x + 2 - 3 + 4) * 2 / 2. Then you can have a good class discussion about functional equivalence. This can be rendered in Etoys by building a function machine, where a number is dropped into the machine and out the other end comes the answer. You could also create a table of answers and plot the answers, which leads to more interesting observations and learning. Part of the key is to make as much of the invisible visible (through showing the table of answers and the plots). * * *General Comments on games created to "teach math"* The problem with a lot of games I have seen created by kids (and adults) is that they are what I will call "teach me to memorize calculation rules" as opposed to teach me to do the other parts of mathematics (from Wolfram Ted talk<http://www.ted.com/talks/conrad_wolfram_teaching_kids_real_math_with_comput…> ): 1. Posing the right questions 2. Real world -> math formulation (or a Etoys model) 3. Computation 4. Math formulation -> real world, verification. I am purposely avoiding terms like "school math" vs "real math" because that is a distinction I would like to see erased, and also it can offend and put folks on the defensive (the goal is to win the person, not the argument). One 10 year old I have worked with said he built a math game in Scratch. When I asked him about it, he described it as "a math that only a parent could love" because it was about practicing rote calculation. Another way to think about it is they are creating "playthinks" (objects to think/play with that embody and/or expose certain powerful ideas). I got this term from "The Big Book of Brain Games<http://www.amazon.com/Big-Book-Brain-Games-Mathematics/dp/0761134662>" by Ivan Moscovich. Cuiesenaire Rods and Pattern Blocks could be used here. In other emails I wlll send examples of each type of project. Part of the challenge will be deciding "what should be easy and what should be hard" for the kids in creating their own games. The answer to that question will guide the facilitators in how much they want to show them ready made projects vs having kids create Etoys projects from "scratch". Some of the techniques are not easily discoverable (which is good and bad). Another thought besides math games is to create "Etoys Challenges" (for an excellent example try the "Etoys Challenge game" from the "Tutorials and Demos" section off the Etoys "home page". The kids could create sample projects where the students use a set of "pre-selected" tiles to perform a task or program a car or robot. Their project director is a math teacher and she wants her students to try > again this year to create math learning games for the children in their > project in Ghana. I suggested she try Etoys this time and promised to get > her more information on how to do it. Anything they create will be at a > very elementary level as most of the children in the shelter have had no > prior school experience. > So I am reminded of the story Alan tells of kindergardeners learning calculus concepts. Just because the kids have no prior school experience does not mean they can not grasp "more advanced concepts" if they are presented using appropriate metaphors and concrete representations. Combinatorics for example, the kids could create some games where they see "how many different outfits can you make with *two* diferent color shirts and *two* different color pants. You could have the kids "prove" (discuss their reasoning as to why they think theythey have found all the possible combinations as they increase the number of pants and shirts. Their lessons in Etoys should be as language neutral as possible and the > words they do use can be translated and used by deployments anywhere so this > could be a very useful project. > The other advantage of being "language neutral" is that this should tend to help "put concepts first" and keep the terminology to a minimum. It seems to me that introducting terminology too early, is what gets in the way of learning the concepts. So I have some questions about things I need to know to help them. > > How do you transfer an Etoys lesson to the XO (they will have both XO-1s > and XO-1.5s) if they lessons are created: > > On a Mac using Etoys downloaded from the web: > > On a PC using Etoys downloaded from the web: > > On Etoys to go downloaded from the web and, possibly used on both Macs and > PCs (they have both at New Tech): > All Etoys projects (.pr files) can be run on any version (by which I mean the Mac, PC and Etoys to go versions, not version 3 vs 4, which may presesnt some issues I will go into later). > > Is there a good way to disseminate the projects so that the children won't > accidentally erase them... perhaps by using SD cards or USB sticks? Cost is > a factor. > If they can be downloaded from the Web there is no cost. > Or... could they make a custom build for their project that would include > their Etoys lessons in a way that they wouldn't accidentally be erased? > I need to double check this for the XO, but Etoys projects would have to be explicitely erased from the machines. Each time you "save a project" it creates a new version. Also I would recommend they use Books and flaps in their projects. Books are found in the supplies bin and have a menu option to make the in page controls to make the pages revertible (ie: save its current state and when I use or fire the tile "revert page" all objects on that page go back to the saved state). Flaps are very useful for instructions. hints and guides. They can be found in the supplies bin of Etoys 4.1+ in earlier versions click (<CMD><,> or <CTRL><,>) and you will get a menu with one of the options as "flaps..." > > I will probably have more questions as we go along, but this will help get > us all started. > Please we love questions ;) > > GrannieB (Caryl) > > For more info about NewTech@Coppell: > > > http://www.coppellisd.com/newtech/lib/newtech/pdfs/demonstrationsiteprofile… > > http://www.newtechnetwork.org/newtech_schools (watch the video linked in > the upper right corner to see how the school works) > > > > _______________________________________________ > IAEP -- It's An Education Project (not a laptop project!) > IAEP(a)lists.sugarlabs.org > http://lists.sugarlabs.org/listinfo/iaep >

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squeakland week
by Rita Freudenberg 19 Nov '10

19 Nov '10

Dear Squeaklanders, this is my first attempt to give you short overview about what happened this week in Squeakland. I'm not sure how often I'll succeed in writing this, hopefully more often than in the last months. But if I don't write, that doesn't mean hat nothing happens! And you are welcome to ask everything you want to know anytime on this list! #1. There was an "International Conference on ICT for Development & Education" this week in Kathmandu, Nepal. It was organized by Madhur Shresta and SM Foundation. Madhur has participated in several Squeakfests in the past years. I gave an online presentation on Wednesday and there was at least one other Etoys presentation by Toshio Miyasaka. [1] #2. We had our weekly education team meeting on Thursday, where we discussed Gary's plans for teaching Etoys in Nepal. 3 schools will be involved, one in Kathmandu, two in more remote areas. Connectivity is a problem there, available solutions rather expensive. There are efforts to develop Etoys lessons about health care, Randy, Cherry and Beth are involved. If anyone is interested, there is a lot to be done, and it is an important topic for Haiti right now. Beth reported, that a young high school student is helping to create an Etoys unit on malaria. We shortly talked about the manual. There is a document that visualizes the current state of each chapter, green means "done", red means "needs to be done" and yellow and orange are the states in between. Then we discussed if and how we want to support the introduction of programming using Etoys. We are interested in this topic, for different reasons, but we agree that this is not the focus of Etoys and Squeakland. It is not about programming, but critical thinking. At the end Carlos told us how much he enjoys reading "Mindstorms" by Seymour Papert. He says, this is the only book teachers would need to learn how to teach using Etoys! [2] #3. Carlos send an announcement for a conference on Digital Citizenship in Montevideo, Uruguay at the end of November, where Walter Bender will be one of the speakers. [3] #4. There is a new interview with Alan Kay about computers in schools. He is being cited with "Computers have become tools of distraction, Kay said, instead of education." We need to find ways to show teachers how Etoys can add to education. [4] #5. Bert did send around a very interesting TED Lecture video this week about "Teaching kids real math with computers". Here is the link again in case you missed it.[5] Greetings, Rita [1] http://technetnepal.net/blogs/ict/archive/tags/Conference/default.aspx [2] http://wiki.squeakland.org/display/sq/2010/11/18/education+team+meeting%2C+… [3] http://www.ciudadaniadigital.com.uy/conferencistas.html [4] http://www.cultofmac.com/computers-in-schools-are-a-failure-apple-fellow-al… [5] http://www.ted.com/talks/conrad_wolfram_teaching_kids_real_math_with_comput…

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Fwd: The Problem with Math Teaching
by Bert Freudenberg 17 Nov '10

17 Nov '10

Begin forwarded message: > From: "Sandra Thaxter" <sandra.thaxter(a)verizon.net> > Date: 16. November 2010 22:56:38 MEZ > To: OLPC Volunteers <support-gang(a)lists.laptop.org> > Subject: [support-gang] The Problem with Math Teaching > > This is a great TED Lecture video. > This is what our OLPC XO/Sugar teaching methods DO with the Sugar Activites: Turtle Math, E-Toys and Scratch. > They offer ways for students use math to do something. !!! > > http://www.ted.com/talks/conrad_wolfram_teaching_kids_real_math_with_comput… > -- > Sandra Thaxter > www.smallsolutionsbigideas.org > sandra(a)smallsolutionsbigideas.org > (617) 320-1098 - Bert -

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squeakland November 2010