squeakland September 2010

squeakland@lists.squeakfoundation.org

23 participants
55 discussions

Etoys 4.1 Release Candidate 2
by Carlos Rabassa 22 Sep '10

22 Sep '10

Read in the manual, page 11: "A user can customize the objects that are show in the supplies flap. Almost all objects from Object Catalog can be added to the Supplies flap except for Particles because it consists of several parts (Kedama World, patch, turtle). To do this, drag the objct you want first to the world, then open the supplies flap and drag it to the flap. Dragging the object from the Object Catalog directly to the Supplies flap will not work." I tested this feature and it works. I dragged the Flasher, the red flashing button and it showed up in the Supplies Box. But when quitting Etoys and opening it again later on, the object, the Flasher in my case, is no longer in the Supplies Box. I saved a project I was working on at the time I put the Flasher in the Supplies Box. When closing and opening the project again, the Flasher is no longer in the Supplies Box. Is this the way it works, just to have it there until you stop working or am I doing something wrong? Carlos Rabassa Volunteer Plan Ceibal Support Network Montevideo, Uruguay

3 2

Using examples from the showcase to learn Etoys
by Carlos Rabassa 22 Sep '10

22 Sep '10

Pato Acevedo, Daniel Ajoy, Thank you very much for the comments you left on the page of this project. How Many Pizzas (2010-Sep-07 18:35 EDT) by Carlos Rabassa based on ideas by Daniel Ajoy and Paolo Benini <carlos> Resolving 2-variable equation by <pato_acevedo> (2010-Sep-13 23:32 EDT) Great job Carlos. It might be good to show the process as it was the end result. The analysis thus decided to search results posibles.Un flowchart maybe I could help a newbie. What if the change in value pizzas?. A hug by <danielajoy> (2010-Sep-15 14:58 EDT) Yes. Always, my first thought when opening an Etoys project is. Where is the code? And sadly, the answer is "everywhere". That is why I don't like using Etoys. Note: The comments are written by visitors to the Squeakland website. They select the language and write in that language. Readers see the comments in their own language, after an automatic translation when required. This explains why the language of the first comment is a bit strange. If you switch the language to Spanish, it becomes obvious that first comment was written in Spanish. I just see these comments for the first time. As usual, I will do my best to respond but, the comments that would be very much interesting to hear are not mine, they are those from teachers and other educators. Pato, you say: "Maybe a flow diagram would help a newbie." ¿Do you want to laugh? Before sharing the project, I had the same thought. At that point, I thought of doing a flow diagram using one of the XO applications. I remembered Labyrinth, which was used in a video I watched from the Canal Ceibal series, a class by Teacher Natalia Pizzolanti: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GhBomV7xGE0 They were doing a history project, with events and individuals connected by lines, it reminded me of a flow diagram. But I never used Labyrinth and I don´t have a XO. WIth those two excuses I felt I had justified my lack of perseverance. I quit. I then thought of Omni Graffle, a comercial program I used in the past for flow diagrams. Again, with no recent experience I was getting nowhere and quit. I promise to think a bit more, using Etoys, on how to answer these comments. In the meantime, a question to all but specially addressed to teachers and educators. ¿What would you think about making a flow chart to answer the suggestions of this two good friends? While learning my first steps in designing websites, I frequently asked our son for help and opinions. Frequently, he would say my work was typical of the work of those of my generation and also typical engineer´s work. He explained the new generation does not think following a linear flow. They look at the screen as a whole, enjoy what they see from top to bottom and across the screen. They let their minds be attracted to follow the path that calls their attention the most. He used to say young people enjoy liberty. They resent being forced to follow the path an adult designer decided was the best for all site visitors. Young people enjoy discovery and adventure. All these sounds to me close to the explanations about what Etoys is and what it is good for. Maybe flow diagrams are not for Etoys projects and viceversa. Etoys is about experimenting. Experimenting is a fast way of discarding bad ideas and focusing on the good ones. Creating a flow chart without doing a lot of experimentation during the process, might close the door to some good solutions. I found the comments by Pato and Daniel, to be interesting and worth being considered. ¿Could this however, be due to the fact I am not a student trained in the Etoys world since my childhood? I met Etoys only recently, when my mind was already loaded with other ideas I got in the past. I had learned the first step in writing a computer program is to conceive the basic idea and to express it using a flow diagram. I learned how important it is to keep all my materials in order and together. It would be much easier for me if I could open the Etoys Supplies Box and find a little box labeled "the code for the whole project is here". The Etoys Manual says its target audience is 8 to 13-year old students. Seems to me Etoys is targeted to virgin minds we want to teach how to express themselves. The goal is not to create beautiful projects, it is to use these projects as the means to express our ideas. If I succeed making a good flow diagram, my idea is already expressed, I don´t need Etoys. While I think what to offer, using Etoys, instead of the flow diagram suggested by the comments, may I offer this page: I learn Etoys E004 - Exploring Projects in the Showcase https://docs.google.com/View?id=dg7q79cx_550hpvtt7hg We wrote it long ago. Shows the procedure we followed many times in our quest to learn Etoys. It is one of the paths suggested by the creators of Etoys: Select from the showcase projects that call your attention, open and study them. In this page we describe our study of the project Frog Puzzle (2009-oct-28 22:49 EDT) por Digimath <digimath> Make the frogs jump until the pattern is reversed. Click on Help for the rules Interesting, as Daniel says, in this example, "the code is all over". We took advantage precisely of that, to study only the portion of the code referring to a feature we wanted to use in other projects. We were obsessed with the problem of projects without instructions or explanations of any kind. We liked the book that may be opened, read and closed, to learn how to play the frogs game. Carlos Rabassa Volunteer Plan Ceibal Support Network Montevideo, Uruguay

2 2

Fwd: Special Scholarship to be in International Conference on ICT for Development and Education, Nov 16-17, 2010, Kathmand
by Rita Freudenberg 20 Sep '10

20 Sep '10

Begin forwarded message: > From: SM Foundation <smfound(a)yahoo.com> > Date: September 20, 2010 3:59:35 AM GMT+02:00 > To: Rita Freudenberg <rita(a)isg.cs.uni-magdeburg.de>, Kim Rose <kim.rose(a)vpri.org> > Subject: Special Scholarship to be in International Conference on ICT for Development and Education, Nov 16-17, 2010, Kathmand > > Hi Kim, Rita > > You may like to put the following information in Squeakland.org and post it to Squeakland group. > > I appreciate your support. > > > Greetings from Kathmandu, Nepal > > Win scholarship for 4th International Conference. > > If you need a scholarship, kindly apply for a special scholarship available to participate in an International Conference on Information and Communication Technology for Development and Education on Nov 16-17, 2010 in the heart of Kathmandu valley. I appreciate your participation and support in the program. 5 scholarships are available for deserving candidates. > > If you cannot physically present in Kathmandu, we may arrange your presentation online using Skype. > > Brochure is available > > http://smfon.org.np/conference/ICT_con_red_Size.pdf > > Homestay can be made available if there is an early request. > > Looking forward to your participation, presentation, support and sponsorship > > > > Best regards, > > Madhur Shrestha > > SMFound(a)gmail.com; smfound(a)yahoo.com > > Tel: 977 1 5528481, 5542983 > > Cell: 977 9851110703 > > Skype: smfound > >

1 0

Video games in the classroom
by Carlos Rabassa 20 Sep '10

20 Sep '10

From today´s New York Times: Magazine: Video Games Win a Beachhead in the Classroom By SARA CORBETT Can one middle school's approach transform education? Full Story: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/19/magazine/19video-t.html?emc=tnt&tntemail0…

1 0

Etoys, is it difficult or easy?
by Carlos Rabassa 19 Sep '10

19 Sep '10

Just translated a message, from the spanish language forum OLPC-Uruguay. Further down in this message you may see the original. The author, Daniel Gastelú, is a High School Professor. Daniel works in a Library in Canelones, Uruguay, to offer support to other teachers in the public high schools. This message is his answer to the subject question, which we had posed in several forums. Translation starts here ================== And Scratch? ... don't remember where I read it, but it sounded logical to me. Use progressively difficult tools for progressively difficult tasks. To confirm this statement, I add the phrase: "Visible learning, invisible technology". Children would first learn TurtleArt. When they outgrow it switch to Scratch. When all its possibilities are exhausted, continue with eToys. It is the same as with bicycles and motorcycles. They start at home, in the backyard patio, with training wheels (TurtleArt). They continue on the street, in front of their home, with the bicycle without the training wheels enjoying their independence (Scratch). Once they learned enough about riding on the street, we allow them to ride the bike to the supermarket (eToys). May I make it clear I use the three programs. I can compare them based on my own experience. The idea in my opinion should not be to discuss whether it is easy or difficult for the teacher or for the student. We should llook at the opportunities offered by the tool. Would any of the readers [of this forum] give a [motor driven] dune buggy to his daughter for her 15th birthday if she cannot handle a bicycle? In closing this brief message, I share the problem in Scratch. > > http://scratch.mit.edu/projects/egastelu/1299763 "The problem" is the one others have resolved using a XO with SocialCalc or with Etoys: How Many Pizzas (2010-sep-07 18:35 EDT) por Carlos Rabassa based on ideas by Daniel Ajoy and Paolo Benini <carlos> Resolving 2-variable equation ================== Translation ends here Carlos Rabassa Volunteer Plan Ceibal Support Network Montevideo, Uruguay Begin forwarded message: > From: Daniel Gastelú <danielgastelu(a)yahoo.com.ar> > Date: September 15, 2010 9:10:13 AM EDT > To: Comunidad ceibalJAM <olpc-uruguay(a)lists.laptop.org> > Subject: Re: [Olpc-uruguay] Etoys, es fácil o es difícil? > Reply-To: Comunidad ceibalJAM <olpc-uruguay(a)lists.laptop.org> > > Y scratch?... no recuerdo donde lo leí, pero me pareció lógico; herrameintas de complejidad progresiva para tareas de complejidad progresiva. Y agrego; para confirmar la frase de "aprendizaje visible, tecnología invisible". > > Los niños/as aprenderìan primeramente Tortugarte, cuando les quede chico pasarían a Scratch, y cuando Scratch esté agotado en posibilidades pasarían a eToys? Es como las bicicletas y motos. Primero en el patiod e casa y con rueditas (Tortugarte), luego en la calle en frente a la casa con la bicicleta sin las rueditas de ayuda y con independencia.(Scratch). Una vez que aprendió bastante a moverse en la calle lo dejamos ir solo al supermercado en la bicicleta (eToys). Aclaro que uso los tres softwares y puedo compararlos por experiencia. > > La idea para mi caso no es si es fácil o difícil (para el educador o el alumno) , sino que es ver la oportunidad de la herramienta. ¿Alguno de los lectoresle regalaría un cuatriciclo a su hija para el cumple de 15 si ella no sabe manejar una biicleta? > > Cerrando este cortito mensaje, les comparto el problema como manipulable en Scratch. > http://scratch.mit.edu/projects/egastelu/1299763 > > Slds. > > Daniel Gastelú > > > --- El mié 15-sep-10, Carlos Rabassa <carnen(a)mac.com> escribió: > > De: Carlos Rabassa <carnen(a)mac.com> > Asunto: [Olpc-uruguay] Etoys, es fácil o es difícil? > Para: "Comunidad ceibalJAM" <olpc-uruguay(a)lists.laptop.org> > Fecha: miércoles, 15 de septiembre de 2010, 6:23 > > Un mismo proyecto, tres nombres y tres niveles de dificultad percibidos. > > > > Hablo del problema de las pizzas, cuyo planteo por parte de Daniel Ajoy hace algunos días repito aquí: > > > "Una pizza pequeña cuesta 120 pesos. > > Una pizza grande cuesta 160 pesos. > > Gastaste 920 pesos en total. > > ¿Cuántas pizzas pequeñas y cuántas grandes habías comprado?" > > > > > Apareció una primera solución. > > Para explicarla y entenderla se requerían únicamente conocimientos de multiplicación y suma. > > El nivel de dificultad que percibíamos los miembros del foro, era el de los cursos intermedios de primaria cuando nos daban problemas para resolver como deber domiciliario. > > ¿Se acuerdan? > > Tenía tres partes: Planteo, Resolución y Respuesta. > > > > > Apareció luego la segunda solución. > > Requería el uso de una computadora XO como las usadas en nuestras escuelas primarias. > > Usaba uno de los programas SocialCalc, distribuido con las mismas. > > La dificultad se seguía percibiendo al nivel de los alumnos de primaria, tal vez secundaria. > > Era todavía un problema para que lo resolvieran los alumnos que reciben las computadoras del Plan Ceibal. > > > > > > Luego, mientras pensábamos cómo resolverlo con Etoys, ocurría el rápido intercambio de mensajes bajo este título en los foros. > > Tratábamos de escribir algo con un formato adaptable a Etoys y leíamos los mensajes, varios por día. > > Nuestra mente aún flotaba sobre los recuerdos de primaria. > > Recordábamos los consejos para resolver problemas que daba nuestra maestra de (??) tercer año (??). > > Había que volver a leer, repetidamente, hasta entenderlo bien, "el planteo" del problema. > > Qué bueno, el planteo era exactamente lo que nos había enviado Daniel. > > Leímos y releímos su mensaje. > > Paso siguiente, tratábamos de escribir lo que escribíamos cuando niños, en nuestra "hoja de carpeta", entre el planteo y la respuesta para que la maestra no nos la devolviera con una nota de "incompleto, falta la resolución". > > Lo que escribíamos, cada vez se iba pareciendo más a lo que, más tarde, ya en secundaria, se llamó una "ecuación". > > > > Cuando llegó el momento de llenar la ficha de Etoys para el nuevo proyecto y poner "etiquetas" para facilitar la búsqueda del proyecto en la Vitrina, la palabra "ecuación" ya se había asentado en nuestra mente. > > Y para esa fecha, ya no me cabía ninguna duda, después de todo lo que había leído en los foros, de que estábamos frente a una ecuación con dos incógnitas y más de una solución. > > El mismo problema original, planteado con palabras tan simples por Daniel unos pocos días atrás, ya había subido a un nivel de dificultad percibido que bloquearía su acceso a todo el que por lo menos no hubiese terminado los cursos de secundaria y recordara bien todo lo que ya no se llamaba más aritmética, sino matemática o tal vez álgebra. > > > > Cuando oí mencionar en los foros las "ecuaciones diofánticas", por suerte corrí de inmediato a WIkipedia, que las define así: > > "Se llama ecuación diofántica a cualquier ecuación algebraica, generalmente de varias variables, planteada sobre el conjunto de > los números enteros z, o los números naturales n, es decir, se trata de ecuaciones cuyas soluciones son números enteros." > > Pensé, "para qué complicar las cosas inútilmente, básicamente dice que significa lo mismo que ecuación de varias variables" y ahí quedó el tema de las ecuaciones diofánticas. > > En unos días más, por segunda vez en mi vida, habré olvidado completamente que existen tales ecuaciones. > > > > Si al escribir el proyecto Etoys ofreciendo una solución al problema de las pizzas le hubiésemos llamado simplemente "Resolución de Ecuaciones Diofánticas", a nadie le hubiese quedado duda alguna sobre lo difícil que es Etoys. > > Se habría propuesto, sin más consideración, quitarlo de las computadoras del Plan Ceibal y recomendarlo únicamente para candidatos a maestrías y doctorados en matemática. > > > > Imaginemos ahora que hubiese seguido concentrado en el planteo original de Daniel y, para ser políticamente correcto y ayudar a nuestros buenos amigos del INDA, Instituto Nacional de Alimentación, hubiese quitado la palabra "pizza" que asociamos con "comida rápida" y la hubiese remplazado por manzanas y naranjas, de las que nos recomiendan comer cinco porciones por día. > > Por lo menos a los que cursamos enseñanza primaria en nuestra época, no nos habría quedado duda alguna de que se trataba de un problema de artimética, adecuado para alumnos de primaria. > > > > Conclusión: > > Si en vez de tratar de resolver el problema que tenemos delante, nos ponemos a discutir si es fácil o difícil, la conclusión dependerá totalmente de con quien conversamos y que lenguaje usan nuestros amigos, no de la dificultad real del problema. > > > > Eso no es más que mi opinión y estoy abierto a escuchar. > > Entiendo bien claro y acepto que no es ni la última y ni la única verdad. > > Como de costumbre, me gustaría muy especialmente oír las opiniones de maestros y otros educadores. > > Gracias muy especiales una vez más a: > > Daniel Ajoy que trajo el problema original a nuestros foros y a > > Paolo Benini que aportó la primera solución que usó la XO a través de SocialCalc. > > Y se va la segunda ... > > Hasta pronto, > > Carlos Rabassa > Voluntario > Red de Apoyo al Plan Ceibal > Montevideo, Uruguay > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > Olpc-uruguay mailing list > Olpc-uruguay(a)lists.laptop.org > http://lists.laptop.org/listinfo/olpc-uruguay > > _______________________________________________ > Olpc-uruguay mailing list > Olpc-uruguay(a)lists.laptop.org > http://lists.laptop.org/listinfo/olpc-uruguay

1 0

Excellent Video
by Carlos Rabassa 19 Sep '10

19 Sep '10

Technology and Methodology http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t-Yp-QIPw_A This is an excellent video we received from Luis Galindo through the OLPC-Sur spanish forum. They video is in Portuguese but I am sure you will all enjoy. The gentleman, who seems to be the director of the school, announces the good news about the latest technological tools about to be installed in their school. Then, the action continues, one week later. Carlos Rabassa Volunteer Plan Ceibal Support Network Montevideo, Uruguay

2 1

DrGeo use cases in South America
by Hilaire Fernandes 19 Sep '10

19 Sep '10

http://tallerdegeometriaifd.blogspot.com/ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wdx7vJwPmcA Hilaire -- Dr. Geo, to discover geometry on Linux, Windows, MAC and XO http://community.ofset.org/index.php/DrGeo

1 0

ending using the brush tool
by Carlos Crosetti 19 Sep '10

19 Sep '10

Hi, when I start using the brush, and I am done wiith the drawing, how I turn off the brush?, keeping the object ccompleted, what is the keystroke or mouse operation to stop drawing? Regards, Carlos

2 3

Right click on the Mac
by Randy Caton 16 Sep '10

16 Sep '10

The standard for right-click on a Mac with a one-button mouse is control-click. The halo and the Castle demo use command-click (apple-click). What do you think about changing it? Randy 41596 Bald Eagle Drive Bigfork, MN 56628 218-832-3490 Sent from my iPhone

2 1

Physical Etoys wins ESUG Innovation Technology Award
by Bert Freudenberg 16 Sep '10

16 Sep '10

"Physical Etoys" won the first price today at the European Smalltalk User (ESUG) Conference in Barcelona. Congrats to the Argentian Etoys Developers - Lic. Gonzalo Zabala, Ricardo Moran, Sebastián Blanco! http://tecnodacta.com.ar/gira/projects/physical-etoys/ Eliot Miranda's "Cog" came in second. He's from the U.S.A., and his faster Virtual Machine works for Squeak and Pharo. Hopefully soonish we will make Etoys run on it, too. The third price went to Esteban Lorenzano, again from Argentina, for "Mars", a native Pharo user interface for Mac OS X. Congratulations to all the winners. There was quite some competition this year, but everyone liked the Etoys robots best :) See this link for the other competition entries: http://www.esug.org/wiki/pier/Conferences/2010/InnovationTechnologyAwards/S… European Smalltalkers need to catch up, apparently ;) - Bert -

1 0

2024

2023

2022

2021

2020

2019

2018

2017

2016

2015

2014

2013

2012

2011

2010

2009

2008

2007

2006

2005

2004

2003

squeakland September 2010