Thanks Skip, The new suggestions are great, I'll see what I can come up with today. I personally like the blackboard at the bottom as a way to illustrate the concepts in a more concrete way, but part of this process is discovering what we want the animations to do. It may end up that the blackboard belongs in a tutorial section and not as a reference.
Cheers, bob On -Mar8-2010, at -Mar8-201011:25 PM, Skip Cave wrote: > Bob, > > Your latest is very much the best so far. However, each trial points out > another level of issues (at least to me). > IMHO, I think that the plus flashing over the numbers is still a bit > distracting. The less going on, the better. Less chance for confusion. > I think you should start with showing the two arrays and the plus > sign 1 2 3 + 4 5 6 > The plus sign between the arrays is important, as it shows the > operation, and it also reflects back to the actual J notation. > > Then slide a "ghost" image of the right array over on top of the left > array. Leave the original arrays and plus sign alone, just moving the > ghost array. When the ghost array fully overlaps the other, just update > the values in the array, and then slide the result array down below the > original, and center it. Don't move or update the original arrays. > Don't flash the pluses. No color changes. The less flashing and > changing, the better, at least for me. The one existing plus is all you > need. This keeps it simple. > > so you start with 2 + 3 > > and you end: 2 + 3 > > 5 > ------------------------------------------------------------------------ > > you start 1 + 2 3 4 > > you end 1 + 2 3 4 > > 3 4 5 > ------------------------------------------------------------------------ > > you start 1 2 3 + 4 5 6 > > you end: 1 2 3 + 4 5 6 > > 5 7 9 > ------------------------------------------------------------------------ > > you start 1 2 3 1 2 3 > 4 5 6 + 4 5 6 > 7 8 9 7 8 9 > > you end 1 2 3 1 2 3 > 4 5 6 + 4 5 6 > 7 8 9 7 8 9 > > 2 4 6 > 8 10 12 > 14 16 18 > > Sorry if you feel that you are having to "jump through hoops" trying out > all of these schemes. Each time you provide a new example, what's good > and bad just pops out, Too bad we can't visualize all this beforehand, > but it seems that we have to actually see it work, to spot the issues. > > The green "blackboard" below the main display is interesting, but > distracting. It probably should be in its own video by itself, with an > explanatory voice-over specifically discussing that concept. > > Skip Cave > > > bob therriault wrote: >> Thanks Skip, >> >> I must admit at first glance I thought your suggestion would be more >> confusing, not less. But after giving it a shot, with the slight adjustment >> of covering the 'operation' with a + symbol instead of colour change >> (discerning colours is not a strength for many), I have found I prefer the >> approach you suggest. The results can be seen on the jwiki Plus (+) page: >> http://www.jsoftware.com/jwiki/Vocabulary/plus >> >> The concern that remains is whether you and I have already internalized the >> matrix operations that we are attempting to describe for a new learner. As >> Ian has suggested in another post, the only way to have an answer to that is >> to get the response of new learners. In spite of the fact that J represents >> an ongoing challenge to me, I don't think I can claim to have the >> perspective of a new learner any more. Still, the choices we are developing >> will be useful when our audience arrives in the theatre. >> >> Cheers, bob >> >> On -Mar7-2010, at -Mar7-201010:43 AM, Skip Cave wrote: >> >> >> > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > For information about J forums see http://www.jsoftware.com/forums.htm ---------------------------------------------------------------------- For information about J forums see http://www.jsoftware.com/forums.htm
