On Sun, Aug 30, 2009 at 10:16 AM, Edward Cherlin<echer...@gmail.com> wrote: > On Sun, Aug 30, 2009 at 9:27 AM, kirby urner<kirby.ur...@gmail.com> wrote: >> On Sun, Aug 30, 2009 at 8:54 AM, Edward Cherlin<echer...@gmail.com> wrote: >> >> << SNIP >> >> >>> I am working on how to teach CS ideas in third grade using tools such >>> as Etoys Smalltalk, UCBLogo, and Turtle Art, all of which are packaged >>> in Sugar for the OLPC XO and other Linuces. Etoys and UCBLogo are >>> available for numerous platforms, and Turtle Art is written in Python, >>> making it easy to port. We already have more than 40 years experience >>> teaching programming in elementary schools with Logo and Smalltalk. >>> >> >> I'm glad you say "CS ideas" and not "CS" > > Yes, it's all about Powerful Ideas, not about topics, the way > curricula are currently written. I have a page on Kindergarten > Calculus somewhere...Aha! > > http://wiki.laptop.org/go/Kindergarten_Calculus
Sounds like we're in agreement then. OLPC remains a theme in this household as well, also liking the Starling for older kids (e.g. high school -- more my focus than the Alan Kay target demographic (we get to Python *after* all that Squeak and Scratch stuff). http://www.system76.com/product_info.php?cPath=28&products_id=92 (advised Trevor to get one) I see you're into Gattegno. I got a crash course in his stuff thx to Dr. Ian Benson, lots of pix in my Photostream of our visiting that Bucky museum in Chicago (where I seemed to know my way around). Marvin Minsky is being discussed indirectly (more into someone named Hawkins, invented the Treo?) on the Wittgenstein list I frequent. I'm not a big fan of AI projects, given the sorry track record, tend to steer clear of pie in the sky there, but OLPC has done real work on the ground (isn't really AI, is more just MIT thinking ahead a little). Kirby PS: I get some fan mail about my calculus too, taught it for a couple years at the AP Calc level, got my students placed into Yale and like that. ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: David Winsemius <dwinsem...@comcast.net> Date: Sun, Aug 23, 2009 at 4:16 PM Subject: Catenary arc length: thank you To: ki...@4dsolutions.net Dear Kirby; I want to drop you a note of thanks for putting up this page: http://www.4dsolutions.net/ocn/catenary.html My son is an art student and is building a kiln and plans to have the cross-section as a catenary. One of the questions which his supervisor is asking him to solve it estimating the number of bricks. Your illustration of arc length calculations was very helpful. I took your formulae and implemented a numerical arc length integration of the inverted catenary function using R, a somewhat Scheme-like language for statistical computing. -- David Winsemius, MD Heritage Laboratories West Hartford, CT > > <SNIP SNAP SNORUM> > >> Kirby >> << EDIT >> > -- > Edward Mokurai Cherlin > Silent Thunder (默雷/धर्ममेघशब्दगर्ज/دھرممیگھشبدگر ج) is my name, and > Children are > my nation. The Cosmos is my dwelling place, the Truth my destination. > http://earthtreasury.org/ > Kirby Urner ндсжег воss _______________________________________________ Edu-sig mailing list Edu-sig@python.org http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/edu-sig
