learning algorithms and programming

> The model of Scratch and Etoys are quite different and it's a _huge_ job
> joining them.
> I'm not very familiar with Scratch source, but what I have seen is quite
> good and simple code.
> It's made in a rather old image so much has changed since then in both
> Pharo, Etoys and Squeak.
>
> I recommend you to make a few test projects and see what system fits your
> needs best.
>
> Karl
>
>
> On Sat, Dec 24, 2011 at 1:39 AM, Ralph Boland <[hidden email]> wrote:
>>
>> I want to develop a system for teaching various algorithms
>> that students learn starting from primary school all the way
>> to high school and perhaps even into university.
>> For this I need a core system and for each algorithm an
>> application layer on top of the core needs to be written.
>>
>> The idea is the the student first solves the problem by
>> hand, then implements low level components of the algorithm into
>> procedures and then is able to solve the problem more quickly by
>> invoking these procedures by hand.  Then these procedures can be
>> combined into higher level procedures that the student can use to
>> solve the problem even more quickly.  Eventually the the entire
>> algorithm is implemented into a top level procedure that the student
>> can invoke.
>>
>> Thus the student learns all the steps of the algorithm (since (s)he
>> initially
>> does them by hand but also combines them into procedures that can be
>> called
>> but the student also learns programming at a basic level.  It is
>> noteworthy that once the student has partially implemented the algorithm
>> (s)he is able to solve large instances of the problem by using the
>> procedures
>> already implemented.  For example, a student learning long division could
>> compute  91935 / 45  more easily after implementing subtraction and
>> multiplication of a number by a single digit.  The student could then do
>> the
>> division even faster by implementing a procedure that combines subtraction
>> and
>> multiplication of a number by a single digit.  And so on.
>>
>> Algorithms I am interested in implementing include  multiplication,
>> long division,
>> simplifying fractions. and simple linear algebra.
>> I am also interested in Chemistry/Physics and university level algorithms.
>> For example Gaussian elimination and the simplex method could be
>> taught this way.
>>
>> OK so where does EToys fit in?
>>
>> Well, I don't want to implement this utility from scratch.  But
>> EToys,  Scratch,
>> and  BYOB/Snap all implement aspects of what I need already.  Scratch
>> looks
>> like a better fit than EToys and  BYOB/Snap looks even better (has
>> procedures
>> and recursion (recursion is useful for simplifying fractions for
>> example)).
>> Unfortunately for me,  Scratch is being ported to Flash and  Snap is
>> being rewritten
>> in Javascript but I very much want to continue working in Smalltalk.
>> A version of Scratch has been ported to Pharo but the porters suggest
>> that the best thing to do is rewrite Scratch from scratch since it is
>> so poorly written.
>>
>> So my question is: Would it be better to use the core of EToys to
>> build my system.
>> For that matter, if I wanted to re-implement Scratch should I not use
>> the core of
>> EToys to base it on?  This probably means that EToys would need to be
>> re-factored
>> to some extent so that a core could be separated from the "EToys
>> Application".
>> In fact, I might need a Scratch/Snap core that goes on top of  EToys core.
>> For that matter should not EToys and Scratch already have been written
>> with
>> a common core?
>>
>> For those of you familiar with the Enchanting project (which allows
>> programming
>> of the Legos Mindstorms robot using a version of Scratch)  I would
>> also want to be
>> able to base Enchanting on the core of EToys.  By the way Enchanting
>> is an example
>> of where a web based version of Scratch is not going to work so it
>> looks like Enchanting
>> developers will have to maintain their version of Scratch.
>>
>> So what should my plan be?
>>
>> Regards,
>>
>> Ralph Boland
>> _______________________________________________
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>> [hidden email]
>> http://lists.squeakland.org/mailman/listinfo/etoys-dev
>
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