Hi Maria,<br><br>Yes, Python will definitely work for your purposes. And you can definitely learn enough in a few months without being a specialist to use with algebra kids. Guido's built in tutorial is great. That's how I started. Python is an absolutely amazing self-contained environment. Take a look at the turtle module. It's essentially Logo. I've had kids to projects with it, and they take to it very quickly. I show them a few things, like a 'spirosquare' function, and let them explore. And beyond just graphics, Python is perfect for creating lists of ordered pairs to study function behavior or for studying recursion. It's basically a super calculator that you can easily modify.<br>
<br>I'm also a big GeoGebra fan as well. I use it all the time to create visuals for lessons. And it's also great for students to use for projects. <br><br>But yes, for going beyond just math, Python is perfect, as it's a general purpose language. <br>
<br>- Michel<br><br><div class="gmail_quote">On Tue, Apr 14, 2009 at 4:30 AM, Maria Droujkova <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:droujkova@gmail.com">droujkova@gmail.com</a>></span> wrote:<br><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="border-left: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); margin: 0pt 0pt 0pt 0.8ex; padding-left: 1ex;">
Hello,<br><br>I am new to this list. I am working on an algebra course where teens will create their own learning materials and share them as open educational resources (OERs). I'd like to organize the course around a computer environment. I have three candidates for it so far: Scratch, Geogebra and Python. I like these three because they all have robust communities of people sharing open source code.<br>
<br>Scratch has the immediate multimedia appeal, is equally loved by boys and girls, and is very easy to get into. Minus: it's rather limited when it comes to a bit more advanced math. We tried to create fractals on it this Spring in a homeschool coop, and it was cumbersome.<br>
<br>Geogebra was created specifically for the type of projects I want to run. It is easy enough to start, for kids. I find its specialization to be a limiting factor, though - it would be nice if kids saw the environment's potential beyond math. <br>
<br>With Python, I have more questions than answers, because I am just starting to learn it. Do you think it will work for my purpose? Do I need to get a real programmer involved, or can I learn enough Python in a few months to help kids well enough, without being a specialist? What questions do I not know to ask?<br>
<br>I would appreciate any pointers.<br><font color="#888888"><br><br clear="all"><br>-- <br>Cheers,<br>MariaD<br><br>Make math your own, to make your own math.<br><br><a href="http://www.naturalmath.com" target="_blank">http://www.naturalmath.com</a> social math site<br>
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