Mailman 3 September 2001 - Edu-sig

Rebol
by Jason Cunliffe Sept. 22, 2001

Sept. 22, 2001

Hello A lot of interest in simplicity and direct communications these days.. So I thought I would pay a visit to Rebol... http://www.rebol.com/ A lot of great progress this year = fast cheap and out of control -> wonderfull stuff Be sure to download the free Rebol/View from the Products page: http://www.rebol.com/products.html enjoy -Jason

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Delete a cookie
by Titu Kim Sept. 22, 2001

Sept. 22, 2001

Hi all, I am learning python in cgi programming. I want to keep the http state of a user to my website in CGI script. I decide to use Cookie module to realize it. However, i find that i can load, set and change cookies, i cannot invalide or delete the same cookie that i have created. Thus the cookies are always there as long as client does not close the browser. How can i delete those cookies? Or is there any other module that acchieve the same purpose that i can use? Thanks a lot. Kim Titu __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Get email alerts & NEW webcam video instant messaging with Yahoo! Messenger. http://im.yahoo.com

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Python in Statistics class
by Dean Goodmanson Sept. 20, 2001

Sept. 20, 2001

Another potentially naive post, but traffic is slow and it's almost Friday. I am curious to how Python is being used in a statistics classroom. In using python and In a brief search for Python and statistics I came across enough information to feel that Python would be a good statistical analysis tool. However, most of the information was either very math centric (matrice analysis, etc.) or at a seemingly graduate level statistics. Are there any Basic Statistics teachers out there, and are you using Python for number crunching along with GNUPlot or other tools for graphic representation? Could you point to some basic resources for an armchair statistician, or Practical Statistics (surveys, basic measurement analysis, etc.) -Dean _________________________________________________________________ Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com/intl.asp

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Calculating area of a surface plane on a spherical body.
by Jonathan Pennington Sept. 19, 2001

Sept. 19, 2001

Given the recent talk about using Python to teach mathematics, I have the following question for the math gurus: Given > 3 points on a plane, how would one use Python to calculate the surface area of that plane. I'm assuming numpy would be used because it's going to run quite frequently. To give more of an explaination, I'm trying to develop an educational program that is adding mathematics to my existing attempt to merge science(geology) and programming. Students will take coordinate data (either in lat/lon or UTM format) and enter the data into their programs to manipulate it, so the points will probably be in lat/lon format. If a program already exisits with such a solution, I wouldn't mind reading the code. Otherwise, I'd like a math guru's opinion on well-formed solutions. Thanks -J -- Jonathan Pennington | john(a)coastalgeology.org "It's hard to take life too seriously when you realize yours is a joke." -me

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Pairs Programming in Education articles
by Jeff Sandys Sept. 19, 2001

Sept. 19, 2001

Laurie Williams has written several articles on the use of pairs programming in education. Look at the 'Publications' at her site: http://collaboration.csc.ncsu.edu/laurie/ I plan to use pairs programming in the middle school programming club that I do as a volunteer. But we will be using Logo this year, because I have experience and a good class syllabus. Which brings me to my questions. Is anyone using Python for middle school students? (Pymid, Python Middle School list on yahoo, is inactive) If so, do you have a good syllabus for this age group? Has anyone done any work to use Python with the Lego RCX brick (or the Handy Board)? Thanks, Jeff Sandys

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Function Question -- I'm confused...
by WHITSTON＠ltu.edu Sept. 19, 2001

Sept. 19, 2001

To all: Over the weekend I was reading a Python textbook and in the chapter on functions it mentioned that Python functions could have embedded functions like Pascal. Since other textbooks don't mention this "feature", I'm wondering whether it is true or not (or was/is part of a particular version). Thank you for your help -- you could reply to me privately unless other newbies are interested in this. Howard Whitston Lawrence Tech. University whitston(a)ltu.edu

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One more thought on paired programming
by Timothy Wilson Sept. 19, 2001

Sept. 19, 2001

Hi everyone, I remembered one other point that I wanted to make about using a paired programming approach in my class. I was a bit rushed in my first class on the day that I began trying this approach. As a result, my instructions to the class weren't much more than, "Work with a partner on this." The results were not impressive. Most of the pairs worked by having one person do all the typing while the other student watched passively over his or her shoulder providing almost zero input in the process. Not being a *complete* moron, I was much more clear about my expectations in my other section that day. I explicitly told the students that I expected to see both students typing (though not simultaneously :-) and that I should hear discussions as I walked around the room observing. I told them that one person was not to do all the programming, but that they should use ideas from both students. (Since then, I've adopted the phrase "Four hands, one keyboard" as an unofficial slogan to remind them of these expectations.) The difference between the two classes was dramatic. The afternoon section that had received the more detailed instructions had no trouble with it and certainly learned a lot more than my morning class. The student-student interaction was much richer and I think we approached near 100% participation. It was cool. What is that, $0.04 by now? :-) -Tim -- Tim Wilson | Visit Sibley online: | Check out: Henry Sibley HS | http://www.isd197.org | http://www.zope.com W. St. Paul, MN | | http://slashdot.org wilson(a)visi.com | <dtml-var pithy_quote> | http://linux.com

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Pair programming
by Timothy Wilson Sept. 18, 2001

Sept. 18, 2001

Hi everyone, I'd like to add my $0.02 to Jeff's advice a week or so ago about having the students work in pairs. Many of the teachers on this list probably have students paired up in their classes out of necessity. Fortunately, in my situation I have 30 machines for 30 students. However, I've only been using 15 machines lately. It's still early in the year, and I haven't assigned a large project yet since the students still haven't learned all the syntax. But I have been using pairs for the daily work of writing little functions and programs. >From my observations so far, I would suggest that paired programming does a great job of drawing quiet students into discussions. I noticed that a number of my students in the first week or so of class were perfectly happy to sit quietly in class not understanding what was going on. They simply weren't assertive enough to raise their hands to get my attention. This was most often observed in my female students. These students are much more likely to ask their peers questions than they are to ask me. Incidentally, I also try to pair particularly shy students with a person of their own gender. There is no doubt that these quiet students are learning more and it almost certainly helps the students who are answering their questions too. (You learn more by teaching after all.) The quality of work produced is also higher. The direct interaction with another student really helps catch little syntax and logic errors even before the program is run. >From a teacher's standpoint, another great advantage is that I have only 15 groups of students to deal with instead of 30 individuals. Having few groups/students to visit means more individual attention from me. So I'd encourage everyone to give it a try. I'm not necessarily going to work in pairs 100% of the time, but I don't think I'll be using all 30 computers simultaneously very often. -Tim -- Tim Wilson | Visit Sibley online: | Check out: Henry Sibley HS | http://www.isd197.org | http://www.zope.com W. St. Paul, MN | | http://slashdot.org wilson(a)visi.com | <dtml-var pithy_quote> | http://linux.com

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Chemistry program
by Jonathan Pennington Sept. 18, 2001

Sept. 18, 2001

Sorry, Forgot about this. I have the first methods done of a chemistry program that I'm working on. Right now, it parses an XML file of the periodic table and pulls elemental data from it for viewing or manipulation. My plans for this are for manipulating basic chemical and geochemical formulae, and later adding the ability to predict eutectics and such. Since I figure this might be useful to others, I was going to ask if there was any other work going on in this field, or what teachers/others might find useful in a program such as this. Collaboration is welcome as well. Cheers, -J -- Jonathan Pennington | john(a)coastalgeology.org "It's hard to take life too seriously when you realize yours is a joke." -me

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Python in The Classroom...
by John Fronckowiak Sept. 17, 2001

Sept. 17, 2001

I'm new to this list. I'm trying to find out some information about the use of Python in the classroom. I'd like to teach Python as our introductory programming language. I'd be interested in hearing from anyone that is currently teaching Python and what class their teaching it in (please feel free to reply to my request off of the list). Or if you know of any resources that list classes where Python is being used, Id love to hear about it. Thanks in advance! John Fronckowiak Lecturer Department of Computer Information Systems Medaille College // 18 Agassiz Circle // Buffalo // NY //14214 Phone: 716-884-3281 // Web: http://www.idcc.net/medaille

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