Mailman 3 April 2007 - Edu-sig

Quote from derStandard.at, Shuttleworth on OLPC
by kirby urner April 17, 2007

April 17, 2007

This article got Slash-dotted today. I'm just excerpting the tiny OLPC reference, in this interview with Mark Shuttleworth (although I read the whole article). http://linux.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=07/04/17/1924225 http://derstandard.at/?url=/?id=2845484 === derStandard.at: What's your take on the One Laptop per Child-project? Mark Shuttleworth: I think it's a really beautiful project and I'm very supportive of the work, they are doing some great innovations in there. I expect that some of the countries that will go down that road will choose Ubuntu and if they do that, we would help them to make Ubuntu work very well on that platform. At this stage obviously everyone is waiting to see how it will pan out, my own sensing is, that it's already a triumphant success in terms of shaking up the industry and getting the industry to think about both new technologies and new markets. But I fear that people may judge it harshly if they don't actually produce the laptop for a 100 Dollars and unfortunately it looks like that is unlikely at this stage. === Kirby

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education as Python's killer app
by Michael Tobis April 17, 2007

April 17, 2007

My thoughts on Python in education Article: http://pencilscience.blogspot.com/2007/04/edu-python-pythons-killer-app.html Resources: http://pencilscience.blogspot.com/2007/04/python-first-educational-resource… Presentation: http://webpages.cs.luc.edu/~mt/Python-First/Py1.html Comments and suggestions welcome. Please no fussing about formatting or grammar; this is all draft. However, I would appreciate anyone pointing out broken links. Mostly, I'd like to hear what you think I've left out (or anything I've gotten wrong). The thrust of the article is tarting to emerge: CP4E is real again thanks to OLPC (a project whose near-term success, while desireable, is uncertain) and Sugar, its user environment, which may well be unstoppable. On the advocacy front, this presents Python with a potential killer app with possibilities far larger than Ruby on Rails can ever aspire to. thanks for your attention Michael Tobis PS - anonymous blog comments are enabled, if you'd like to reply there.

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"Python First" book (new) + related SIGCSE'07 paper
by Atanas Radenski April 17, 2007

April 17, 2007

Hello all, Let me announce a new Python introductory book: Title: Python First: The Joy of Success Author: Atanas Radenski ISBN: 978159526-713-9, 512 pages, Llumina Press, April 2007 The book is available from the publisher at http://www.llumina.com/store/python.htm. The book is coming soon to Amazon.com. This book is a paper companion to the "Python First" online digital pack, http://studypack.com. The complete digital study pack features e-texts, slides, a wealth of detailed self-guided labs, sample programs, and extensive quizzes. The new book offers a printed version of the e-texts and self-guided labs in the same format as they appear in the online digital pack. Many books come with companion websites. The "Python First" online study pack comes with a printed book companion :-) "Python First" implements an active learning approach that is referred to as "abductive learning". The approach was recently reported at the ACM SIGCSE'07 and the paper is available here: http://studypack.com/comp/mod/resource/view.php?id=2928 Please, do not hesitate to send me an email if you have any questions or comments. Warm regards, Atanas Radenski mailto:radenski@studypack.com http://studypack.com mailto:radenski@chapman.edu http://www1.chapman.edu/~radenski

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Making solid sprites.
by Pauljonad＠aol.com April 17, 2007

April 17, 2007

Hello, I'm writing a simple game in Python with Livewires. I have a couple of sprites in my game, but I want them to be solid so that my character doesn't run over them, but is stopped when he runs into them and so that the flying sprites rebound of it as they do against a wall. I have a 'Phantom' as the main character and a Piano as the other sprite. I think I have to use (in Piano class): for Phantom in self.overlapping_sprites: .... something, I'm not sure. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks. Adam Moss

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3rd Python Workshop at Chapman University, California
by Atanas Radenski April 17, 2007

April 17, 2007

Hello all, Space is still available for the 3rd summer workshop "Python First: A Lab-Based Digital Introduction to Computer Science", to be held at Chapman University, Orange, California, June 18-21, 2007. For more information and to register visit: http://www.chapman.edu/wcls/MathCS/sWorkshop/Python/default.asp A coarse map of the area is available here: http://www.cnn.com/US/9611/12/simpson/california.losAngeles.lg.jpg Tuition for this workshop is free. A nominal registration fee of $50 will cover coffee and snacks, and incidental workshop expenses. Transportation costs, meals and lodging are the responsibility of the attendee. The 2nd Python workshop that Chapman University hosted last June was very well received by all participants. We are looking forward to an interesting and useful meeting this June. Respectfully, Atanas Radenski -- Atanas Radenski mailto:radenski@studypack.com http://studypack.com mailto:radenski@chapman.edu http://www1.chapman.edu/~radenski

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Archival : Kirby's Winterhaven Pythonic math class exhibit (2005-2006)
by kirby urner April 17, 2007

April 17, 2007

Filing for the edu-sig archive, an email of earlier today: A note to a parents list (Winterhaven Public School, Portland, Oregon): === -----Original Message----- From: Kirby Urner [mailto:urnerk@qwest.net] Sent: Monday, April 16, 2007 2:42 PM To: 'wearewinterhaven(a)googlegroups.com' Subject: RE: Who's in charge of technology at Winterhaven? (eom) Archival Note: Technology @ Winterhaven, 2005 - 2006. FYI re technology at Winterhaven, I still keep an archival couple web pages re my Python class for 8th graders under Mark's supervision in '05-'06: In case you're interested: http://www.4dsolutions.net/ocn/winterhaven/ Mostly I teach this stuff for pay via OSU and PSU (per 2006 W2s w/ my 1040), but decided to give it a whirl as parent-volunteer for my daughter's school's Wizards that time. I did two sets of 8th graders, getting to meet with most all of them that way. We had fun. Kirby Urner 4D Solutions/DWA 3745 SE Harrison Street Portland, OR 97214 -----Original Message----- From: wearewinterhaven(a)googlegroups.com [mailto:wearewinterhaven@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of rob Sent: Monday, April 16, 2007 1:36 PM To: We Are Winterhaven Subject: Re: Who's in charge of technology at Winterhaven? (eom) I was on the committee (or thought I was anyway). We met once last year for what was basically a "please approve the direction we're going with money allocation even though you haven't seen it before now, oh, and it has to be approved now because we'd like to present it to the staff tomorrow" meeting (not that I'm bitter or anything :) - just felt a little used). And, as far as I know, we haven't met again. I'd like to see it revived. I'm guessing it might be better done through the PTSA (with Tanya's buy-in of course) as I'm sure she has enough to do, though I can't say if that's the "best" way to go or not. Rob (Ron - keep on postin'!) --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the "We Are Winterhaven" forum. To post to this group, send email to wearewinterhaven(a)googlegroups.com To change the frequency of these emails, update your preferences at http://groups-beta.google.com/group/wearewinterhaven/subscribe To unsubscribe from this group, send email to wearewinterhaven-unsubscribe(a)googlegroups.com For more options, visit this group at http://groups-beta.google.com/group/wearewinterhaven?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---

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More from my corner...
by kirby urner April 17, 2007

April 17, 2007

Greetings Edu-siggers -- I've just learned my Saturday Academy class, a variety of Pythonic mathematics, has a green light for this session, meaning I'll be teaching in a computer lab at Portland State these next few weeks. If the past serves as any guide, I'll be logging some of my experiences, as the teacher, in this stash (edu-sig archive), Insha'Allah. These are middle and high school aged students. Also, I'm starting to practice my adult level Python teaching skills, with Wanderers, starting tomorrow evening. Wanderers is a think tanky group I've blogged about often, with lots of ties to (a) Linus Pauling and (b) Cal Tech. These will be challenging adult students, many with years of experience as assembly language programmers, electronics engineers and so on. Allen Taylor is author of several popular 'SQL for Dummies' books. David Feinstein is an applied mathematician of high repute, and so on. Speaking of Wanderers, I didn't make the final cut for the Python track this year @ OSCON 2007. Probably good they're giving more young people a chance (I had this gig three times already). However, if you're planning to be here in Portland attending OSCON, that'd be an opportunity for us to meet around the edges. Join us for an evening at the Linus Pauling Center on Hawthorne for example. http://www.isepp.org/Pages/ISEPP%20Pages/PaulingLegacy.html I'll post more closer to the time. Kirby 4D Solutions/DWA 3745 SE Harrison St. Portland, OR 97214

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Update from PDX
by kirby urner April 12, 2007

April 12, 2007

I'm continuing to insinuate my Pythonic hypertoons as a part of our "mental geometry" component, a supplement to the much more hyped "mental arithmetic" some teachers think calculators have messed with. Computers help with both, through drill and practice (e.g. Mathblasters), and Python is a great development language in this regard (Pygame, VPython...). My meeting with Ki Master George as his Saturday Academy mentor, re Django and/or developing a user-friendly tutorial around Civ IV/Python bindings was fruitful, though neither project seems ISEFy enough (he's aiming towards the compsci section of that well known science fair). We met at the Starbucks on Holgate, his dad also very much a part of these discussions (I like involving parents, had a dad sit through much of my last Pythonic math class, as chronicled in my blogs). As background for compsci, I recommended some of the following readings: In Code (Flannery) Cryptonomicon and In the Beginning... (Stephenson) and New Kind of Science (Wolfram) thinking a "pure compsci" approach leads to projects around: (a) cryptography and/or (b) cellular automata. At least those are both still-promising and fertile areas, no? I continue networking with the gnu math teachers on getting our kits ready for this summer. We plan to fan out across the country, giving little dog and pony shows here and there regarding what we call "gnu math" and/or "design science." It's a lot more hands-on and computer literate than what passes for math class today. Link trailhead: http://www.mathforum.org/kb/thread.jspa?threadID=1558459&tstart=0 Kirby 4D Solutions

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Studybook for Python
by Sven Forum April 12, 2007

April 12, 2007

Hi, In little more than one year I'll become a teacher in informatics for 14 - 16 year-olds (and math, history for 12-15y). Nowadays these pupils get Word, Excel and Pascal. Few hours are actually spent on programming. I would like to change this into oooWriter, oooCalc and Python (and perhaps a little more, depending on the strength of my class). Now, before we graduate, everybody needs to write a paper. These subjects are on my list: * Learn Python - a studybook with theory, examples and exercises -- Idea: The last lessons the pupils can make a simple game, building on functions they saw that year ->Math: The possibility to use python in my math class, for instance as a plotter, calculating surface, drawing figures ... (In my spare time I would like to write a GeoGebra like program, in Python. Still theoretical though ...) * Learn Writer - just a replacement for Word -- Idea: python-uno * Learn Calc - Idem as Writer I am considering to use "Think like a computer scientist" as a basis for my paper. But I am a little stuck on the math and game documentation. Can someone provide me with some links? Also I would like your comments and suggestions on the ideas. Furthermore, what should I integrate, what not? If this works, we could provide teachers with a studybook for python, which makes the step to use the language a lot smaller and therefor easier to make. Regards, Sven PS: My English is a bit rusty. Working on it ...

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More Brainstorming in Portland
by kirby urner April 9, 2007

April 9, 2007

I've been brainstorming with Ki (as in Master George) about the Civ IV bindings class that'd put Saturday Academny students in the driver's seat vis-a-vis a game engine that popular. He dug up the API, which is C-like in flavor, reflecting a lot of work already done, suitable for commercialization by way of open source testing. Those coming to the fore as prime movers of the open source version could then dive more deeply, with more capital support, into a more proprietary offering. There'd likely continue to be subversive cast offs or snap shots of the latest code. Anyway, that's one possible scenario. Perfect for our interns. I've been thinking of inviting Joyce Cresswell to our meeting. On another front, the acronym to track is XRL, the livingry (gear) associated with "extremely remote living" i.e. wilderness survival type camping, but with more aerospace input, more an alternative to cubicles than just tents i.e. you can have your computer and fat pipe Internet access. Watch for REI involvement. I think Ki's idea of what'd be a really fun and optional use of one's time on a bright sunny Saturday Morning in the prime of one's life (most of my students are very lustily youthful) is very much more likely to catch on that what I'm doing now: boring dry vector graphics of the type you should be getting when confined to school as a part of your more mandatory day. Saturday Academy should be for fun stuff, not like regular school. But then I exaggerate. Per the write-ups in my blogs and elsewhere (here for example) I think it's clear that my classes aren't quite that boring. Already I'm free to allude to and project the Civ IV API (thanks Tim) which helps boost their imaginations (and mine). We listen and watch Animusic, talk about ray tracing versus real time scenery and action computed on the fly, and use Python in a kind of "cave painting" mode to just start to get our feet wet in these subjects. POV-Ray is good for still renderings, VPython for on the fly. My classes do fill, sometimes. Kirby

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