Mailman 3 June 2009 - Edu-sig

xturtle online via processing.js !?
by Jurgis Pralgauskis 27 Sep '12

27 Sep '12

Hi, I am struggling around with interactive online py tutorials with https://launchpad.net/projects/intro-to-code (ith might become securely sandboxed soon, as pypy made it possible http://blog.sandbox.lt/en/WSGI%20and%20PyPy%20sandbox :) but one more thing is I'd like to let access xturtle functionality online - one possible way could be triggering tkinter to save its canvas to ps, and then convert them with imagemagic and show via web (animated gif or static) - but if pyjamas can render GUI for js (http://www.google.lt/search?&q=pyjamas+python ), mayby there is a way to **translate turtle commands to processing.js analogues** http://ejohn.org/blog/processingjs/ would it be difficult -- how do you think? -- Jurgis Pralgauskis tel: 8-616 77613; jabber: jurgis(a)akl.lt; skype: dz0rdzas; Don't worry, be happy and make things better ;) http://sagemath.visiems.lt

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Crunchy and Sphinx?
by Jeff Elkner 05 Oct '09

05 Oct '09

Hi André! I've spent the last month converting python educational materials from lore to sphinx. For the results, see: http://openbookproject.net/thinkcs/python/english2e and http://www.openbookproject.net/pybiblio/gasp/course The only missing feature at this point (sphinx rocks!) is support for crunchy. Any thoughts on that? I didn't see any reference to reStructuredText or Sphinx on the crunchy site. Thanks! jeff elkenr

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Re: [Edu-sig] Hello World! Computer Programming for Kids and Other Beginners
by csev 28 Jun '09

28 Jun '09

Warren and Carter - congratulations on your book. I just reviewed it in my blog and twittered about it. Here is the text from my blog post - (feel free to correct me ) Chuck Severance www.dr-chuck.com I am an advocate for using Python as a first language and for using programming as a tool to explore abstract concepts and technology literacy (Informatics) starting in elementary and middle school. Here is a book written for kids using Python that looks like it can support making Python accessible to younger learners. Hello World! Computer Programming for Kids and Other Beginners The book is written by the father and son pair of Warren D. Sande and Carter Sande. Here is an interview with the author and his son on Canadian Television with the authors: http://watch.ctv.ca/news/clip186877 Here is the web site for the book including several sample chapters: http://www.manning.com/sande/ This is very cool and I will buy the book and then review it in more detail. On first glance looking at the sample chapters and table of contents, it looks well siuted for K-12 applications since has many short chapters, gets into graphics quickly using its own GUI (easygui), and is careful to have lots of additional explanation in areas that readers might have questions. Of course since Carter Sande is still in K12 it is very natural to have it structured properly for K12. Perhaps after they get done with Warren and Carter's book - the students will want to web programming on Google App Engine! And of course there is a book for that - Using Google App Engine. This all moves us further down the path of technology literacy based on foundations of open source technology and transforming K-20 education to include technology literacy at the right places. Congratulations to Warren and Carter!

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Python book authors on TV
by Warren Sande 26 Jun '09

26 Jun '09

Carter and I were on the local 6:00 news a couple days ago, when we had the book launch for our book "Hello World! Computer Programming for Kids and Other Beginners" You can see it here: http://watch.ctv.ca/news/clip186877#clip186877 Warren Sande

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spirals and prime numbers, python
by Daniel Ajoy 26 Jun '09

26 Jun '09

http://www.dcs.gla.ac.uk/~jhw/spirals/index.html Daniel

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Re: [Edu-sig] classroom layout (DM and/or CS)
by Laura Creighton 23 Jun '09

23 Jun '09

In a message of Mon, 22 Jun 2009 13:25:03 PDT, kirby urner writes: >I've got this thread going with holdenweb re the ideal classroom >configuration. Since price is no object, get yourself a rear projectoin interactive copyboard. See: http://www.mirandanet.ac.uk/ftp/whiteboardguide-mirandanet.pdf Laura

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classroom layout (DM and/or CS)
by kirby urner 22 Jun '09

22 Jun '09

I've got this thread going with holdenweb re the ideal classroom configuration. Like, we're all familiar with conference venues, where we just balance a laptop or share power strips around tables, but for one's workaday environment, where one has more control over layout, what would be your ideal digital math and/or CS track "box car" i.e. would would you want delivered to the top school of your choice? Wave your magic wand, dream, as thoughts are inexpensive and often worth sharing (we have pixels to spare). We got a peak at Microsoft's Codeplex office, no cubes to speak of, all outfitted for pair programming, plus I talked with Josh Cronemeyer of Thought Works quite a bit, and again, XP is taken quite seriously there. So how might our classrooms, including for high school aged kids, prepare them for the real world working environment? They need to give lightning talks, take turns sharing projections, run planning meetings. I've suggested we need teachers to pair up as well, to role model sharing authority, trading hats. The traditional "rank and file" of the Roman Imperial classroom might not be most conducive to the formation of geek-level work habits and skills (imagine that). Like, you'll never be a dev if you're always wall flower Ms. Docile who doesn't know how to "ask the room". We don't want another generation of kiss-butts, like the last one was. The blog post below diagrams what we used at West Precinct (a U shape). I'm not suggesting one size fits all or that every digital math track features the same layout -- though for spreading a brand (of charter school say), a franchise motif actually helps, e.g. Burgerville's are pretty similar everywhere (free Wifi, and now, more nutrition information ** -- good grist for the mill in our newly calorie-conscious Home Economics track (being designed in tandem with Digital Math, for field testing in top notch overseas schools as well as local ones, IAGATP)). http://worldgame.blogspot.com/2009/06/at-work-again.html Kirby ** http://www.flickr.com/photos/17157315@N00/3643447292/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/17157315@N00/3643447414/in/photostream/

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Do Programmers Optimize... Life?
by Daniel Ajoy 22 Jun '09

22 Jun '09

http://www.cforcoding.com/2009/06/do-programmers-optimize-life.html "the age-old chicken-and-egg question of: do people become programmers because they have the right mindset or do they develop that mindset as a consequence of becoming computer programmers?" Rich said... "The problem with being an optimizer is that human interaction and human social norms are so inefficient that you tend to optimize out of them. And thus, real programmers end up avoiding human contact in favor of more efficient means to whatever end..." Daniel

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decompressing from OS Bridge
by kirby urner 22 Jun '09

22 Jun '09

Greetings edu-siggers -- I'm still decompressing from an intensive 3-day OS Bridge conference here in Portland, Oregon. Having a purely Portland management and local focus made this a rather different experience, a small gem actually, well run and cram packed with interesting talent and talks, from a cyborg anthropologist to a typography expert. We're attracting more social science and artist types, musicians, clowns (professional) who explain the web in easy geek (thinking of Keroes). My own talk hit most of my usual themes, filling in details regarding my work crewing with "buckaneers" as well as around marketing new kinds of geometry teaching (showed off the usual hypertoon, Scott Daniels actually in the same building this time -- he did the decorators). Re: me 'n farmer David: http://worldgame.blogspot.com/2009/06/show-time.html Lots of overlap with our Institute for Science, Engineering and Public Policy (e.g. the keynote speaker had been with us earlier -- she really gets around it seems to me (hi Amber)). ISEPP was not a sponsor though, and I was representing 4D Studios, which is a DWA thing (DWA and ISEPP are completely distinct). I represented ISEPP at Pycon (brought Josh Cronemeyer to Pauling House for a look see -- having missed him in Chicago (another geek with some Quaker connections)). Here's a blog post with links to the slides. Apologies in advance for the large file size (6 megs), but in making this a retrospective in some ways, I got into screen scraping at the pixel level, meaning we're often looking at fully stored bitmaps even where type fonts are concerned (no vector graphics). Turnout was low (lots of empty chairs) but it's quality not quantity. I had a professor from Linnfield College who'd been to my OSCON talk years ago. He came right up to me and said that as a result of that talk he'd gone straight back and started wheels turning, getting Python accepted. Now they're moving more physics to VPython, like some other schools we know about. This is all gratifying to hear, sounds like we're a lot on the same wavelength, whether or not we actually get to meet all that often (the years fly by eh?). As I noted to my lobbyist friend (Software Association of Oregon): """ PS: the low turnout was not a surprise, is somewhat par for the course in a geek conference averaging age 35, no one there a high school math teacher by training or future intent. I've been in rooms just like it with just as few, but once it was both Guido (BDFL) and Robin Dunn (wxPython), and this time I had you and ThoughtWorks/Chicago, plus there're the recordings and prestige, so lets just say I was not dissatisfied. What packs 'em in is when its directly about their career, so in a conference for math teachers needing computer language skills, you'd expect a tight fit, sometimes people on the floor (rolling?). ROFL. """ Plone was a presence. Canada is near. I'll blab some more as time goes on. Got a note that Paul is dropping off though continues tracking through various blogs and/or wikis. I invited him to rejoin and requit as many times as he likes (not that I'm listowner or anything -- that'd be Mr. Wilson or Andre or Dr. Pepper maybe). Cronemeyer's talk was Google App Engine related, as you'll find my blog post 'Winding Down' with his picture. http://mybizmo.blogspot.com/2009/06/winding-down.html Wave to Jeff Elkner, been yakking about you behind your back (all good). Not sure exactly how it works, but I think when Portland does its own FOSS conference, the dynamics with Microsoft are different. Redmond is part of the same bioregion. Their queen of open source made a big splash plus Python has generally been Windows friendly, given how tremendously successful her code base in this platform, now with the DLR's backing. You'd think their marketing machine would take more interest, especially with Sara Ford at the helm. Kirby

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[ANN] first full alpha release of PyLab_Works v0.3
by Stef Mientki 16 Jun '09

16 Jun '09

hello, I am pleased to announce the first full alpha release of PyLab_Works, v0.3. PyLab_Works is a modular Visual Development Environment, based on data-flow programming technics. PyLab_Works is specially aimed at Education, Engineering and Science. The ideas behind PyLab_Works are, that the final user should not be burdened with programming details and domain details, whereas the domain expert should be able to implement the specific domain knowledge without being a full educated programmer. You can always find my notes on PyLab_Works on http://pic.flappie.nl Most of these pages are also collected in a single pdf document, which can be found here: http://pylab-works.googlecode.com/files/pw_manual.pdf The source code and a one-button-Windows-Installer can be found on codegoogle: http://code.google.com/p/pylab-works/ The files are rather large, because they contain some data samples. The Windows-Installer contains everything you need to get started with PyLab_Works: ConfigObj, gprof2dot, HTTPlib, MatPlotLib, Numpy, Pickle, Psyco, pyclbr, PyGame, PyLab_Works, PyODBC, Python, RLCompleter, Scipy, Sendkeys, SQLite3, SQLObject, URLparse, wave, Visual, win32*, wxPython. Although the PyLab_Works programs are compiled with Py2Exe, all the source files are explicitly included. have fun, Stef Mientki

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