[Edu-sig] My Opinion

[Kirby Urner]

>To me, it almost takes effort to keep programming out of a math 
>curricula at this stage. So I would expect that curriculas like 
>Kirby's will find acceptance.
>
>And we go from there.

I hope you're right Arthur -- seems natural to me as well, 
to continue converging computer languages with math languages.

Looks like Bryan Hann is also starting down this same road.

But we don't need to interpret "math" too narrowly.  Like all 
this stuff about regular expressions (I'm a newbie, looking
forward to moving up the learning curve) -- very good to see 
these other symbol games being proposed, even though not 
customarily considered in 1900s math classes (but could be 
in the 2000s).

It's the broader notion of "logical rule-following" or "following 
rules logically" that computer potentially bring into everyday 
experience.

But even if we find a lot of agreement for converging numeracy
and computer literacy, symbol games and logic, there's still
the nitty gritty of implementation.   It's going to be the 
same as ever:  lots of trial and error, with occasional 
breakthroughs.

Kirby

PS:  one influence I think computer languages are having in 
math world is on variable names -- they're getting longer.  
Like in my http://www.inetarena.com/~pdx4d/ocn/catenary.html 
-- in the calculus stuff at the bottom, I use variables 
named 'high' and 'low', even with the integral symbol. 
Pre-computer math books always used single letters, like a,b 
in these contexts.  It's these kinds of subtle changes which 
synergy fomets, along with the more obvious and overt kinds 
of changes.