[Edu-sig] How best to publish?...

[Jeffrey Elkner]

Hi All!

I appreciate all the discussion in reply to my query.  It was definitely
helpful to me in figuring out where we are and what needs to be done to get
where I want to go...

A few more comments on DocBook.

For anyone interested, here are some links:

http://www.docbook.org
http://metalab.unc.edu/godoy/using-docbook/using-docbook.html
# here are some of the tools available for DocBook:
http://www.oasis-open.org/docbook/tools/index.html

My interest in DocBook is a very practical one.  I am working on writing "How
to Think Like a Computer Scientist", Python version:

http://yhslug.tux.org/obp/thinkCS/thinkCSpy/index.htm

I want to have an on-line version, but I am also interested in having printed
versions to issue to students who take my class.  It has been a lot of long and
tedious work in getting the book from Dr. Allen Downey's original LaTex format
into the HTML that I am using.  I don't look forward to having to go back to
LaTex in order to be able to produce a printable version.  I am already using
HTML, which is what the majority of you'all recommended that I do, but that
does not address the problem of how to get a printable version out without a
lot of tedious work.

With the Livewires materials we have the opposite problem.  We have printable
versions, but the on-line versions are taking us a long time to produce.

It would be REALLY helpful to me if I could produce both printable AND on-line
versions from the same source.  That is why I began looking into DocBook.

On Sun, 14 May 2000, Dennis Hamilton wrote:
> I am not sure where the idea that DocBook is a proprietary format or
> requires proprietary tools came up.  The DocBook materials are all
> available on-line, and even the book, DocBook, is an open-source
> publication (created using DocBook).  Everything is available on-line in
> open-source forms.  The CD-ROM that comes with the O'Reilly printed
> version of the book has a selection of tools to use with it, and I
> notice there is slow progress in having more of them.  There is
> certainly room to provide more, and especially take advantage of the
> DocBook XML DTD.

DocBook is certainly an open format, but (and please correct me if I am wrong)
free tools to convert DocBook source to a printable form (Post Script, for
example) are not well developed.  I was thinking that Python tools could be
developed to do this, but I am totally ignorant as to the existance or short
term prospects for such tools.

On Sun, 14 May 2000, Kirby Urner wrote:
> I just don't think it wise to have our Python-informed 
> curriculum efforts get side-tracked into some "how do we
> do this the right way the first time" investigations.
> Like, I think Elkner is asking good questions and his
> heart is certainly in the right place, but at the end 
> of the day, people are gonna do what they're gonna do.

Thanks, Kirby, but your missing the point.  What I am trying to figure out is
what I'm gonna do at the end of today ;-)

> Best is to put really good ideas, and working Python stuff,
> in the public domain, with the expectation that other
> teachers will edit/recombine, crediting you of course, if 
> you're a source, but desk-top publishing their own materials 
> for local distribution, materials which incorporate their 
> own thinking and attitudes.  The whole point of cyberspace
> curricula is that you're NOT tied to some centralized 
> bureaucracy with a one-size-fits-all mass publishing 
> approach.

It is VERY important that we get some real contact with real schools in this
effort.  While it is certainly true that some of the more innovative teachers
will want to do their own lessons, if we expect Python to be used to teach
"Computer Programming for Everyone" than we can not expect ALL teachers to do
that.

For most teachers, given the practical day to day difficulties already built
into their jobs (and lacking the fanatical zeal that drives some of us to do
crazy things like try to develop our own curriculum from scratch ;-)  You
are giving them the choice between:

1. Here is your Visual Basic course... It includes textbook, quizzes and tests
with answer keys, lab activities and sample lesson plans.

2. Why not try Python.  All you need to do is go out and learn desktop
publishing, hunt around the web for some sample code, and put together your own
textbook, quizzes and tests, lab activities, and lesson plans, all in the
comfort of your spare time :-(

Need I say more?

jeff elkner