[Edu-sig] Significant drop in CS interest in high schools

[kirby urner]

On Sun, Aug 30, 2009 at 10:16 AM, Edward Cherlin<echerlin at gmail.com> wrote:
> On Sun, Aug 30, 2009 at 9:27 AM, kirby urner<kirby.urner at gmail.com> wrote:
>> On Sun, Aug 30, 2009 at 8:54 AM, Edward Cherlin<echerlin at gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>> << SNIP >>
>>
>>> I am working on how to teach CS ideas in third grade using tools such
>>> as Etoys Smalltalk, UCBLogo, and Turtle Art, all of which are packaged
>>> in Sugar for the OLPC XO and other Linuces. Etoys and UCBLogo are
>>> available for numerous platforms, and Turtle Art is written in Python,
>>> making it easy to port. We already have more than 40 years experience
>>> teaching programming in elementary schools with Logo and Smalltalk.
>>>
>>
>> I'm glad you say "CS ideas" and not "CS"
>
> Yes, it's all about Powerful Ideas, not about topics, the way
> curricula are currently written. I have a page on Kindergarten
> Calculus somewhere...Aha!
>
> http://wiki.laptop.org/go/Kindergarten_Calculus

Sounds like we're in agreement then.

OLPC remains a theme in this household as well, also liking the
Starling for older kids (e.g. high school -- more my focus than the
Alan Kay target demographic (we get to Python *after* all that Squeak
and Scratch stuff).

http://www.system76.com/product_info.php?cPath=28&products_id=92
(advised Trevor to get one)

I see you're into Gattegno.  I got a crash course in his stuff thx to
Dr. Ian Benson, lots of pix in my Photostream of our visiting that
Bucky museum in Chicago (where I seemed to know my way around).

Marvin Minsky is being discussed indirectly (more into someone named
Hawkins, invented the Treo?) on the Wittgenstein list I frequent.

I'm not a big fan of AI projects, given the sorry track record, tend
to steer clear of pie in the sky there, but OLPC has done real work on
the ground (isn't really AI, is more just MIT thinking ahead a
little).

Kirby

PS:  I get some fan mail about my calculus too, taught it for a couple
years at the AP Calc level, got my students placed into Yale and like
that.

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: David Winsemius <dwinsemius at comcast.net>
Date: Sun, Aug 23, 2009 at 4:16 PM
Subject: Catenary arc length:  thank you
To: kirby at 4dsolutions.net


Dear Kirby;

I want to drop you a note of thanks for putting up this page:

http://www.4dsolutions.net/ocn/catenary.html

My son is an art student and is building a kiln and plans to have the
cross-section as a catenary. One of the questions which his supervisor
is asking him to solve it estimating the number of bricks. Your
illustration of arc length calculations was very helpful. I took your
formulae and implemented a numerical arc length integration of the
inverted catenary function using R, a somewhat Scheme-like language
for statistical computing.

--

David Winsemius, MD
Heritage Laboratories
West Hartford, CT



>
> <SNIP SNAP SNORUM>
>
>> Kirby
>>
<< EDIT >>

> --
> Edward Mokurai Cherlin
> Silent Thunder (默雷/धर्ममेघशब्दगर्ज/دھرممیگھشبدگر ج) is my name, and
> Children are
> my nation. The Cosmos is my dwelling place, the Truth my destination.
> http://earthtreasury.org/
>

Kirby Urner
ндсжег воss