[Edu-sig] more ruminations... (Python and physics etc.)

[kirby urner]

More ruminations regarding Python and math teaching, at the
Math Forum, with stuff about Smalltalk, OLPC etc.

Excerpt:

"""
I'm thinking Arthur Siegel (on edu-sig / Python Nation) was on the
right track in always insisting that VPython become a part of the
standard distro. Having something relatively easy, user friendly
that's OpenGL, is gonna do wonders for your geometry classes,
and after geometry + geography, what else is there? Me 'n
Sir William thought the same way. [William Colby -- KU]
"""

http://mathforum.org/kb/message.jspa?messageID=7133134&tstart=0

Also, after two days with the physics teachers, I'm again impressed
with how far ahead the community seems to be, vis-a-vis most of
the math teaching community, in terms of embracing social networking,
other tools.

http://worldgame.blogspot.com/2010/07/physics-conference.html

I was sorry to miss Ruth Chabay's VPython presentations.  She was
among the presenters.  http://www4.ncsu.edu/~rwchabay/

I did see stuff happening with Python though.  Even my own work
was mentioned (Studies in Human Motion, using Python + POV-Ray,
with input from a spreadsheet getting from sensors attached to
a dancer's body).

The movies:
http://physics.doane.edu/hpp/Resources/UHMCD/UHMCDMedia.htm

http://physics.doane.edu/hpp/Resources/UHMCD/UHMCDPeople.htm
(includes me in the credits)

Then there's this software called Logger Pro by Vernier that a
lot of physics teachers are using.  Venier is to physics teaching
sort of what TI is to math teaching?

Kirby