From aivar.annamaa at ut.ee Tue May 2 14:39:13 2017 From: aivar.annamaa at ut.ee (Aivar Annamaa) Date: Tue, 02 May 2017 21:39:13 +0300 Subject: [Edu-sig] Thonny IDE 2.1 released (with pip GUI and plug-in for BBC micro:bit) Message-ID: <3bc032690f3041e0659c3bbee8f72e23@pohl.ut.ee> Hi! I'm happy to announce new version of Thonny, Python IDE for beginners: http://thonny.org/blog/2017/05/02/version_2_1_0.html Eagerly waiting for your feedback! Aivar -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From jshaffstall at gmail.com Tue May 2 15:49:26 2017 From: jshaffstall at gmail.com (Jay Shaffstall) Date: Tue, 2 May 2017 15:49:26 -0400 Subject: [Edu-sig] Thonny IDE 2.1 released (with pip GUI and plug-in for BBC micro:bit) In-Reply-To: <3bc032690f3041e0659c3bbee8f72e23@pohl.ut.ee> References: <3bc032690f3041e0659c3bbee8f72e23@pohl.ut.ee> Message-ID: The GUI package manager is very nice! That should make it easier for my students who are trying to install my physics sandbox for my intro class. Some of them struggled with the command line way of adding packages. Jay On Tue, May 2, 2017 at 2:39 PM, Aivar Annamaa wrote: > Hi! > > I'm happy to announce new version of Thonny, Python IDE for beginners: > http://thonny.org/blog/2017/05/02/version_2_1_0.html > > Eagerly waiting for your feedback! > > Aivar > > -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From kirby.urner at gmail.com Wed May 10 16:18:47 2017 From: kirby.urner at gmail.com (kirby urner) Date: Wed, 10 May 2017 13:18:47 -0700 Subject: [Edu-sig] Decorating a Circle (math + python) Message-ID: I'll be among the first to admit, this little Pycon-length talk on @decorators (in a math-learning context) has its weaknesses: https://youtu.be/bQOrmiufSSc?list=PLeBIlkJm4xgnJd1B8AOLIIuclk0ayXlR8 Mainly, I'm "showing my age" (somewhat literally) in that my non-data descriptor, age, doesn't really get into the action the way I claim, given how descriptors without a __set__ rank lower on the MRO totem pole. However, I do wonders with "color". :-D The playlist immediately segues to a San Francisco User Group presentation on the same topic, where Simeon does a better job explaining the rules (MRO). Given my geometric focus, the rest of the videos veer into spatial geometry, wherein I continue to use Python, sometimes Visual Python. Kirby -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From kirby.urner at gmail.com Sat May 13 22:41:29 2017 From: kirby.urner at gmail.com (kirby urner) Date: Sat, 13 May 2017 19:41:29 -0700 Subject: [Edu-sig] updating Wikipedia re partial application in Python Message-ID: I document doing so here: http://mybizmo.blogspot.com/2017/05/coffee-shop-networking.html (see link to Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Partial_application#Implementations ) At what grade level should we introduce this fragment of lambda calc I wonder? http://mathforum.org/kb/thread.jspa?threadID=2858446 8th grade? The int( ) example in the documentation combines with with developing number sense. Kirby For further viewing: https://youtu.be/eTDH7m4vEiM (re lambda vs delta calc tracks, in Silicon Forest context) -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From kirby.urner at gmail.com Mon May 22 14:29:02 2017 From: kirby.urner at gmail.com (kirby urner) Date: Mon, 22 May 2017 11:29:02 -0700 Subject: [Edu-sig] Pycon postings... Message-ID: This is officially "the day after" though sprints continue. I've got a looking-back blog post and a Flickr album to share: http://mybizmo.blogspot.com/2017/05/pycon-looking-back.html https://www.flickr.com/photos/kirbyurner/albums/72157681886616111 Great seeing some of you, also former students from OST days.** Kirby ** O'Reilly School of Technology -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From kevin.cole at novawebdevelopment.org Sun May 28 22:26:14 2017 From: kevin.cole at novawebdevelopment.org (Kevin Cole) Date: Sun, 28 May 2017 22:26:14 -0400 Subject: [Edu-sig] So. PyCon inspired me to once again join this list. Message-ID: I'm not an educator by formal training, but I like to think I'm fairly good at tutoring / mentoring, and I haven't had any complaints. ;-) I remember better Education Summits... This one was okay, but it seems to me there was a lot more energy in Chicago several years back... One of the themes / questions was "how do we sustain / build on the energy we DO have?" and I figure one way is to simply stay in touch and inform each other of possible opportunities -- software, events, collaboration, internships for students, etc. Novel, right? ;-) Just call me Captain Obvious. In any case, that's what I hope to bring to the table, such as it is. From kirby.urner at gmail.com Mon May 29 18:40:11 2017 From: kirby.urner at gmail.com (kirby urner) Date: Mon, 29 May 2017 15:40:11 -0700 Subject: [Edu-sig] Python and 3D Message-ID: > > One of the themes / questions was "how do we sustain / build on the > energy we DO have?" and I figure one way is to simply stay in touch > and inform each other of possible opportunities -- software, events, > collaboration, internships for students, etc. Novel, right? ;-) Just > call me Captain Obvious. > Good to hear from you Kevin. Did we get to talk at Pycon? I met up with Jeff Elkner at long last. Naomi and I waved at each other a couple times. Today I'm helping an old college roommate, now a tenured physics professor, get VPython up and running in a Linux context (without wine, the Windows emulator). A perennially useful theme on edu-sig, especially these days when subscribers like Wes bring big knowledge to the scene, is taking stock, taking inventory, regarding what our assets are w/r to very specific niche areas. For example: what does Python have to offer in the 3D graphics department, where the latter breaks down into "rendered" (still) and "real time" (interactive)? I think we can start out by agreeing there's nothing in the Standard Library for this. My focus since the 1980s has been spatial geometry, as in polyhedrons, as in tetrahedron, cube, and so on. That's what brought me to Python in the first place, ditto the late Arthur Siegel of Pygeo fame (see early edu-sig archives). Now it so happens that many elementary mathematics curricula do not do much with spatial geometry. When first introduced formally, geometry often tends to be planar. Calculators, even graphing ones, are poor at 3D, which might be one reason for sticking to XY plots. Polyhedrons, if present, often appear towards the back of the textbook and their treatment extends to a few surface area and volume formulas. No "dual" as a concept, no V + F == E + 2, no Descartes' Deficit, no space-filling. My pilot math curriculum (Oregon Curriculum Network website) in contrast has always featured polyhedrons right from the top. We can call them "shapes" of the word "polyhedron" seems too difficult. By the time we get to learning to code, we're able to handle these longer words. :-D Anyway, that's an invitation to start a thread. Kirby -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From kevin.cole at novawebdevelopment.org Mon May 29 19:25:00 2017 From: kevin.cole at novawebdevelopment.org (Kevin Cole) Date: Mon, 29 May 2017 19:25:00 -0400 Subject: [Edu-sig] Python and 3D In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: > Good to hear from you Kevin. Did we get to talk at Pycon? Not at this last one. I passed by your poster, but at the time, there was too much of a crowd around it to get to it, and I didn't make it back at a quieter moment. > Today I'm helping an old college roommate, now a tenured physics professor, > get VPython up and running in a Linux context (without wine, the Windows > emulator). I seem to recall a time when I had that running on Linux. But I haven't used it in a very long time. (I think I saw it at a PyCon and said to myself "Oooh that looks like it would be fun to play with." But I didn't play with it for very long.) I'm not remembering any issue running it in Linux directly but, as I say, 't'was long ago and far away, and I could well be suffering from traumatic amnesia. ;-) > A perennially useful theme on edu-sig, especially these days when > subscribers like Wes bring big knowledge to the scene, is taking stock, > taking inventory, regarding what our assets are w/r to very specific niche > areas. Asset: I'm moderately fluent in ASL... Interest: Audio. No particular skills above and beyond, when it comes to Python, but I've become comfy with PySide (a.k.a. PyQt) and a wee bit o' MicroPython a la the PyBoard. I like to think I'm a reasonably clear writer when I set my mind to it. > For example: what does Python have to offer in the 3D graphics department, > where the latter breaks down into "rendered" (still) and "real time" > (interactive)? I think we can start out by agreeing there's nothing in the > Standard Library for this. I've been fooling with OpenSCAD as a user, not a developer, for use with our hackerspace's 3D printers. And ImplicitCAD which is written in Haskell. Jeff's school ... district? (or some umbrella that his school falls under) is now considering OpenSCAD as part of their curriculum. From calcpage at aol.com Mon May 29 20:04:50 2017 From: calcpage at aol.com (A Jorge Garcia) Date: Mon, 29 May 2017 20:04:50 -0400 Subject: [Edu-sig] Python and 3D In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Easy way to get vpython working is to install vidle on Linux. Also. Easy way to get turtle.py working is to install idle! HTH, AJG ?Sent from BlueMail ? On May 29, 2017, 7:25 PM, at 7:25 PM, Kevin Cole wrote: >> Good to hear from you Kevin. Did we get to talk at Pycon? > >Not at this last one. I passed by your poster, but at the time, there >was too much of a crowd around it to get to it, and I didn't make it >back at a quieter moment. > >> Today I'm helping an old college roommate, now a tenured physics >professor, >> get VPython up and running in a Linux context (without wine, the >Windows >> emulator). > >I seem to recall a time when I had that running on Linux. But I >haven't used it in a very long time. (I think I saw it at a PyCon and >said to myself "Oooh that looks like it would be fun to play with." >But I didn't play with it for very long.) I'm not remembering any >issue running it in Linux directly but, as I say, 't'was long ago and >far away, and I could well be suffering from traumatic amnesia. ;-) > >> A perennially useful theme on edu-sig, especially these days when >> subscribers like Wes bring big knowledge to the scene, is taking >stock, >> taking inventory, regarding what our assets are w/r to very specific >niche >> areas. > >Asset: I'm moderately fluent in ASL... Interest: Audio. No particular >skills above and beyond, when it comes to Python, but I've become >comfy with PySide (a.k.a. PyQt) and a wee bit o' MicroPython a la the >PyBoard. I like to think I'm a reasonably clear writer when I set my >mind to it. > >> For example: what does Python have to offer in the 3D graphics >department, >> where the latter breaks down into "rendered" (still) and "real time" >> (interactive)? I think we can start out by agreeing there's nothing >in the >> Standard Library for this. > >I've been fooling with OpenSCAD as a user, not a developer, for use >with our hackerspace's 3D printers. And ImplicitCAD which is written >in Haskell. Jeff's school ... district? (or some umbrella that his >school falls under) is now considering OpenSCAD as part of their >curriculum. >_______________________________________________ >Edu-sig mailing list >Edu-sig at python.org >https://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/edu-sig -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From kirby.urner at gmail.com Mon May 29 21:22:17 2017 From: kirby.urner at gmail.com (kirby urner) Date: Mon, 29 May 2017 18:22:17 -0700 Subject: [Edu-sig] Python and 3D In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Glad to discover from the docs that the latest VPython may also be installed through conda, recommended if not already using the "Classic" Vpython. conda install -c vpython vpython Graphics are served through a web server on localhost:9000 Screen shot: https://flic.kr/p/V6kPnV (directions imply this will work on any platform that supports conda, including Linux therefore -- I'm on OSX currently) Then it's import vpython, not import visual as in the past. Kirby -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From steve.eilertsen at gmail.com Tue May 30 05:45:03 2017 From: steve.eilertsen at gmail.com (Steve Eilertsen) Date: Tue, 30 May 2017 11:45:03 +0200 Subject: [Edu-sig] My 11 year old Message-ID: Thought I would share this story. I have been teaching my son to edit existing Python programs (rather than starting from scratch). He bought a "Farm Expert 2017" - a complex 'FarmVille" type program. He discovered to his delight that it was written in Python and was able to edit the amount of money in his "account" to serval trillion dollars - now his farm looks like the Dallas Ranch of the 1980's. Silly things like this can motivate a boy far more than any other more logical argument as to why coding is a beneficial skill to develop. So this weekend it was learning to soldier as he now has all sorts of ideas to automate his room using his Rpi which he got for his birthday last week. -- Regards Steve Eilertsen -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From kevin.cole at novawebdevelopment.org Tue May 30 10:25:42 2017 From: kevin.cole at novawebdevelopment.org (Kevin Cole) Date: Tue, 30 May 2017 10:25:42 -0400 Subject: [Edu-sig] My 11 year old In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: On Tue, May 30, 2017 at 5:45 AM, Steve Eilertsen wrote: Thought I would share this story. I have been teaching my son to edit > existing Python programs (rather than starting from scratch). He bought a > "Farm Expert 2017" - a complex 'FarmVille" type program. He discovered to > his delight that it was written in Python and was able to edit the amount > of money in his "account" to serval trillion dollars - now his farm looks > like the Dallas Ranch of the 1980's. > ?? > ?Wait til he ?finds out his school's grading system is written in Python. Bwah-hah-hah! ;-) Silly things like this can motivate a boy far more than any other more > logical argument as to why coding is a beneficial skill to develop. So this > weekend it was learning to soldier as he now has all sorts of ideas to > automate his room using his Rpi which he got for his birthday last week. > ?Very cool. Perhaps a the PiCroft image would be of interest. The Mycroft AI folks were sprinting on that all four sprint days at PyCon.? -- *Kevin Cole* Nova Web Development Co-Op http://novawebdevelopment.org/ Arlington, VA -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: