From kirby.urner at gmail.com  Mon Mar  1 06:17:55 2010
From: kirby.urner at gmail.com (kirby urner)
Date: Sun, 28 Feb 2010 21:17:55 -0800
Subject: [Edu-sig] Pilot testing the new AP CS definition
In-Reply-To: <d805c9921002280938g79ad4185ub40f6e831dab6068@mail.gmail.com>
References: <37fa1dfb1002280742h37f543f2iddda22d7965f9283@mail.gmail.com>
	<d805c9921002280938g79ad4185ub40f6e831dab6068@mail.gmail.com>
Message-ID: <f604188c1002282117k1ff4957er9d2f95500ac00ad1@mail.gmail.com>

Interesting thread.

If CS manages to stop being a mere elective, that would change the
dynamics.

In Oregon, the push is to fold anything worthwhile in CS into math
proper, as at least that counts towards a requirement (3 years of
math), whereas CS is highly dispensable when the budge ax cuts
(as it does so often -- the priority is replacing those helicopter
engines, thanks to sandstorms, am I right?).

If there's an activist CS community working to save this subject
at the high school level, we should learn more from this thread.

I'm pretty sure Singapore is positioned to beat the pants off of
the USA in this area, but I could be wrong.  Some states have
a budget.

Paying attention,

Kirby

On Sun, Feb 28, 2010 at 9:38 AM, Helene Martin <lognaturel at gmail.com> wrote:
> I'm a UW graduate teaching high school CS in the Seattle area. ?Larry
> and I are trying to schedule a meeting this week to discuss how we can
> collaborate. ?I teach a Python-based course called Creative Computing.
>
> Let me know if there are any messages you would like relayed in
> person. ?I'll definitely let him know that there's active interest in
> helping out in this community.
>
> If you're on here, hi Larry. =)
>
> H?l?ne.
> http://garfieldcs.com
>
> On Sun, Feb 28, 2010 at 7:42 AM, Jeff Elkner <jeff at elkner.net> wrote:
>> Potentially important news for Python in education:
>>
>> http://computinged.wordpress.com/2010/02/27/pilot-testing-the-new-ap-cs-definition/
>>
>> I wonder if Larry (http://www.cs.washington.edu/homes/snyder/) would
>> like help in either developing or testing his new course?
>>
>> jeff elkner

From kirby.urner at gmail.com  Mon Mar  1 17:51:09 2010
From: kirby.urner at gmail.com (kirby urner)
Date: Mon, 1 Mar 2010 08:51:09 -0800
Subject: [Edu-sig] Fwd: python for math
In-Reply-To: <f604188c1003010847g7b9d244ckb6d66d8746888282@mail.gmail.com>
References: <20100224193159.GA27703@seberino.org>
	<f604188c1002241323v6950d895wdf294f5a860702e1@mail.gmail.com>
	<20100225153616.GD8409@seberino.org>
	<f604188c1002251511g48465e34n93b777f0ede2ec50@mail.gmail.com>
	<20100225233558.GA15792@seberino.org>
	<f604188c1002251557veb95635gfb4eac4eed72205b@mail.gmail.com>
	<20100227063339.GA11321@seberino.org>
	<f604188c1002282144r7e0999fbj51d969f4b2bc6f7d@mail.gmail.com>
	<20100301155235.GA11369@seberino.org>
	<f604188c1003010847g7b9d244ckb6d66d8746888282@mail.gmail.com>
Message-ID: <f604188c1003010851w2c82c625kbbc522c5a702bfb4@mail.gmail.com>

I hope Mark (not his real name) joins us on edu-sig.  As you will see
below, I'm encouraging him to do so, at which point he might reveal
his true identity.

He teaches AP Calculus and has been experimenting with using Python to
abet student understanding, with mixed results.

Kirby


---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: kirby urner <kirby.urner at gmail.com>
Date: Mon, Mar 1, 2010 at 8:47 AM
Subject: Re: python for math
To: mark


Hi [ Mark ] --

I'm not proposing to replace traditional math notation with Python's,
only to have a computer language expressing these same concepts
without too much clutter.

For example, you might implement a simple Polynomial type in
just a few lines of code (pre-written) and have methods for objects
of this type to (a) produce roots (b) multiply together (c) add
together.

You then have the ability to discuss polynomials as "objects" that
add and multiply, like number types.

Here's a clear essay about the approach:

http://mathforum.org/kb/message.jspa?messageID=6992862&tstart=0

To put it simply: ?I favor introducing "dot notation" (common to many
computer languages) as just another math notation.

More:
http://www.4dsolutions.net/presentations/p4t_notes.pdf

I'm into spatial geometry a lot, as I think the bigger / sharper screens
(beyond calculator screens) should have lots of Z-axis, i.e. the
depth dimension needs to be there.

Just transferring a lot of flat stuff, not going spatial, is too much of
a psychological let down, given what students already know computers
can do.

I have a simple non-Euclidean geometry I like to get into (simple in the
sense of easy definitions), but that doesn't preclude doing all the usual
stuff, including with XYZ vectors (another type of math object, easily
expressed in Python, and easily rendered to screen using VPython).

FYI here's an interesting text book some of us are using:
http://www.skylit.com/mathandpython.html

This is not a full blown "math objects" approach. ?In fact, there's
no real object oriented programming except on page 88-89 (2nd
edition). ?For the most part, it's just using Python in place of a
scientific calculator, in hopes of keeping up with the rest of the
world, which is moving in the same direction.

That's what I'd tell parents: ?in the real world, computers and
computer programming (including in Mathematica) have far more
currency than scientific calculators. ?Used wisely, computer
technology, including with some programming, is likely to
open more doors, give a better sense of more career options,
provide a stronger orientation.

Understanding more about computers and their connection to
math is vital to a "how things work" approach, which emphasizes
explanations of such basic topics as tabulation of data, these
days accomplished with SQL. ?Some mention of SQL, even some
use of it (sqlite?), is completely apropos in Computational Math,
but maybe not in an AP calculus course.

Thanks for conversing on this topic. ?I encourage you to join edu-sig,
where lots of educators are pondering these very issues. ?We've
had recent threads on Sage etc., and are currently discussing the
interface between math and computer science, at the secondary
school level especially. ?See the edu-sig page at Python.org for
more info.

http://www.python.org/community/sigs/current/edu-sig/

Kirby


On Mon, Mar 1, 2010 at 7:52 AM, ?<mark> wrote:
> On Sun, Feb 28, 2010 at 09:44:25PM -0800, kirby urner wrote:
>> Keep in mind that a reading knowledge of a language is far easier
>> to acquire than a "write from scratch on a blank canvas" mode. ?If
>> the lesson plan involves eyeballing already written code, making
>> minor tweaks, this is probably going to yield greater results and/or
>> student satisfaction than sitting them down in front of a white screen
>> and saying 'write something that integrates a polynomial'.
>
> You may be onto something here. ?Are you saying you'd prefer ALL math concepts
> be introduced in Python code? ?That may have benefits. ?One potential way you
> could defend that is that you can't be unambiguous in Python. ?You *can* with
> classical math notation. ?For example, does sin^(-1)(x) mean the "reciprocal
> of the sine function" or the "Arcsin (inverse) function"?
>
> There is a physics book that attempts to do
> something similar with Scheme. ?It is called "Structure And Interpretation of
> Classical Mechanics".
>
>
> An innovative curriculum that introduces everything in Python code with objects
> may speed learning. ?If parents ask "why better?", I can say it is unambiguous
> compared to classical math notation.
>
> Thanks a 10^6.
>
> [ Mark ]
>

From kirby.urner at gmail.com  Thu Mar  4 03:17:14 2010
From: kirby.urner at gmail.com (kirby urner)
Date: Wed, 3 Mar 2010 18:17:14 -0800
Subject: [Edu-sig] Fwd: [pinoy-python-users] Dreampie - a new graphical
	shell for Python
In-Reply-To: <badd7a6d-b6ff-4ea5-91c0-bba23951d4de@a10g2000pri.googlegroups.com>
References: <badd7a6d-b6ff-4ea5-91c0-bba23951d4de@a10g2000pri.googlegroups.com>
Message-ID: <f604188c1003031817t64015fa2s1ce22a4035e18f2@mail.gmail.com>

Anyone here on edu-sig have experience with the product below
(appended from user group traffic)?

I've been away on math-teach duty, expostulating on tetrahedral
mensuration again, the intersection with Python + VPython (or Python +
POV-Ray) being polyhedra, vector objects etc.

http://mathforum.org/kb/thread.jspa?threadID=2047973&tstart=15

I don't get coherent / articulate objections to these proposals, so
it's not like I'm countering specific arguments.  The National Council
of Teachers of Mathematics seems to have come around.

http://www.bfi.org/our_programs/bfi_community/synergetics/synergetics/nctm_embraces_synergetics

math-thinking-l has gone back to sleep.

This essay remains one of my strongest, re a type-based
object-oriented approach to algebra (what the functional programmers
will probably want to shoot down):

http://mathforum.org/kb/message.jspa?messageID=6992862&tstart=0

Today's concern is how to counter the stereotype of Computational Math
as purely sedentary.

Doing mathematics and doing physically strenuous activities should not
always been considered opposite ends of the spectrum.

Kirby



---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: JM Maranan <jmmaranan at gmail.com>
Date: Wed, Mar 3, 2010 at 6:00 PM
Subject: [pinoy-python-users] Dreampie - a new graphical shell for Python
To: Pinoy-Python-Users <pinoy-python-users at googlegroups.com>


Just found out a new Python shell from the mailing list. Here is a
feature in a breeze from the author himself

I'm pleased to announce DreamPie 1.0 - a new graphical interactive
Python shell!

Some highlights:

* Has whatever you would expect from a graphical Python shell -
attribute completion, tooltips which show how to call functions,
highlighting of matching parentheses, etc.
* Fixes a lot of IDLE nuisances - in DreamPie interrupt always works,
history recall and completion works as expected, etc.
* Results are saved in the Result History.
* Long output is automatically folded so you can focus on what's
important.
* Jython and IronPython support makes DreamPie a great tool for
exploring Java and .NET classes.
* You can copy any amount of code and immediately execute it, and you
can also copy code you typed interactively into a new file, with the
Copy Code Only command. No tabs are used!
* Free software licensed under GPL version 3.

Check it out at http://dreampie.sourceforge.net/ and tell me what you
think!

Have fun,
Noam

--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google
Groups "Pinoy-Python-Users" group.
To post to this group, send email to pinoy-python-users at googlegroups.com.
To unsubscribe from this group, send email to
pinoy-python-users+unsubscribe at googlegroups.com.
For more options, visit this group at
http://groups.google.com/group/pinoy-python-users?hl=en.

From missive at hotmail.com  Mon Mar  8 04:01:02 2010
From: missive at hotmail.com (Lee Harr)
Date: Mon, 8 Mar 2010 07:31:02 +0430
Subject: [Edu-sig] [ANNC] pynguin-0.2 (python turtle graphics application)
Message-ID: <SNT106-W23D8598384B1310649531FB1350@phx.gbl>


Pynguin is a python-based turtle graphics application.
??? It combines an editor, interactive interpreter, and
??? graphics display area.

It is meant to be an easy environment for introducing
??? some programming concepts to beginning programmers.


http://pynguin.googlecode.com/


This release continues adding basic functionality and
??? corrects some annoyances. If you are interested,
??? please take a look and let me know what you think.


Pynguin is tested with Python 2.6.4 and uses PyQt (4.6)
??? for its GUI elements. Pynguin is released under GPLv3.


Changes in pynguin-0.2:
??? - added fill mode
??? - added basic auto-indent in editor
??? - added quick links to recent documents
??? - added quick links to example files
??? - even out speeds when drawing short line segments
??? - added animated circle drawing
??? - now exports entire drawing, even if not visible on screen
??? - fixed initial drawing speed to match menu
??? - fixed-width fonts in editor and interactive interpreter
??? - added classic turtle image
??? - file browser now starts in user's home directory
??? - removed scrollbars on graphic view
??? - now extends lines when animating

 		 	   		  
_________________________________________________________________
Hotmail: Trusted email with Microsoft?s powerful SPAM protection.
https://signup.live.com/signup.aspx?id=60969

From da.ajoy at gmail.com  Tue Mar  9 20:11:40 2010
From: da.ajoy at gmail.com (Daniel Ajoy)
Date: Tue, 09 Mar 2010 14:11:40 -0500
Subject: [Edu-sig] TurtleArt, Etoys, Scratch, GameMaker
Message-ID: <op.u9bd9qzh0gup8g@daniel-pc>

Comparison between TurtleArt, Etoys, Scratch, and GameMaker, on how they represent basic math concepts:

* Negative Numbers (the number line)
* Equality
* Assignment
* Binary arithmetic operator, addition
* Decimal Numbers

http://tonyforster.blogspot.com/2010/03/programming-and-mathematics.html


From jjposner at optimum.net  Wed Mar 10 15:45:38 2010
From: jjposner at optimum.net (John Posner)
Date: Wed, 10 Mar 2010 09:45:38 -0500
Subject: [Edu-sig] Method / Functions - What are the differences?
In-Reply-To: <4b911ee0$0$4988$607ed4bc@cv.net>
References: <hmdo3m$287$1@news.urz.uni-heidelberg.de>
	<4b8c2a34$0$10470$426a74cc@news.free.fr>
	<mailman.81.1267492052.23598.python-list@python.org>
	<4b8cd310$0$4604$426a34cc@news.free.fr>
	<mailman.109.1267539415.23598.python-list@python.org>
	<hmk1mn$70u$1@newsreader3.netcologne.de>
	<4b8e4041$0$17447$426a34cc@news.free.fr> <hmlte9$d0f$1@dough.gmane.org>
	<mailman.205.1267633968.23598.python-list@python.org>
	<4b8e9660$0$21812$426a34cc@news.free.fr>
	<hmmrh4$644$1@newsreader3.netcologne.de> <4B8EF717.3070701@optimum.net>
	<4b902338$0$31260$607ed4bc@cv.net>
	<4b90f5eb$0$9148$426a74cc@news.free.fr>
	<4b911ee0$0$4988$607ed4bc@cv.net>
Message-ID: <4B97B092.4060901@optimum.net>

[ cross-posting to edu-sig ]

Bruno (and anyone else interested) --

As I promised/threatened, here's the *start* of a write-up on 
properties, aimed at non-advanced Python programmers:

   http://www.jjposner.net/media/python-properties-0310.pdf

I'm interested in corrections, of course. But I'm also interested in 
opinions as to whether this somewhat lengthy treatment is worth the 
effort -- does it improve on existing write-ups?

Tx,
John


From echerlin at gmail.com  Wed Mar 10 16:31:35 2010
From: echerlin at gmail.com (Edward Cherlin)
Date: Wed, 10 Mar 2010 10:31:35 -0500
Subject: [Edu-sig] Method / Functions - What are the differences?
In-Reply-To: <4B97B092.4060901@optimum.net>
References: <hmdo3m$287$1@news.urz.uni-heidelberg.de>
	<hmlte9$d0f$1@dough.gmane.org>
	<mailman.205.1267633968.23598.python-list@python.org>
	<4b8e9660$0$21812$426a34cc@news.free.fr>
	<hmmrh4$644$1@newsreader3.netcologne.de>
	<4B8EF717.3070701@optimum.net> <4b902338$0$31260$607ed4bc@cv.net>
	<4b90f5eb$0$9148$426a74cc@news.free.fr>
	<4b911ee0$0$4988$607ed4bc@cv.net> <4B97B092.4060901@optimum.net>
Message-ID: <e574f6eb1003100731u7e07f058lf86af48f991b1e0c@mail.gmail.com>

On Wed, Mar 10, 2010 at 09:45, John Posner <jjposner at optimum.net> wrote:
> [ cross-posting to edu-sig ]
>
> Bruno (and anyone else interested) --
>
> As I promised/threatened, here's the *start* of a write-up on properties,
> aimed at non-advanced Python programmers:
>
> ?http://www.jjposner.net/media/python-properties-0310.pdf
>
> I'm interested in corrections, of course. But I'm also interested in
> opinions as to whether this somewhat lengthy treatment is worth the effort
> -- does it improve on existing write-ups?

I find that it will explain things to those who already understand
most of the concepts. However, I felt as though I were being led
through a maze without knowing where we were headed. This suggests
that the concepts can be re-ordered in a manner that will help your
readers more, and then we can refactor further. (Yes, you can apply
Extreme Programming concepts to create Extreme Documentation,
including consultations with users, pair or group writing, frequent
refactoring, and more, as at FLOSSManuals.net.)

Who is your expected audience?

> Tx,
> John
>
> _______________________________________________
> Edu-sig mailing list
> Edu-sig at python.org
> http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/edu-sig
>



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

From kirby.urner at gmail.com  Thu Mar 11 01:12:06 2010
From: kirby.urner at gmail.com (kirby urner)
Date: Wed, 10 Mar 2010 16:12:06 -0800
Subject: [Edu-sig] TurtleArt, Etoys, Scratch, GameMaker
In-Reply-To: <op.u9bd9qzh0gup8g@daniel-pc>
References: <op.u9bd9qzh0gup8g@daniel-pc>
Message-ID: <f604188c1003101612w16aa3eaau7427ed604780ced1@mail.gmail.com>

On Tue, Mar 9, 2010 at 11:11 AM, Daniel Ajoy <da.ajoy at gmail.com> wrote:
> Comparison between TurtleArt, Etoys, Scratch, and GameMaker, on how they represent basic math concepts:
>
> * Negative Numbers (the number line)
> * Equality
> * Assignment
> * Binary arithmetic operator, addition
> * Decimal Numbers
>
> http://tonyforster.blogspot.com/2010/03/programming-and-mathematics.html
>

Thanks for posting to edu-sig Daniel.

We could use a lot more of this kind of literature.  This guy in
Austrailia is lightyears ahead of most bloggers I've read.  I note
MariaD has already posted her appreciative comments.

That's Maria Droujkova, salonstress for our Elluminate session the
other evening, twixt the functional programmers and a couple
imperative types.

http://mybizmo.blogspot.com/2010/02/learning-on-line.html

( Maria reminds me of Romany Marie, Queen of Greenwich Village:

http://coffeeshopsnet.blogspot.com/2009/03/serving-buzz.html  )

On the topic of turtles, I'm using them to draw plane-nets in this post:

http://mathforum.org/kb/message.jspa?messageID=7007687&tstart=0

They also come forward as illustrative of the object (instance) versus
type distinction, which is just a hair's breadth different from the
old philosophical distinction between ideal forms and their temporal
expression.**

If you scan the above post to math-teach, you'll see this passage,
especially apropos to threads here on edu-sig:

"""
> [b] Note that [2] is a discrete concept more or less, [3] is continuous MOL.
>

OK to play it this way. Length may be developed more discretely
if we need to. The literal pixels and voxels are discrete. Digital
computers, implementing these turtles, use discrete math.

This was one of my beefs with calling it Discrete Math instead
of Digital Math originally (talking about Track 2): they might
keep us from working with polyhedra if we called it discrete,
because polyhedra used to be considered "perfectly continuous
solids".

Giving them a purely digital treatment, on the other hand, such
as by rendering them with a ray tracer (POV-Ray), would not
bring us into conflict with those protecting Discrete Math from
"alien" topics. Digital Math would embrace Polyhedra.

As it turns out, you're able to get Polyhedra into discrete math
via graph theory (polyhedra (as wireframes) are simply graphs).
Litvins Math for the Digital Age has V + F == E + 2 in one
section, though most of its graphs are planar, like plane-nets.

In other words, my fears we're ill-founded and we'll be able
to make do with a Discrete Math labeling for Track 2. YMMV.
"""

Autobio:

For those of you just joining us, I'm a long-time activist on edu-sig
with my own quirky agenda:

0. to advance more computer programming in the context of high school
math learning especially (I used to be a high school math teacher,
after working under Dr. Rorty on the Wittgenstein stuff (he coined the
term "linguistic turn"), later at McGraw-Hill in computer literacy,
more recently a trainer with Saturday Academy (saturdayacademy.org),
attending that luncheon tomorrow @ Oregon Zoo (no kidding));

1. to advance a streamlining approach to polyhedra based on what I
sometimes call "tetrahedral mensuration" inheriting from the work of
an American Transcendentalist philosopher some of you may have heard
of, but thought he was an architect.  To this end, I've been using
Python + VPython, and Python + Povray especially.

I've been a controversial figure in the Python community, consider
myself lucky and privileged to be with PSF.  Chairman Steve and I did
some great work during Pycon 2009, however I missed Pycon 2010
entirely, needing to mind the fort in my zip code area (97214).  My
company, 4D Solutions, sponsors the Oregon Curriculum Network, which
has championed Python for some decades.  Check:
http://www.4dsolutions.net/ocn/cp4e.html



Kirby


> _______________________________________________
> Edu-sig mailing list
> Edu-sig at python.org
> http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/edu-sig
>

**  Do I think the object oriented shoptalk "just happens" to sound
philosophical by accident?  Does anyone I wonder?

On the contrary, isn't it obvious that OO was deeply embedded in
ordinary language to begin with?  We already think in terms of
"things" with behaviors and attributes.  We already think in terms of
the generic dog or horse (as a concept), versus the individual
manifestations of this animal, each in its own time and place.

Since the so-called "linguistic turn" in philosophy, we're respectful
of the "ordinary language" roots of anything -- a pretty radical
change from the old days, when "meta-physicians" ruled the roost.

( I should reintroduce myself as some guy who studied Wittgenstein's
stuff at Princeton.  Gregor, our resident turtle-meister (Standard
Library) has sent me some links about that, such as to pictures of the
house Wittgenstein designed in Vienna, for his sister I think it was.
Very austere and simple, not unlike his writing in some ways. )

From macquigg at ece.arizona.edu  Sat Mar 13 01:42:42 2010
From: macquigg at ece.arizona.edu (David MacQuigg)
Date: Fri, 12 Mar 2010 17:42:42 -0700
Subject: [Edu-sig] PyKata ready
Message-ID: <4B9ADF82.4030108@ece.arizona.edu>

In the open-source spirit of "release early", PyKata is now ready!!  The 
website development will be finished ... real soon :>)  Anyone who would 
like to contribute an exercise is now welcome.  If you contributed to 
the old PyWhip website, you might want to copy your contribution over to 
PyKata.  (Sorry we couldn't do this with Google App Engine.  Looks like 
they are rushing ahead with new features for end users, and leaving us 
developers with a few headaches - like not being able to rename a 
project, or even clone an old one to the new name!!)  That said, I am 
very pleased with App Engine.  This is the infrastructure we need when 
we get to thousands of users.

I've uploaded a draft of a new help file - bitsNbytes.py (at 
http://pykata.appspot.com/help).  This topic is not the most important 
right now (we should be filling in the basic topics first), but I'm 
working with a class in cryptography, and we do a lot of bit-level 
manipulations.  What I would like is some comments and suggestions.  The 
examples in this file will be what we expand on with exercises and more 
helpful text.  Have I chosen the right examples?  Do I have the best way 
to do it in each example?  Unlike other areas where we often have a 
clear best choice,  working with bits and bytes in Python seems to have 
a bewildering collection of ways to do it, and not a clear winner.

-- Dave
 
************************************************************     *
* David MacQuigg, PhD    email: macquigg at ece.arizona.edu   *  *
* Research Associate                phone: USA 520-721-4583   *  *  *
* ECE Department, University of Arizona                       *  *  *
*                                 9320 East Mikelyn Lane       * * *
* http://purl.net/macquigg        Tucson, Arizona 85710          *
************************************************************     *


From missive at hotmail.com  Mon Mar 15 00:06:19 2010
From: missive at hotmail.com (Lee Harr)
Date: Mon, 15 Mar 2010 03:36:19 +0430
Subject: [Edu-sig] [ANNC] pynguin-0.4 (python turtle graphics application)
Message-ID: <SNT106-W10175CEB52F64D3CF69EEBB12F0@phx.gbl>


Pynguin is a python-based turtle graphics application.
??? It combines an editor, interactive interpreter, and
??? graphics display area.

It is meant to be an easy environment for introducing
??? some programming concepts to beginning programmers.


http://pynguin.googlecode.com/


This release continues adding basic functionality and
??? refining the interface. If you are interested, please
??? take a look and let me know what you think.


Pynguin is tested with Python 2.6.4 and uses PyQt (4.6)
??? for its GUI elements. Pynguin is released under GPLv3.


Changes in pynguin-0.4:
??? - improved document switcher
??? - added easy 'random' color access
??? - added new commands
??????? - onscreen
??????? - onclick
??????? - stamp
??????? - viewcoords
??? - winding fill now default
??????? - added method to switch between winding/oddeven fill
??? - show file name in window header
??? - more examples
??? - added default values for examples that take parameters
??? - fixed star example for even number of sides
??? - fixed crash when changing to alternate view image
??? - fixed problem running code with blank lines
??? - fixed problem with ctrl key getting stuck on
??? - added bug report option in Help menu
??? - allow keypad Enter same as Return
??? - factored in to multiple files

Changes in pynguin-0.3:
??? - added new commands
??????? - goto
??????? - turnto
??????? - lineto
??????? - distance
??????? - toward
??????? - write
??? - added more examples
??? - fixed problem when changing speed while code is running
??? - editor auto-indent improvement

 		 	   		  
_________________________________________________________________
Hotmail: Powerful Free email with security by Microsoft.
https://signup.live.com/signup.aspx?id=60969

From andre at lessaworld.com  Fri Mar 19 05:28:54 2010
From: andre at lessaworld.com (Andre Lessa)
Date: Fri, 19 Mar 2010 00:28:54 -0400
Subject: [Edu-sig] "Computer Science For Kids" Book Announcement
Message-ID: <a631e7b51003182128n2957bfd3o8401fcb0c16d37e6@mail.gmail.com>

Hey Python Community,

I just self published this brand new book and I'm making its PDF
available for (free) download on my web site.

My goal is to explain some very basic fundamentals of computer science
to kids who are starting to learn about computers at school and/or at
home. For the tiny hints of programming, I referenced Python. If you
(or a kid you know) ends up having access to this book, please send
your feedback (suggestions/corrections) directly to me so I can start
thinking about the next edition and how I can make it even cooler for
kids.

Thanks!
Andre Lessa

You can download the entire book here (no registration required).
"Computer Science For Kids"
http://www.LessaWorld.com/kids/

From echerlin at gmail.com  Sat Mar 20 00:11:15 2010
From: echerlin at gmail.com (Edward Cherlin)
Date: Fri, 19 Mar 2010 19:11:15 -0400
Subject: [Edu-sig] "Computer Science For Kids" Book Announcement
In-Reply-To: <a631e7b51003182128n2957bfd3o8401fcb0c16d37e6@mail.gmail.com>
References: <a631e7b51003182128n2957bfd3o8401fcb0c16d37e6@mail.gmail.com>
Message-ID: <e574f6eb1003191611g65b234cek39da24fb450a1053@mail.gmail.com>

Not bad. There are things we can improve. For example, a variable is
less like a nickname referring to one thing than a pronoun that can
refer to different things each time it is used. I do not have time
today for a complete review, but I would like to do it sometime soon,
in part because I have a different approach to teaching nine-year-olds
Computer Science, and because I am promoting the idea of replacing
printed textbooks with computers (costing less) and free electronic
learning materials. We don't have a good name for them, because they
are based on software such as Turtle Art or Smalltalk, and are clearly
neither texts nor books.

On Fri, Mar 19, 2010 at 00:28, Andre Lessa <andre at lessaworld.com> wrote:
> Hey Python Community,
>
> I just self published this brand new book and I'm making its PDF
> available for (free) download on my web site.
>
> My goal is to explain some very basic fundamentals of computer science
> to kids who are starting to learn about computers at school and/or at
> home. For the tiny hints of programming, I referenced Python. If you
> (or a kid you know) ends up having access to this book, please send
> your feedback (suggestions/corrections) directly to me so I can start
> thinking about the next edition and how I can make it even cooler for
> kids.
>
> Thanks!
> Andre Lessa
>
> You can download the entire book here (no registration required).
> "Computer Science For Kids"
> http://www.LessaWorld.com/kids/
> _______________________________________________
> Edu-sig mailing list
> Edu-sig at python.org
> http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/edu-sig
>



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

From john.graves at aut.ac.nz  Sun Mar 21 02:31:56 2010
From: john.graves at aut.ac.nz (John Graves)
Date: Sun, 21 Mar 2010 14:31:56 +1300
Subject: [Edu-sig] Voice-and-vision enabled open source educational
	software	 project in Python
Message-ID: <4BA62DDD020000E900011F2D@smtpdom.aut.ac.nz>

Progress on the Open Allure project

http://openallureds.org

has led to demonstrated capabilities relating to voice recognition 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tfKTk6rgWsA

(and, more broadly, "gesture" or touchless pointing at http://bit.ly/openallure )

which suggest the potential for this type of system to become a viable and successful platform for collaborative development of intelligent interactive tutors which talk, watch, listen and respond in pedagogically meaningful ways on a wide variety of topics.  

The code for Open Allure is open source Python and the current version taps into the pygame, nltk and BeautifulSoup libraries.

Please take a look at the demonstration video(s) and consider, at least, sharing your ideas at 

http://www.allourideas.org/openallure

If you'd like to be kept updated with developments on the project, please subscribe to the YouTube channel (above) or the Google discussion list at

http://bit.ly/openalluregg

Your insights and contributions will be much appreciated.

John Graves
john.graves at aut.ac.nz
PhD Student
Auckland University of Technology
New Zealand
 

From lognaturel at gmail.com  Mon Mar 22 00:53:25 2010
From: lognaturel at gmail.com (Helene Martin)
Date: Sun, 21 Mar 2010 16:53:25 -0700
Subject: [Edu-sig] PyKata ready
In-Reply-To: <4B9ADF82.4030108@ece.arizona.edu>
References: <4B9ADF82.4030108@ece.arizona.edu>
Message-ID: <d805c9921003211653t8c3f04wb33cc9f955c061e3@mail.gmail.com>

This is very cool.

Just want to make sure everyone is aware that the service formerly
known as JavaBat is now CodingBat and supports Python:
http://codingbat.com/

That being said, I think PyKata has several very compelling features.
It might be worth seeing if Nick Parlante would consider collaboration
of some sort?

On Fri, Mar 12, 2010 at 4:42 PM, David MacQuigg
<macquigg at ece.arizona.edu> wrote:
> In the open-source spirit of "release early", PyKata is now ready!! ?The
> website development will be finished ... real soon :>) ?Anyone who would
> like to contribute an exercise is now welcome. ?If you contributed to the
> old PyWhip website, you might want to copy your contribution over to PyKata.
> ?(Sorry we couldn't do this with Google App Engine. ?Looks like they are
> rushing ahead with new features for end users, and leaving us developers
> with a few headaches - like not being able to rename a project, or even
> clone an old one to the new name!!) ?That said, I am very pleased with App
> Engine. ?This is the infrastructure we need when we get to thousands of
> users.
>
> I've uploaded a draft of a new help file - bitsNbytes.py (at
> http://pykata.appspot.com/help). ?This topic is not the most important right
> now (we should be filling in the basic topics first), but I'm working with a
> class in cryptography, and we do a lot of bit-level manipulations. ?What I
> would like is some comments and suggestions. ?The examples in this file will
> be what we expand on with exercises and more helpful text. ?Have I chosen
> the right examples? ?Do I have the best way to do it in each example?
> ?Unlike other areas where we often have a clear best choice, ?working with
> bits and bytes in Python seems to have a bewildering collection of ways to
> do it, and not a clear winner.
>
> -- Dave
>
> ************************************************************ ? ? *
> * David MacQuigg, PhD ? ?email: macquigg at ece.arizona.edu ? * ?*
> * Research Associate ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?phone: USA 520-721-4583 ? * ?* ?*
> * ECE Department, University of Arizona ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? * ?* ?*
> * ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? 9320 East Mikelyn Lane ? ? ? * * *
> * http://purl.net/macquigg ? ? ? ?Tucson, Arizona 85710 ? ? ? ? ?*
> ************************************************************ ? ? *
>
> _______________________________________________
> Edu-sig mailing list
> Edu-sig at python.org
> http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/edu-sig
>

From punch at cse.msu.edu  Tue Mar 23 15:29:07 2010
From: punch at cse.msu.edu (Bill Punch)
Date: Tue, 23 Mar 2010 10:29:07 -0400
Subject: [Edu-sig] Python projects for CS1
Message-ID: <4BA8D033.4010905@cse.msu.edu>

Given all the discussion about exercises, we though we'd throw in some 
of the work we've done. MSU has taught its CS1 course in Python since 
the Fall of 2007. Each semester we have the students complete 11 
programming projects (as homework). The homeworks start out easy and 
work their way up. Each project focuses on a particular topic i.e., 
strings, working with files, dictionaries etc.

We've collected those projects on a webpage. Each project has some 
supporting material and a solution. However, at the moment the solution 
is not shown. We are working on that.

Some of the projects ended up in the book we recently published 
("Practice of Computing Using Python", Punch, Enbody) but there are over 
58 listed here (and more coming) so there is a lot more listed on the 
web page

http://www.cse.msu.edu/~cse231/PracticeOfComputingUsingPython/index.php

If you have any comments, we'd love to hear them.

-- 


        >>>bill<<<

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From macquigg at ece.arizona.edu  Tue Mar 23 16:17:38 2010
From: macquigg at ece.arizona.edu (David MacQuigg)
Date: Tue, 23 Mar 2010 08:17:38 -0700
Subject: [Edu-sig] Python projects for CS1
In-Reply-To: <4BA8D033.4010905@cse.msu.edu>
References: <4BA8D033.4010905@cse.msu.edu>
Message-ID: <4BA8DB92.70309@ece.arizona.edu>

Hello Bill,

Your contributions of exercises for PyKata are welcome.  At the moment, 
we are classifying exercises with simple keywords: (lists, strings, 
logic) etc.   Later we plan to have the website customizable for 
teachers like yourself who have not just a few exercises, but an entire 
course optimized for a particular group of students.  When a student 
visits pykata.org/~punch, they will see just the problems you have selected.

Looks like we are getting good response to Andy's solicitation for a 
Google Summer of Code project finishing our website development.  I'm 
confident we will have this website fully developed by the end of the 
summer.  Our key advantage is open-source teamwork.  That should provide 
us with plenty of content, covering every educational need from junior 
high to graduate classes in engineering.

-- Dave

************************************************************     *
* David MacQuigg, PhD    email: macquigg at ece.arizona.edu   *  *
* Research Associate                phone: USA 520-721-4583   *  *  *
* ECE Department, University of Arizona                       *  *  *
*                                 9320 East Mikelyn Lane       * * *
* http://purl.net/macquigg        Tucson, Arizona 85710          *
************************************************************     *




Bill Punch wrote:
> Given all the discussion about exercises, we though we'd throw in some 
> of the work we've done. MSU has taught its CS1 course in Python since 
> the Fall of 2007. Each semester we have the students complete 11 
> programming projects (as homework). The homeworks start out easy and 
> work their way up. Each project focuses on a particular topic i.e., 
> strings, working with files, dictionaries etc.
>
> We've collected those projects on a webpage. Each project has some 
> supporting material and a solution. However, at the moment the 
> solution is not shown. We are working on that.
>
> Some of the projects ended up in the book we recently published 
> ("Practice of Computing Using Python", Punch, Enbody) but there are 
> over 58 listed here (and more coming) so there is a lot more listed on 
> the web page
>
> http://www.cse.msu.edu/~cse231/PracticeOfComputingUsingPython/index.php
>
> If you have any comments, we'd love to hear them.
> -- 
>
>
>         >>>bill<<<
>
>   
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> _______________________________________________
> Edu-sig mailing list
> Edu-sig at python.org
> http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/edu-sig
>   



From vceder at canterburyschool.org  Tue Mar 23 18:00:48 2010
From: vceder at canterburyschool.org (Vern Ceder)
Date: Tue, 23 Mar 2010 13:00:48 -0400
Subject: [Edu-sig] Python projects for CS1
In-Reply-To: <4BA8D033.4010905@cse.msu.edu>
References: <4BA8D033.4010905@cse.msu.edu>
Message-ID: <4BA8F3C0.3040703@canterburyschool.org>

Bill,

This is a great collection!

I do have one question, one that actually applies to PyKata and 
Codingbat as well... what license governs this material?

Can it be "remixed" and/or republished?

Thanks,
Vern



Bill Punch wrote:
> Given all the discussion about exercises, we though we'd throw in some 
> of the work we've done. MSU has taught its CS1 course in Python since 
> the Fall of 2007. Each semester we have the students complete 11 
> programming projects (as homework). The homeworks start out easy and 
> work their way up. Each project focuses on a particular topic i.e., 
> strings, working with files, dictionaries etc.
> 
> We've collected those projects on a webpage. Each project has some 
> supporting material and a solution. However, at the moment the solution 
> is not shown. We are working on that.
> 
> Some of the projects ended up in the book we recently published 
> ("Practice of Computing Using Python", Punch, Enbody) but there are over 
> 58 listed here (and more coming) so there is a lot more listed on the 
> web page
> 
> http://www.cse.msu.edu/~cse231/PracticeOfComputingUsingPython/index.php
> 
> If you have any comments, we'd love to hear them.
> 
> -- 
> 
> 
>         >>>bill<<<
> 
> 
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
> 
> _______________________________________________
> Edu-sig mailing list
> Edu-sig at python.org
> http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/edu-sig

-- 
This time for sure!
    -Bullwinkle J. Moose
-----------------------------
Vern Ceder, Director of Technology
Canterbury School, 3210 Smith Road, Ft Wayne, IN 46804
vceder at canterburyschool.org; 260-436-0746; FAX: 260-436-5137

The Quick Python Book, 2nd Ed - http://bit.ly/bRsWDW

From punch at cse.msu.edu  Tue Mar 23 18:17:47 2010
From: punch at cse.msu.edu (Bill Punch)
Date: Tue, 23 Mar 2010 13:17:47 -0400
Subject: [Edu-sig] Python projects for CS1
In-Reply-To: <4BA8F3C0.3040703@canterburyschool.org>
References: <4BA8D033.4010905@cse.msu.edu>
	<4BA8F3C0.3040703@canterburyschool.org>
Message-ID: <4BA8F7BB.9010009@cse.msu.edu>

You know, that is a great question (and one we forgot to address). We 
just added a Creative Commons license to the bottom (share and  share 
alike). That seems like what we were shooting for.

Thanks Vern.

        >>>bill<<<



Vern Ceder wrote:
> Bill,
>
> This is a great collection!
>
> I do have one question, one that actually applies to PyKata and 
> Codingbat as well... what license governs this material?
>
> Can it be "remixed" and/or republished?
>
> Thanks,
> Vern
>
>
>
> Bill Punch wrote:
>> Given all the discussion about exercises, we though we'd throw in 
>> some of the work we've done. MSU has taught its CS1 course in Python 
>> since the Fall of 2007. Each semester we have the students complete 
>> 11 programming projects (as homework). The homeworks start out easy 
>> and work their way up. Each project focuses on a particular topic 
>> i.e., strings, working with files, dictionaries etc.
>>
>> We've collected those projects on a webpage. Each project has some 
>> supporting material and a solution. However, at the moment the 
>> solution is not shown. We are working on that.
>>
>> Some of the projects ended up in the book we recently published 
>> ("Practice of Computing Using Python", Punch, Enbody) but there are 
>> over 58 listed here (and more coming) so there is a lot more listed 
>> on the web page
>>
>> http://www.cse.msu.edu/~cse231/PracticeOfComputingUsingPython/index.php
>>
>> If you have any comments, we'd love to hear them.
>>
>> -- 
>>
>>
>>         >>>bill<<<
>>
>>
>> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> Edu-sig mailing list
>> Edu-sig at python.org
>> http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/edu-sig
>

From vceder at canterburyschool.org  Tue Mar 23 18:52:40 2010
From: vceder at canterburyschool.org (Vern Ceder)
Date: Tue, 23 Mar 2010 13:52:40 -0400
Subject: [Edu-sig] Python projects for CS1
In-Reply-To: <4BA8F7BB.9010009@cse.msu.edu>
References: <4BA8D033.4010905@cse.msu.edu>
	<4BA8F3C0.3040703@canterburyschool.org>
	<4BA8F7BB.9010009@cse.msu.edu>
Message-ID: <4BA8FFE8.2000009@canterburyschool.org>

Thanks addressing that so quickly, Bill.

Now IMHO it's an even better collection! :)

Cheers,
Vern

Bill Punch wrote:
> You know, that is a great question (and one we forgot to address). We 
> just added a Creative Commons license to the bottom (share and  share 
> alike). That seems like what we were shooting for.
> 
> Thanks Vern.
> 
>        >>>bill<<<
> 
> 
> 
> Vern Ceder wrote:
>> Bill,
>>
>> This is a great collection!
>>
>> I do have one question, one that actually applies to PyKata and 
>> Codingbat as well... what license governs this material?
>>
>> Can it be "remixed" and/or republished?
>>
>> Thanks,
>> Vern
>>
>>
>>
>> Bill Punch wrote:
>>> Given all the discussion about exercises, we though we'd throw in 
>>> some of the work we've done. MSU has taught its CS1 course in Python 
>>> since the Fall of 2007. Each semester we have the students complete 
>>> 11 programming projects (as homework). The homeworks start out easy 
>>> and work their way up. Each project focuses on a particular topic 
>>> i.e., strings, working with files, dictionaries etc.
>>>
>>> We've collected those projects on a webpage. Each project has some 
>>> supporting material and a solution. However, at the moment the 
>>> solution is not shown. We are working on that.
>>>
>>> Some of the projects ended up in the book we recently published 
>>> ("Practice of Computing Using Python", Punch, Enbody) but there are 
>>> over 58 listed here (and more coming) so there is a lot more listed 
>>> on the web page
>>>
>>> http://www.cse.msu.edu/~cse231/PracticeOfComputingUsingPython/index.php
>>>
>>> If you have any comments, we'd love to hear them.
>>>
>>> -- 
>>>
>>>
>>>         >>>bill<<<
>>>
>>>
>>> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>>
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> Edu-sig mailing list
>>> Edu-sig at python.org
>>> http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/edu-sig
>>

-- 
This time for sure!
    -Bullwinkle J. Moose
-----------------------------
Vern Ceder, Director of Technology
Canterbury School, 3210 Smith Road, Ft Wayne, IN 46804
vceder at canterburyschool.org; 260-436-0746; FAX: 260-436-5137

The Quick Python Book, 2nd Ed - http://bit.ly/bRsWDW

From edu-sig at asheesh.org  Tue Mar 23 22:26:14 2010
From: edu-sig at asheesh.org (Asheesh Laroia)
Date: Tue, 23 Mar 2010 17:26:14 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: [Edu-sig] "Computer Science For Kids" Book Announcement
In-Reply-To: <a631e7b51003182128n2957bfd3o8401fcb0c16d37e6@mail.gmail.com>
References: <a631e7b51003182128n2957bfd3o8401fcb0c16d37e6@mail.gmail.com>
Message-ID: <alpine.DEB.2.00.1003231725210.17797@rose.makesad.us>

On Fri, 19 Mar 2010, Andre Lessa wrote:

> Hey Python Community,
>
> I just self published this brand new book and I'm making its PDF
> available for (free) download on my web site.
>
> My goal is to explain some very basic fundamentals of computer science
> to kids who are starting to learn about computers at school and/or at
> home. For the tiny hints of programming, I referenced Python. If you
> (or a kid you know) ends up having access to this book, please send
> your feedback (suggestions/corrections) directly to me so I can start
> thinking about the next edition and how I can make it even cooler for
> kids.

I found your math examples confusing. Is it the basketballs or the 
*number* of them that we're comparing in 
http://www.lessaworld.com/kids/csfk-page13.png ?

I hope that you do some real kid testing and get their feedback!

-- Asheesh.

-- 
You are deeply attached to your friends and acquaintances.

From philhwagner at gmail.com  Tue Mar 23 22:50:32 2010
From: philhwagner at gmail.com (Phil Wagner)
Date: Tue, 23 Mar 2010 14:50:32 -0700
Subject: [Edu-sig] Python projects for CS1
Message-ID: <fdb902bc1003231450w732ff474n6f14c6768e9bc330@mail.gmail.com>

This is so perfect for what I am trying to do in my math class. I also
appreciate the format. It is very clear and should be perfect for students.

Thank you so much for sharing!

Phil

-- 
http://www.google.com/profiles/philhwagner
http://staff.hthcv.hightechhigh.org/~pwagner/ (My Digital Portfolio)
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From kirby.urner at gmail.com  Wed Mar 24 01:58:04 2010
From: kirby.urner at gmail.com (kirby urner)
Date: Tue, 23 Mar 2010 17:58:04 -0700
Subject: [Edu-sig] Python projects for CS1
In-Reply-To: <4BA8D033.4010905@cse.msu.edu>
References: <4BA8D033.4010905@cse.msu.edu>
Message-ID: <f604188c1003231758h7ff55abfn75c1250d9d29ef2a@mail.gmail.com>

On Tue, Mar 23, 2010 at 7:29 AM, Bill Punch <punch at cse.msu.edu> wrote:

<< snip >>

> If you have any comments, we'd love to hear them.
>


Hi Bill --

I enjoyed poking through some of these, reminiscent of some of the
SuperQuest challenges for Oregon's annual software competition,
high school students working in teams, with a language of their
choice, to come up with a working solution in a time race.

I like how you cover a lot of territory.  Just looking at your page
reassures a student that computer programs are ubiquitous i.e.
in all walks a life (or a lot of 'em).  Teachers should feel heartened
as well, especially math teachers, seeking new relevance
amidst real world topics, like strangers in a strange land
(some of them).

I'm wondering if you sometimes revisit the same problem suggesting
different strategies for solution, perhaps after students have struggled
and turned in some work.  The same problem tackled multiple times
may help boost student self-confidence, as they perceive how their
powers are growing (like working out in a gym, lifting that same stack
more easily).

For example, the Caesar Code stuff is pretty interesting, as a generic
introduction to permutations, wherein rotations might be "multiplied".
You've got finite groups going here -- a topic I try to import from the
college math world, much of which hides behind "calculus mountain",
a killer peak most have to climb before they're even told "abstract
algebra" exists.  Yet so much fun could be had, so much cavorting,
if we could just play with "math objects" that play in groups.

http://www.4dsolutions.net/ocn/flash/group.html  (annoying noise!)

Another definition of a Caesar Code (Nero Code?  Hadrian Code?)
allows these codes to be completely random, though still one-to-one
of course, and includes the space character as another one to
encode, makes it all seem the more cryptic cuz of the wrecked
word boundaries.

So what if a student hasn't used dictionaries yet, or has only just
discovered them, and sticks with indexed strings, as your hints
suggest.  Coming back to the same problem later, newly armed
with a dictionary, list comprehensions, maybe the whole exercise
seems easier and more concise?  Don't wanna get *too* concise.

Example

IDLE 2.6.4

>>> from string import lowercase as lowers; from random import shuffle

Get lowercase a-z plus space character

>>> thechars = lowers[:26]+" "

>>> def makekey(instring):
	thecopy = list(instring)
	shuffle(thecopy)
	return dict(zip(list(instring), thecopy))

Build the secret key with thechars, get back a dictionary:

>>> coding = makekey(thechars)

>>> coding
{' ': 'g', 'a': 'x', 'c': 'w', 'b': 'c', 'e': 't', 'd': 'n', 'g': 'h',
'f': 'm', 'i': 'j', 'h': 'k', 'k': 'a', 'j': 'o', 'm': 's', 'l': 'u',
'o': 'p', 'n': 'l', 'q': 'y', 'p': 'z', 's': 'f', 'r': 'b', 'u': 'q',
't': 'i', 'w': 'e', 'v': ' ', 'y': 'r', 'x': 'd', 'z': 'v'}

Define encoding and decoding functions, then test them.  Pass through
any letters not in the key:

>>> def encode(phrase, secretkey):
	output = ''
	for char in phrase:
		output += secretkey.get(char, char)
	return output

>>> def decode(phrase, secretkey):
	output = ""
	reverselookup = dict((value, key) for key,value in secretkey.items())
	for char in phrase:
		output += reverselookup.get(char, char)
	return output

>>> p = "Able was I ere I saw Elba"

>>> e = encode(p, coding)
>>> e
'AejlgfwtgIglclgIgtwfgEjew'

>>> decode(e, coding)
'Able was I ere I say Elba'

My propensity, coming from a math teaching perspective, is to look
at a Python module as a "fish tank" with multiple mouths to feed,
i.e. I like to publish a simple API and feed arguments to functions
(other denizens) directly, sans raw_input prompts.

This more directly corresponds to the idea of a grab bag of tools,
a library, whereas a raw_input cycle more corresponds to polling
in a GUI, staying alert for user inputs.

Both modalities make a lot of sense, so I'm not saying I wouldn't
go with raw_input sometimes -- I know students like being prompted,
even by their own code.

Sometimes I even use text menus with switching. :)
http://www.4dsolutions.net/ocn/pymath.html  (example at the end).

Didn't see whether some of your challenges drop the raw_input
to seem more like libraries, or whether you ask for a menu.  Another
thing is to ask for command line arguments and use sys.args
-- so much fun, we might have, eh?

Anyway, we're all aware of these possibilities -- just thought I'd
remind myself of some of them.

Again:  reassuring to see the broad-based examples.

Hitting the same challenge multiple times, but with new tools
and/or concepts each time, is what many teachers call
"spiraling" as you likely know.

Pre-written code may be called "scaffolding" if you wanna
sound like you know the shoptalk.

In the high school math teaching world, John Saxon is often
cited for making especially strategic use of "spiraling"
although his detractors would consider this unmerited
crediting of an interloper (something of a maverick that
guy -- never met him).

I mention all this by way of background, in that I cite him
in my Notes for Teachers for Pycon 2009 re spiraling FYI:

http://www.4dsolutions.net/presentations/py4t_notes.pdf

On another note, thanks to Edward Cherlin (and Maria too)
for jumping in on math-thinking-l this month.  That's a
functional programmers' hangout and any incursion of
"imperative programmers" tends to generate some ire
-- kinda like West Side Story?  In the old days, we'd
find some eligible prince or princess to marry into the
Great Lambda tribe (as in lambda calculus).

I've been bugging philosophers to devote some bandwidth
to this feuding but they're busy with paper and pencil logic,
can't be bothered with "CS" apparently.

Maybe I'm being overly judgmental, and anyway it's not like
there's anything much at stake.  Or is there? -- math teachers
like Maria get caught in the cross-fire, Gary too for that
matter, though he seems to hold his own.  Maybe the
floodgates would open for more funding of discrete maths
at the high school level, if only the engineers weren't seen
to be fighting amongst themselves so much?  Nothing scares
away wannabe investor-sponsors so much as feuding and
acrimony eh?

Speaking of Gary (Litvin), he got the ball rolling by commenting
on corestandards.org, a K-12 standards-building initiative
purportedly with real state governors on board.  He sees signs
that discrete math topics are losing ground, not gaining it.
But that's perhaps more testament to an unimaginative
and uninformed bureaucracy that has yet to achieve
a strangle-hold?  One may fondly so hope I suppose. Over
on math-teach, I mention that our Pauling Center has not
been consulted, and we're at the epicenter (evidence that
these bureaucrats have gone way out on a limb?).

http://mathforum.org/kb/message.jspa?messageID=7013136&tstart=0

See math-thinking-l archives if wanting more substance
behind these ramblings (wanderings).

Bill, if you're still with me, I look forward to poking around
in more of your exercises and may well have more to say,
hope OK.

Kirby

From echerlin at gmail.com  Wed Mar 24 02:12:31 2010
From: echerlin at gmail.com (Edward Cherlin)
Date: Tue, 23 Mar 2010 21:12:31 -0400
Subject: [Edu-sig] Python projects for CS1
In-Reply-To: <f604188c1003231758h7ff55abfn75c1250d9d29ef2a@mail.gmail.com>
References: <4BA8D033.4010905@cse.msu.edu>
	<f604188c1003231758h7ff55abfn75c1250d9d29ef2a@mail.gmail.com>
Message-ID: <e574f6eb1003231812r2145eb0cke079a58d42455c47@mail.gmail.com>

See also Mr. Babbage's Secret: The Tale of a Cipher--and APL.
Step-by-step through all of the kinds of cipher that Charles Babbage
found in the agony column (Personals) in The Times, and a legal case
where he testified about a cipher he cracked.

On Tue, Mar 23, 2010 at 20:58, kirby urner <kirby.urner at gmail.com> wrote:
> On Tue, Mar 23, 2010 at 7:29 AM, Bill Punch <punch at cse.msu.edu> wrote:
>
> << snip >>
>
>> If you have any comments, we'd love to hear them.
>>
>
>
> Hi Bill --
>
> I enjoyed poking through some of these, reminiscent of some of the
> SuperQuest challenges for Oregon's annual software competition,
> high school students working in teams, with a language of their
> choice, to come up with a working solution in a time race.
>
> I like how you cover a lot of territory. ?Just looking at your page
> reassures a student that computer programs are ubiquitous i.e.
> in all walks a life (or a lot of 'em). ?Teachers should feel heartened
> as well, especially math teachers, seeking new relevance
> amidst real world topics, like strangers in a strange land
> (some of them).
>
> I'm wondering if you sometimes revisit the same problem suggesting
> different strategies for solution, perhaps after students have struggled
> and turned in some work. ?The same problem tackled multiple times
> may help boost student self-confidence, as they perceive how their
> powers are growing (like working out in a gym, lifting that same stack
> more easily).
>
> For example, the Caesar Code stuff is pretty interesting, as a generic
> introduction to permutations, wherein rotations might be "multiplied".
> You've got finite groups going here -- a topic I try to import from the
> college math world, much of which hides behind "calculus mountain",
> a killer peak most have to climb before they're even told "abstract
> algebra" exists. ?Yet so much fun could be had, so much cavorting,
> if we could just play with "math objects" that play in groups.
>
> http://www.4dsolutions.net/ocn/flash/group.html ?(annoying noise!)
>
> Another definition of a Caesar Code (Nero Code? ?Hadrian Code?)
> allows these codes to be completely random, though still one-to-one
> of course, and includes the space character as another one to
> encode, makes it all seem the more cryptic cuz of the wrecked
> word boundaries.
>
> So what if a student hasn't used dictionaries yet, or has only just
> discovered them, and sticks with indexed strings, as your hints
> suggest. ?Coming back to the same problem later, newly armed
> with a dictionary, list comprehensions, maybe the whole exercise
> seems easier and more concise? ?Don't wanna get *too* concise.
>
> Example
>
> IDLE 2.6.4
>
>>>> from string import lowercase as lowers; from random import shuffle
>
> Get lowercase a-z plus space character
>
>>>> thechars = lowers[:26]+" "
>
>>>> def makekey(instring):
> ? ? ? ?thecopy = list(instring)
> ? ? ? ?shuffle(thecopy)
> ? ? ? ?return dict(zip(list(instring), thecopy))
>
> Build the secret key with thechars, get back a dictionary:
>
>>>> coding = makekey(thechars)
>
>>>> coding
> {' ': 'g', 'a': 'x', 'c': 'w', 'b': 'c', 'e': 't', 'd': 'n', 'g': 'h',
> 'f': 'm', 'i': 'j', 'h': 'k', 'k': 'a', 'j': 'o', 'm': 's', 'l': 'u',
> 'o': 'p', 'n': 'l', 'q': 'y', 'p': 'z', 's': 'f', 'r': 'b', 'u': 'q',
> 't': 'i', 'w': 'e', 'v': ' ', 'y': 'r', 'x': 'd', 'z': 'v'}
>
> Define encoding and decoding functions, then test them. ?Pass through
> any letters not in the key:
>
>>>> def encode(phrase, secretkey):
> ? ? ? ?output = ''
> ? ? ? ?for char in phrase:
> ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?output += secretkey.get(char, char)
> ? ? ? ?return output
>
>>>> def decode(phrase, secretkey):
> ? ? ? ?output = ""
> ? ? ? ?reverselookup = dict((value, key) for key,value in secretkey.items())
> ? ? ? ?for char in phrase:
> ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?output += reverselookup.get(char, char)
> ? ? ? ?return output
>
>>>> p = "Able was I ere I saw Elba"
>
>>>> e = encode(p, coding)
>>>> e
> 'AejlgfwtgIglclgIgtwfgEjew'
>
>>>> decode(e, coding)
> 'Able was I ere I say Elba'
>
> My propensity, coming from a math teaching perspective, is to look
> at a Python module as a "fish tank" with multiple mouths to feed,
> i.e. I like to publish a simple API and feed arguments to functions
> (other denizens) directly, sans raw_input prompts.
>
> This more directly corresponds to the idea of a grab bag of tools,
> a library, whereas a raw_input cycle more corresponds to polling
> in a GUI, staying alert for user inputs.
>
> Both modalities make a lot of sense, so I'm not saying I wouldn't
> go with raw_input sometimes -- I know students like being prompted,
> even by their own code.
>
> Sometimes I even use text menus with switching. :)
> http://www.4dsolutions.net/ocn/pymath.html ?(example at the end).
>
> Didn't see whether some of your challenges drop the raw_input
> to seem more like libraries, or whether you ask for a menu. ?Another
> thing is to ask for command line arguments and use sys.args
> -- so much fun, we might have, eh?
>
> Anyway, we're all aware of these possibilities -- just thought I'd
> remind myself of some of them.
>
> Again: ?reassuring to see the broad-based examples.
>
> Hitting the same challenge multiple times, but with new tools
> and/or concepts each time, is what many teachers call
> "spiraling" as you likely know.
>
> Pre-written code may be called "scaffolding" if you wanna
> sound like you know the shoptalk.
>
> In the high school math teaching world, John Saxon is often
> cited for making especially strategic use of "spiraling"
> although his detractors would consider this unmerited
> crediting of an interloper (something of a maverick that
> guy -- never met him).
>
> I mention all this by way of background, in that I cite him
> in my Notes for Teachers for Pycon 2009 re spiraling FYI:
>
> http://www.4dsolutions.net/presentations/py4t_notes.pdf
>
> On another note, thanks to Edward Cherlin (and Maria too)
> for jumping in on math-thinking-l this month. ?That's a
> functional programmers' hangout and any incursion of
> "imperative programmers" tends to generate some ire
> -- kinda like West Side Story? ?In the old days, we'd
> find some eligible prince or princess to marry into the
> Great Lambda tribe (as in lambda calculus).
>
> I've been bugging philosophers to devote some bandwidth
> to this feuding but they're busy with paper and pencil logic,
> can't be bothered with "CS" apparently.
>
> Maybe I'm being overly judgmental, and anyway it's not like
> there's anything much at stake. ?Or is there? -- math teachers
> like Maria get caught in the cross-fire, Gary too for that
> matter, though he seems to hold his own. ?Maybe the
> floodgates would open for more funding of discrete maths
> at the high school level, if only the engineers weren't seen
> to be fighting amongst themselves so much? ?Nothing scares
> away wannabe investor-sponsors so much as feuding and
> acrimony eh?
>
> Speaking of Gary (Litvin), he got the ball rolling by commenting
> on corestandards.org, a K-12 standards-building initiative
> purportedly with real state governors on board. ?He sees signs
> that discrete math topics are losing ground, not gaining it.
> But that's perhaps more testament to an unimaginative
> and uninformed bureaucracy that has yet to achieve
> a strangle-hold? ?One may fondly so hope I suppose. Over
> on math-teach, I mention that our Pauling Center has not
> been consulted, and we're at the epicenter (evidence that
> these bureaucrats have gone way out on a limb?).
>
> http://mathforum.org/kb/message.jspa?messageID=7013136&tstart=0
>
> See math-thinking-l archives if wanting more substance
> behind these ramblings (wanderings).
>
> Bill, if you're still with me, I look forward to poking around
> in more of your exercises and may well have more to say,
> hope OK.
>
> Kirby
> _______________________________________________
> Edu-sig mailing list
> Edu-sig at python.org
> http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/edu-sig
>



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

From brookscl at computer.org  Wed Mar 24 03:29:02 2010
From: brookscl at computer.org (Chris Brooks)
Date: Tue, 23 Mar 2010 19:29:02 -0700
Subject: [Edu-sig] "Computer Science For Kids" Book Announcement
In-Reply-To: <a631e7b51003182128n2957bfd3o8401fcb0c16d37e6@mail.gmail.com>
References: <a631e7b51003182128n2957bfd3o8401fcb0c16d37e6@mail.gmail.com>
Message-ID: <ffd3eeb21003231929w52fc703bvcfa150424c7b32b@mail.gmail.com>

Andre,

Thanks for your efforts putting this together.  As the text stands
right now I'd have a hard time recommending it over CS Unplugged
(http://csunplugged.org/).  You are covering very advanced concepts at
times on a single page, and in some cases I would question the value
of learning that concept in an intro text (threads, network ports,
dictionary data structure).  You use exception notation at times
(try/except) that I think would confuse a beginner audience (why not
just build on the if/then concept?).

Most of the teachers I know that would be candidates for this
(elementary / middle school) would have a hard time teaching from the
text and would need quite a bit of supplemental information to
understand the concept being taught.  I would study the level of
detail you see in the (free, creative commons) CS Unplugged modules to
get a sense for how much needs to be explained to get even basic
concepts across.

Thanks for asking,

Chris Brooks

From kirby.urner at gmail.com  Wed Mar 24 21:41:55 2010
From: kirby.urner at gmail.com (kirby urner)
Date: Wed, 24 Mar 2010 13:41:55 -0700
Subject: [Edu-sig] Python projects for CS1
In-Reply-To: <e574f6eb1003231812r2145eb0cke079a58d42455c47@mail.gmail.com>
References: <4BA8D033.4010905@cse.msu.edu>
	<f604188c1003231758h7ff55abfn75c1250d9d29ef2a@mail.gmail.com>
	<e574f6eb1003231812r2145eb0cke079a58d42455c47@mail.gmail.com>
Message-ID: <f604188c1003241341k57003073sde681dd0a1821f04@mail.gmail.com>

<< snip >>

Kirby wrote:

>>>>> p = "Able was I ere I saw Elba"
>>
>>>>> e = encode(p, coding)
>>>>> e
>> 'AejlgfwtgIglclgIgtwfgEjew'
>>
>>>>> decode(e, coding)
>> 'Able was I ere I say Elba'
>>

Kirby replies:

First of all:  Happy Ada Lovelace Day!

Secondly:  Yikes!  I see the typo here (quoted above).

My actual IDLE session had some mistakes so when
I built up this posting, I cut and pasted the working bits,
but then kept this early wrong value for the plaintext p.

When p was enciphered / deciphered, it came back right,
i.e. decode(encode( p )) should be the identity function
for arbitrary p.  However, it started out with this 'say'
mutation, instead of 'saw'.  This is a famous palindrome
by the way, not invented by me, and is put into the mouth
of Napoleon Bonaparte for mnemonic purposes.

Anyway, apologies for my sloppiness to future readers
who might stumble on this post.

Just to expand a bit while I'm at it:

Allowing our permutations to be random instead of rotations
clearly makes this a rather large permutation space, so the
kind of brute force code cracking suggested in the exercise
would be harder.

Were MFTDA (Math for the Digital Age) to morph into a
series, with more time given to many of the topics (in addition
to new topics), then the ramp up to RSA could be more
leisurely and include such as the Caesar Codes in more
detail.

Rotations of polyhedra may be described with such mappings,
with starting / ending points of the vertices.  One might think
of two copies of the same polyhedron superimposed, with the
A of one going to the D of the other upon rotation, other
vertexes moving accordingly.  Permutations give a road map
between the different positions, showing what states are but
one hop away (thinking of hypertoons again -- another thread).

Over on math-teach today, I've drawn an analogy between the
digital divide separating traditional math classes from their
more digital counterparts, and the Berlin Wall.  I claim to be
echoing Ronald Reagan in demanding it be torn down.

http://mathforum.org/kb/message.jspa?messageID=7019256&tstart=0
(rather lengthy, might be called a rant).

I actually think just using Python as a calculator might
can take one a long way.  One might be projecting some
spatial geometric relationship, such as an icosahedron
with faces glued to an enclosing octahedron's, lots of
phi relationships to check.  This is exactly what I was
doing yesterday in fact.

Here's an excerpt from my email outbox:

"""
Meant to include this Python excerpt (back of the napkin check on the
length he claims to find):

>>> from math import sqrt as radical
>>> phi = ( 1 + radical(5))/2.
>>> phi
1.618033988749895
>>> phi / radical(2)
1.1441228056353685
>>> phi / radical(2) + radical(2) / 2
1.851229586821916
>>>

...

http://www.rwgrayprojects.com/synergetics/s09/figs/f87242.html
(18.51... == volume of C. in figure)

That length of the octahedron (icosahedron inside) is 1/10 the volume
of the enclosed icosahedron.  Curious.

Just thought I'd mention, given we're on the topic of the icosahedral
hubs in many versions of Flextegrity.
"""

This might be a signature difference between using
Python in a math class versus a computer science class:
math students may make very light use of Python as
a calculator while focusing a lot of attention on problems
that do NOT require much if any programming to solve.

In other words, math students may often use Python
but do little or no programming with it -- not talking about
no programming in the whole course, just saying a whole
hour might go by where you just run Python as a scratch
pad on the side, have no need to compose or run
programs, other than to import from the occasional
library.

More like Sage in some ways, except we may just
get by with IDLE or something similar.

I underline this difference for the sake of teachers who
cringe at the word "programming".  Some people went
into math teaching precisely because they didn't like
doing that, or just see it as adding a lot of overhead.

BTW, I think 3.1.2 is taken a significant step in its
numeric display habits.  The IEEE floating point
specification is not messed with, but repr has a new
set of conventions.  In general, number formatting is
getting more powerful.

When it comes to bulk data, you start to need more
programming just for file i/o, although even here you
might get away with a lot, especially if the module in
question pre-stores the data.

This is the Rich Data Structure idea I was talking about,
i.e. if you want students to have the lat/long for every
major city on Earth, or to have the Periodic Table of
the Elements as a dictionary of Atom objects (however
designed), then just include the bulk data as a part of
the module, already loaded up into these sophisticated
structures.

Or, if you wanna be more ambitious, include a Reader
for grabbing and loading from raw files, either locally
provided or over the wire (having these in addition to
"ready to use" would be most convenient).

I've got lat / long data for some cities at my web site,
along with a sample "capitals of states" quiz in
MySQL and simple Python.

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

You'll see if you read my rant that I go on about needing
a school server or rack of servers.  High schools may
not as yet have those, an unhappy truth.  Those that
do, though, will have an easy way to build up their
data stores.  Math students will get to study the source
code, help maintain it -- or do we call them computer
science students?  How much does it really matter?
Geometry + Geography = What?  Discrete math?

>> My propensity, coming from a math teaching perspective, is to look
>> at a Python module as a "fish tank" with multiple mouths to feed,
>> i.e. I like to publish a simple API and feed arguments to functions
>> (other denizens) directly, sans raw_input prompts.
>>

Kirby

From chris at seberino.org  Fri Mar 26 03:40:32 2010
From: chris at seberino.org (chris at seberino.org)
Date: Thu, 25 Mar 2010 21:40:32 -0500
Subject: [Edu-sig] Confused how teach geometry and importance of teaching
	geometry in	21st century.
Message-ID: <20100326024032.GA22309@seberino.org>

I'm teaching high school math to homeschoolers and I'm looking for how to make
geometry year meaningful.

I'm having a "crisis of confidence" because from my viewpoint, algebra was 10x
more useful for future math and science work.

The only thing I can remember that was useful from geometry was a few volume
and area formulas.  That can justify maybe a month but not a whole YEAR of
geometry!?!?

cs

P.S. Yes yes I know that geometry is meant to teach logical reasoning.  Maybe
one can get that from chess, debate club and other activities as well if
not better?  People also say geometry is where you learn proofs.  Couldn't
proofs be just as easily emphasized in all the other math classes?

--
_______________________________________

Christian Seberino, Ph.D.
Email: chris at seberino.org
_______________________________________

From jrgray at gmail.com  Fri Mar 26 04:39:08 2010
From: jrgray at gmail.com (Jeremy Gray)
Date: Thu, 25 Mar 2010 23:39:08 -0400
Subject: [Edu-sig] Confused how teach geometry and importance of
	teaching geometry in 21st century.
In-Reply-To: <20100326024032.GA22309@seberino.org>
References: <20100326024032.GA22309@seberino.org>
Message-ID: <844f07dc1003252039u7c1158bbr4447746326266a1c@mail.gmail.com>

well, there's future usefulness and practicality to motivate your
homeschoolers. and there's also in-the-moment fun, beauty, and joy of doing
it. check out Strogatz's recent New York Times column:

"I bet I can guess your favorite math subject in high school.

"It was geometry.

"So many people I?ve met over the years have expressed affection for that
subject.  Arithmetic and algebra ? not many takers there.  But geometry,
well, there?s something about it that brings a twinkle to the eye."
see the full article at
http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/03/14/square-dancing/

beyond being cool, maybe geometry helps develop spatial imagery and
visualization?

--Jeremy


On Thu, Mar 25, 2010 at 10:40 PM, <chris at seberino.org> wrote:

> I'm teaching high school math to homeschoolers and I'm looking for how to
> make
> geometry year meaningful.
>
> I'm having a "crisis of confidence" because from my viewpoint, algebra was
> 10x
> more useful for future math and science work.
>
> The only thing I can remember that was useful from geometry was a few
> volume
> and area formulas.  That can justify maybe a month but not a whole YEAR of
> geometry!?!?
>
> cs
>
> P.S. Yes yes I know that geometry is meant to teach logical reasoning.
>  Maybe
> one can get that from chess, debate club and other activities as well if
> not better?  People also say geometry is where you learn proofs.  Couldn't
> proofs be just as easily emphasized in all the other math classes?
>
> --
> _______________________________________
>
> Christian Seberino, Ph.D.
> Email: chris at seberino.org
> _______________________________________
> _______________________________________________
> Edu-sig mailing list
> Edu-sig at python.org
> http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/edu-sig
>
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From chris at seberino.org  Fri Mar 26 04:54:01 2010
From: chris at seberino.org (chris at seberino.org)
Date: Thu, 25 Mar 2010 22:54:01 -0500
Subject: [Edu-sig] Confused how teach geometry and importance
	of	teaching geometry in 21st century.
In-Reply-To: <844f07dc1003252039u7c1158bbr4447746326266a1c@mail.gmail.com>
References: <20100326024032.GA22309@seberino.org>
	<844f07dc1003252039u7c1158bbr4447746326266a1c@mail.gmail.com>
Message-ID: <20100326035401.GB22398@seberino.org>

On Thu, Mar 25, 2010 at 11:39:08PM -0400, Jeremy Gray wrote:
> well, there's future usefulness and practicality to motivate your
> homeschoolers. and there's also in-the-moment fun, beauty, and joy of doing it.

I'm glad you said that.  I was simultaneously coming to same conclusion.  Still
it is nice to hear it from someone else.  If I tried to "wow" my students and
make the class fun and engaging without trying to be "practical" maybe I'll be
ok.

cs

From kirby.urner at gmail.com  Fri Mar 26 05:17:07 2010
From: kirby.urner at gmail.com (kirby urner)
Date: Thu, 25 Mar 2010 21:17:07 -0700
Subject: [Edu-sig] Confused how teach geometry and importance of
	teaching geometry in 21st century.
In-Reply-To: <20100326024032.GA22309@seberino.org>
References: <20100326024032.GA22309@seberino.org>
Message-ID: <f604188c1003252117w503ed59bs3b80285315d58802@mail.gmail.com>

On Thu, Mar 25, 2010 at 7:40 PM,  <chris at seberino.org> wrote:
> I'm teaching high school math to homeschoolers and I'm looking for how to make
> geometry year meaningful.
>

Most geometry taught in high school is flat, planar.

This is a problem in an age of HDTVs, LCDs.

If you wanna blow some time on a meandering meditation on
just this theme, 'Beyond Flatland', here's something I wrote
last night.  This takes off from a 1997 Math Summit held here
in Oregon, with Keith Devlin, Roger Penrose, Ralph Abraham
and other luminaries.

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/synergeo/message/58095

(maybe just scan the opening paragraphs, then decide
if it grabs ya -- I'm talking to an inner circle, using some
shoptalk, so probably a yawner).

> I'm having a "crisis of confidence" because from my viewpoint, algebra was 10x
> more useful for future math and science work.
>

10th grade geometry distills just some of the Euclidean
stuff.  There's precious little topology, no V + F = E + 2,
no Descartes Deficit, no sphere packing, gnomon studies,
hardly much about polyhedra, their duals, little to nothing
about Phi...

I agree with ya, a big rip off.

Fortunately, the Internet is brimming with cool stuff, so
much to see and do.  Lots of great Java applets, no reason
to avoid them (we're not language bigots).

Geometry in the sense of events in space is about geography,
which (going big) includes astronomy and (going small)
internal organs, cells, molecules down to whatever particles.

In other words, geometry applies to the whole kit 'n kaboodle
so can't be "irrelevant to science" no matter how hard we try.

My advice:  remember to stay spatial, with planar as subset
(special case) of spatial.

Regarding Python in particular, I recommend getting into
VPython.  Also POV-Ray if you have the time, and VRML.
I've got lots of writings on this at my web site, complete
with source.

Recommended:  'The Book of Numbers' by Conway and
Guy.  Lots to program around.

> The only thing I can remember that was useful from geometry was a few volume
> and area formulas. ?That can justify maybe a month but not a whole YEAR of
> geometry!?!?
>
> cs
>

I've spent many years with the Python + Geometry combo.

One pay-off is I generated most of the graphics at my web
sites and am therefore free to upload them to Wikipedia
and Wikieducator, where the authorities tend to be sticklers
about intellectual property.

Given all these cool graphics are mine, mine, mine, I feel at
liberty to spread them.  Thank you Python.  Thank you other
free tools.

> P.S. Yes yes I know that geometry is meant to teach logical reasoning. ?Maybe
> one can get that from chess, debate club and other activities as well if
> not better? ?People also say geometry is where you learn proofs. ?Couldn't
> proofs be just as easily emphasized in all the other math classes?
>

If you're free to work in a home schooling setting, then you
can blend the topics a lot more, as student interest meanders.

'The Geometrical Foundation of Natural Structure: A Source
Book of Design' by Robert Williams would be a good title to
start with.  It's not a textbook.  Dover Press books tend to
be quite affordable though, this one not too hard to obtain.

If you're into lore or stories, which I consider central to any
credible curriculum, then maybe the Siobhan Roberts bio of
Donald Coxeter would be work getting and sharing with
students.

There are some juicy stories in there, gossip about Escher's
son I think it was, trying to break into the radome business...
radomes were those DEW line things across Canada, a
manifestation of the cold war....

Lots more to say, but since this is a topic I've worked on a
lot, I need to hold back, not open the floodgates.  Lots here
in the archive.

Thanks for joining us.

Oh, and if you get the Litvins text, Math for the Digital Age
and Programming in Python, then you'll find stuff on graphs
(in the sense of networks), mostly planar, but it's easy to
turn graphs into polyhedra with the wave of a magic wand.

Turtle Art / Turtle Graphics...

Springie.com.

Darwin @ Home.

Gregor helped me with getting Python turtle to draw the plane-net
for a T-module (back to my shoptalk), 120 of which build a rhombic
triacontahedron (an important shape with thirty 1 x phi diamond
facets).

Per Robert Williams, once you start jamming polyhedra
together, you're into lattices, and that's Linus Pauling style
chemistry, nanotechnology, crystallography -- no shortage
of relevant pages and projects.

Happy camping!

Kirby

> --
> _______________________________________
>
> Christian Seberino, Ph.D.
> Email: chris at seberino.org
> _______________________________________
> _______________________________________________
> Edu-sig mailing list
> Edu-sig at python.org
> http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/edu-sig
>

From bostonvaulter at gmail.com  Fri Mar 26 06:08:21 2010
From: bostonvaulter at gmail.com (Jason Axelson)
Date: Thu, 25 Mar 2010 19:08:21 -1000
Subject: [Edu-sig] Confused how teach geometry and importance of
	teaching geometry in 21st century.
In-Reply-To: <20100326024032.GA22309@seberino.org>
References: <20100326024032.GA22309@seberino.org>
Message-ID: <21810b631003252208p522c3c30s8c2487065001821e@mail.gmail.com>

As a somewhat recent high-school graduate (2005) I must say that I don't
think that all the countless proofs we did in geometry helped my logical
reasoning that much. I think that programming helped that 100x more than
geometry did.

Jason

On Thu, Mar 25, 2010 at 4:40 PM, <chris at seberino.org> wrote:

> I'm teaching high school math to homeschoolers and I'm looking for how to
> make
> geometry year meaningful.
>
> I'm having a "crisis of confidence" because from my viewpoint, algebra was
> 10x
> more useful for future math and science work.
>
> The only thing I can remember that was useful from geometry was a few
> volume
> and area formulas.  That can justify maybe a month but not a whole YEAR of
> geometry!?!?
>
> cs
>
> P.S. Yes yes I know that geometry is meant to teach logical reasoning.
>  Maybe
> one can get that from chess, debate club and other activities as well if
> not better?  People also say geometry is where you learn proofs.  Couldn't
> proofs be just as easily emphasized in all the other math classes?
>
> --
> _______________________________________
>
> Christian Seberino, Ph.D.
> Email: chris at seberino.org
> _______________________________________
> _______________________________________________
> Edu-sig mailing list
> Edu-sig at python.org
> http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/edu-sig
>
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From kirby.urner at gmail.com  Fri Mar 26 06:10:29 2010
From: kirby.urner at gmail.com (kirby urner)
Date: Thu, 25 Mar 2010 22:10:29 -0700
Subject: [Edu-sig] Fwd: course outline (pythonic math)
Message-ID: <f604188c1003252210o77a5aa3ev5f9d18572b97280d@mail.gmail.com>

Here's something I originally posted to another list, but one that
is white-space insensitive.  Hardly a venue for sharing anything
Pythonic.  Anyway, it's relevant here too.

This is more of a sketch than something I've poured over for
hours, just trying to give the gist of a possible Discrete Math
course, one among hundreds or thousands or... not trying
to write "the national standard" (blech).

Kirby

====

DIGITAL MATH:

Cardinality versus Ordinality
  Naming things
     Two different versus two the same
     Of zip codes and phone numbers
  Sorting things
     Equality, greater than, less than
  Hello World!
     A Biotum Class (Python)
     A Snake Class (Python)

Numbers and Bases
  Positional Notation
  Lore:  Algorithms liberate Europe (Liber Abacci)
  Lore:  from ASCII to Unicode
  Decimal versus Hexadecimal
  Volume Bases:  Tetrahedron versus Cube

Functions and Relations (Part 1)
  Lore:  the rise and fall of New Math
  Mappings
    Python's dictionary structure
    Caesar Codes
    Lore:  from secret key to public key crypto
  Inverse Functions
  Injection, Surjection, Bijection
  What's a Relation?

On Growth and Form
  Functions for Gnomon Growth
      Triangular Numbers
          Lore and Proof: Gauss summing 1..100
      Square Numbers
          Proof: Sum of consecutive squares
      Tetrahedral Numbers
      Cubic Numbers
  Lore:  Fibonaccis and Phi
  Generating Fibonaccis
  Generating Polyhedral Numbers
  Generating Pascal's Triangle
      Triangular and Tetrahedral Numbers

Prime and Composite Numbers
    Euclid's Method for GCD
    Primes versus Composites
    Strangers
    Totatives and Totients

Functions and Relations (Part 2)
  Permutations
  Polyhedral Rotations (dice in Casino Math)
  Composition of Functions (a kind of multiplying)

Abstract Algebra I
   Multiplication:  What is it
      Python and "Modulo Numbers"
      Vegetable Group Soup
      Cayley Tables
   Group Properties (CAIN and Abelian)
   Addition:  What is it
   Rings and Fields

Preview of Future Topics
   Supermarket Math
      SQL
      web frameworks
   Neolithic Math
      artifacts and encoded geography
      constellations
   Casino Math
      random number generators (Python)
      Deck and Card classes (Python)
   Martian Math
      Sphere packing and the Octet Truss
      Tetrahedral Accounting
   Pentagon Math
      Lore:  geodesic spheres and domes, radomes
      Phi in Fuller's concentric hierarchy

Notes for Teachers:

Cardinality versus Ordinality --

Before we order or sort, we need to recognize which things or
objects are of which type.  This course uses a type based
mathematical logic known as the Python computer language, so
awareness of types will be front and center from the get go.
Exercises will include querying objects as to their types.

Z-axis (depth dimension):  if you've going through this in
a spiral with plans to go deeper each time, then at some
point your students may want to define their own classes
and implement meanings for __lt__ __gt__ __eq__, Python's
"ribs" (special names) for < , > and == respectively.  However,
this course outline does not make too many assumptions about
which turn of the spiral one is in.  Students will vary, as
will teachers.

Numbers and Bases --

This should feel like fairly easy review.  I recommend playing
Tom Lehrer's 'New Math' from 'That Was the Year that Was' and
making sure students get that it's mathematically correct.  This
is looking ahead to later lore, where we talk about the rise and
fall of New Math.

About Lore:  this curriculum is premised on the notion that
storytelling is integral to passing on a culture, and that too
much time on a technical axis, to the exclusion of narrative
context, is either counter-productive or is an intentionally
applied filter aimed at testing student tolerance for
"in the dark" learning.

Functions and Relations (Part 1) --

A lot of this is standard Algebra 1.  New Math helped writers
formalize their notion of function as distinct from a relation,
using set theoretic constructs.  This may not be the right place
for a Python dictionary on a first pass.  I was getting into
Caesar Codes again recently, relating them to permutations and
polyhedral rotations, and am freshly persuaded this is one of the
better routes to elementary group theory, just ahead.

http://mail.python.org/pipermail/edu-sig/2010-March/009867.html
http://mail.python.org/pipermail/edu-sig/2010-March/009870.html

On Growth and Form --

Here's a way to connect the graphical and lexical without getting
into XYZ coordinates or vectors right off.  Gnomon studies and
sphere packing keep the number sequences connected to the
visualizations.  Influences and valuable resources here would
include 'The Book of Numbers' by Conway and Guy, 'Gnomon' by
Midhat Gazale, and certain passages from 'Synergetics' by R.B. Fuller,
with bolstering writing from H.S.M. Coxeter.

Lore:  getting a sense of Coxeter's outrage on finding nature's
geometry had been patented by Fuller prefigures a generic distrust
of the private ownership paradigm when applied to common natural
heritage.  In some classes, this might lead to a discussion of
the free and open source software movement.  I didn't include that
in this particular segment though, as we're running low on time.
Look in Pentagon Math under Future Topics.

Abstract Algebra I --

Because Python makes our exercises much more concrete and hands
on, especially with scaffolding (pre-written / canned libraries or
modules), it's new feasible to get more abstract.  'Concrete
Mathematics' is an influence ('con' from continuous, 'crete' from
discrete).  With this kind of groundwork in place, it becomes
easier to review topics such as dividing fractions, as we may now
talk about division as "syntactic sugar" for "multiplying by the
multiplicative inverse".  Reviewing such basic concepts as the four
operations with Q (Rational Numbers) would not be out of place in
this segment.

Preview of Future Topics --

If this course or talk was used as a teaser or sampler, then here
would be another chance to look ahead.

I don't have anything on Pentagon Math at the Wikieducator site
(Heuristics for Teachers).  That's because you can easily fold it
in with Neolithic and/or Martian Math.  I split it out here because
I wanted to dig into some of the lore in the Siobhan Roberts bio
of Donald Coxeter.

Remember:  we think lore is very important, as are exercises and
time alone with the Python interpreter (not all programming is
pair programming in these initial stages, nor even later on --
depends on the project).

For further reading:
http://www.4dsolutions.net/presentations/p4t_notes.pdf

Kirby

From mpaul213 at gmail.com  Fri Mar 26 06:23:11 2010
From: mpaul213 at gmail.com (michel paul)
Date: Thu, 25 Mar 2010 22:23:11 -0700
Subject: [Edu-sig] Confused how teach geometry and importance of
	teaching geometry in 21st century.
In-Reply-To: <21810b631003252208p522c3c30s8c2487065001821e@mail.gmail.com>
References: <20100326024032.GA22309@seberino.org>
	<21810b631003252208p522c3c30s8c2487065001821e@mail.gmail.com>
Message-ID: <40ea4eb01003252223w1fe2f36at15ee8727ff66fd6c@mail.gmail.com>

Beautiful!  Thank you for making this statement.  Lots of people making
decisions in education need to hear this.


On Thu, Mar 25, 2010 at 10:08 PM, Jason Axelson <bostonvaulter at gmail.com>wrote:

> As a somewhat recent high-school graduate (2005) I must say that I don't
> think that all the countless proofs we did in geometry helped my logical
> reasoning that much. I think that programming helped that 100x more than
> geometry did.
>
> Jason
>
> On Thu, Mar 25, 2010 at 4:40 PM, <chris at seberino.org> wrote:
>
>> I'm teaching high school math to homeschoolers and I'm looking for how to
>> make
>> geometry year meaningful.
>>
>> I'm having a "crisis of confidence" because from my viewpoint, algebra was
>> 10x
>> more useful for future math and science work.
>>
>> The only thing I can remember that was useful from geometry was a few
>> volume
>> and area formulas.  That can justify maybe a month but not a whole YEAR of
>> geometry!?!?
>>
>> cs
>>
>> P.S. Yes yes I know that geometry is meant to teach logical reasoning.
>>  Maybe
>> one can get that from chess, debate club and other activities as well if
>> not better?  People also say geometry is where you learn proofs.  Couldn't
>> proofs be just as easily emphasized in all the other math classes?
>>
>> --
>> _______________________________________
>>
>> Christian Seberino, Ph.D.
>> Email: chris at seberino.org
>> _______________________________________
>> _______________________________________________
>> Edu-sig mailing list
>> Edu-sig at python.org
>> http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/edu-sig
>>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> Edu-sig mailing list
> Edu-sig at python.org
> http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/edu-sig
>
>


-- 
"Computer science is the new mathematics."

-- Dr. Christos Papadimitriou
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From enbody at cse.msu.edu  Fri Mar 26 15:36:06 2010
From: enbody at cse.msu.edu (Richard Enbody)
Date: Fri, 26 Mar 2010 10:36:06 -0400
Subject: [Edu-sig] Confused how teach geometry and importance of
 teaching geometry in	21st century.
In-Reply-To: <20100326024032.GA22309@seberino.org>
References: <20100326024032.GA22309@seberino.org>
Message-ID: <4BACC656.10400@cse.msu.edu>

Another thing to consider is that there is a lot of different math: 
algebra and geometry are quite different and someone being good at one 
might not be good at the other.  As a former high school math teacher 
and one who saw his kids recently go through high school, I believe that 
many geometry courses these days deemphasize the logical part of 
geometry in favor of a more computational form.  Development of proofs 
is useful for reasoning skills, beyond simple logic.  Finally, geometry 
is useful for learning about the world.  My $0.02

-rich
enbody at cse.msu.edu

chris at seberino.org wrote:
> I'm teaching high school math to homeschoolers and I'm looking for how to make
> geometry year meaningful.
>
> I'm having a "crisis of confidence" because from my viewpoint, algebra was 10x
> more useful for future math and science work.
>
> The only thing I can remember that was useful from geometry was a few volume
> and area formulas.  That can justify maybe a month but not a whole YEAR of
> geometry!?!?
>
> cs
>
> P.S. Yes yes I know that geometry is meant to teach logical reasoning.  Maybe
> one can get that from chess, debate club and other activities as well if
> not better?  People also say geometry is where you learn proofs.  Couldn't
> proofs be just as easily emphasized in all the other math classes?
>
> --
> _______________________________________
>
> Christian Seberino, Ph.D.
> Email: chris at seberino.org
> _______________________________________
> _______________________________________________
> Edu-sig mailing list
> Edu-sig at python.org
> http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/edu-sig
>   

From litvin at skylit.com  Fri Mar 26 16:24:35 2010
From: litvin at skylit.com (Litvin)
Date: Fri, 26 Mar 2010 11:24:35 -0400
Subject: [Edu-sig] Confused how teach geometry and importance of
 teaching geometry in	21st century.
Message-ID: <6.2.1.2.2.20100326112432.03dd7850@mail.skylit.com>

At 10:40 PM 3/25/2010, you wrote:
>I'm teaching high school math to homeschoolers and I'm looking for how to make
>geometry year meaningful.
>
>I'm having a "crisis of confidence" because from my viewpoint, algebra was 10x
>more useful for future math and science work.

The fact that geometry is considered a place to teach formal reasoning (and 
not much more) is peculiar to the math standards in this 
country.  Properties of congruent triangles and other trivial stuff can be 
dispatched with rather quickly (by the end of 6th grade in many 
countries).   I think after that, geometry, more than any other elementary 
math subject, offers opportunities for creative problem solving.  It also 
teaches transformations and symmetry, invariants (loci of points), creative 
straightedge and compass constructions, right triangle trigonometry, 
spacial reasoning, etc.  For a creative exploration approach consider 
http://books.google.com/books?id=tDRJi-qlE18C&printsec=frontcover&dq=%22lines+and+curves%22&source=bl&ots=xPHqn0h_fk&sig=5Ve-5_pEsafkCAcRlDUfYvZFiOU&hl=en&ei=xNCsS6CLKMiVtgfb3KmrDw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CAYQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=&f=false.

Gary Litvin
www.skylit.com


From chris at seberino.org  Fri Mar 26 20:19:44 2010
From: chris at seberino.org (chris at seberino.org)
Date: Fri, 26 Mar 2010 14:19:44 -0500
Subject: [Edu-sig] Confused how teach geometry and importance
	of	teaching geometry in 21st century.
In-Reply-To: <f604188c1003252117w503ed59bs3b80285315d58802@mail.gmail.com>
References: <20100326024032.GA22309@seberino.org>
	<f604188c1003252117w503ed59bs3b80285315d58802@mail.gmail.com>
Message-ID: <20100326191944.GE2106@seberino.org>

On Thu, Mar 25, 2010 at 09:17:07PM -0700, kirby urner wrote:
> Happy camping!

Wow thanks for all the great ideas.  I feel better now.
Have fun.  That is my new key.

cs

From da.ajoy at gmail.com  Sat Mar 27 06:02:41 2010
From: da.ajoy at gmail.com (Daniel Ajoy)
Date: Sat, 27 Mar 2010 00:02:41 -0500
Subject: [Edu-sig] Did you feel learning to program with turtle graphics was
	useful?
Message-ID: <op.u97myrap0gup8g@daniel-pc>

stackoverflow discussion:

http://stackoverflow.com/questions/346061/did-you-feel-learning-to-program-with-turtle-graphics-was-useful


Daniel


From kirby.urner at gmail.com  Sat Mar 27 06:38:18 2010
From: kirby.urner at gmail.com (kirby urner)
Date: Fri, 26 Mar 2010 22:38:18 -0700
Subject: [Edu-sig] about iterators, range, and summing consecutive integers
Message-ID: <f604188c1003262238n3f8fdef5j9d6e1b9c3bbd9f6d@mail.gmail.com>

Here are some looks at summing consecutive integers, ways
to sum 1 + 2 + ... + n in Python:

We start with the closed form, which doesn't actually need
to iterate through intermediate terms, works directly with n,
the last term in the sequence:

>>> def trinumbs(n):
	return n * (n + 1)  // 2

These next two make use of all the intermediate values:

>>> def trinumbs2(n):
	return sum(range(1,n+1))

>>> def trinumbs3(n):
	i = 1
	thesum = 0
	while i <= n:
		thesum = thesum + i
		i += 1
	return thesum

<Lore>

Although all of these give the same answers, between the last two,
the very last one is the most "classic" in terms of what an old time
imperative programmer would expect.  Having a range() function
built right into the language is more APL-like.  Most "classic"
imperative languages such as FORTRAN and PL/1 required the
programmer to do all the incrementing "by hand" (explicitly).

You will find more about the range() function below.

Notice the two ways of incrementing and rebinding.  When
writing thesum = thesum + i, the name 'thesum' is being rebound
to the result of thesum plus whatever value i names.

The equal sign (=) is not used to assert equality but as an
"assignment operator".  Objects have names and the assignment
operator is what binds a name to an object.

i += 1 is a shorter way of saying i = i + 1 and is borrowed from
C / C++, is a much used convention.

</Lore>

Python has very few control statements.  Another way to write the
above would be:

>>> def trinumbs4(n):
	i = 1
	thesum = 0
	for i in range(1, n+1):
		thesum = thesum + i
	return thesum

The keywords 'while' and 'for' are the two main looping constructs.

trinumbs2 is making use of another built-in that directly consumes
the output of range( ), and that is the sum( ) function.

Since range( ) is zero-indexed, and since our tacit understanding
is we're working with "natural" or "counting" numbers starting with 1,
both uses of range (in trinumbs2 and trinumbs4) bump up the
starting and ending parameters.

If you feed only one argument to range, this is mapped to its
ending parameter with the start parameter defaulting to 0.

range ( 10 ) is equivalent to range (start = 0, stop = 10), except
range doesn't take keyword arguments, so you can't actually
get away the the 2nd expression.

Examples:

Only one parameter, so an ending parameter:

>>> list ( range( 10 ))
[0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9]

Two parameters, so a starting and ending parameter:

>>> list ( range(1, 11 ))
[1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10]

Three parameters, so a starting, ending and "increment by"
or "step" parameter:

>>> range(2,31,2)
range(2, 31, 2)
>>> list ( range(2,31,2) )
[2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18, 20, 22, 24, 26, 28, 30]

Yes, you may increment negatively, but then remember not to
make your starting value less than your stopping value:

>>> list ( range(1, 10, -1) )
[]

>>> list ( range(10, 0, -1) )
[10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1]

range(5) returns a "range object" (of type range) which may in turn
be interacted with in various ways:

>>> d = range(5)

>>> d
range(0, 5)

>>> type(d)
<class 'range'>

>>> list(d)
[0, 1, 2, 3, 4]

>>> tuple(d)
(0, 1, 2, 3, 4)

>>> sum(d)
10

How else might we address a Python range object?

With slicing notation:

>>> d[1]
1
>>> d[4]
4

Although it's an iterable (you may iterate over it, using 'for'), d is
not an iterator, meaning it's not supportive of 'next' (as no __next__ rib
internally).

The built-in iter function will trigger an object's internal __iter__ method,
if there is one, and return an iterator prepared to be eaten by next().

>>> next(d)
Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "<pyshell#44>", line 1, in <module>
    next(d)
TypeError: range object is not an iterator

>>> k = iter(d)

>>> next(k)
0
>>> next(k)
1
>>> next(k)
2

>>> d
range(0, 5)

>>> j = iter(d)

>>> next(j)
0

>>> next(k)
3

Notice that k and j above are two separate iterators and
they go through to exhaustion independently of one
another.  Once an iterator has been exhausted, it will
no longer return contents, including in response to
the print function.

>>> theiterator = iter(d)
>>> next(theiterator)
0
>>> next(theiterator)
1
>>> print(theiterator)
<range_iterator object at 0x0114AA28>
>>> print(list(theiterator))
[2, 3, 4]
>>> next(theiterator)
Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "<pyshell#68>", line 1, in <module>
    next(theiterator)
StopIteration

In the above example, d (which is our range object) is
the source of a fresh iterator, theiterator.  After nexting
through two terms, the print function is used.

The first use simply returns the type of the object, not
its contents.  However, by feeding theiterator to the
list function, we cause it to squirt out the rest of its
contents, meaning it is now exhausted.

When theiterator is then fed to the next method, it
raises an exception, a StopIteration.

>>> def test():
	try:
		next(theiterator)
	except StopIteration:
		print("I'm exhausted")

>>> test()
I'm exhausted

Note that the range object is happy to return a "reversed"
iterator, so instead of stepping by -1, you might do something
like:

>>> theiterator = reversed(range(10))
>>> next(theiterator)
9
>>> next(theiterator)
8
>>> for item in theiterator:  print (item, end=" ")

7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0

Here's an author unhappy with Python's iterators.  His
commentators debate him.  You may learn more about
a language by reading the arguments people have
about it.  What's frustrating.  What's considered "a wart".

http://sandersn.com/blog//index.php/2009/06/29/python_s_iterators_are_a_bad_implementat

You might imagine how iterators could contribute to a
programmer's confusion, when trying to debug code.
They're not like collections of static data, are more like
"mortal coils" or one-time-through sequences.  An
iterator passed to a function and partially advanced,
with have been modified "off stage".

>>> theiterator = reversed(range(10))

>>> next(theiterator)
9

This function returns nothing, but has the effect of
advancing the passed in iterator.  The object being
passed in is bound to the name theinput for local
processing, which name goes out of scope when
the function is finished.  However, the object still
persists "on the outside" and has been affected by
what went on in this function.

>>> def squeeze_me( theinput, howmany):
	for i in range( howmany ):
		next( theinput )

		
>>> squeeze_me ( theiterator, 3 )

>>> next(theiterator)
5

<Arcane>

Here's an instructive example of changes to Python's
behavior resulting in new wrinkles:

http://lists.fedoraproject.org/pipermail/devel/2009-September/037966.html

The __length_hint__ attribute (mentioned in the above report)
is one you might use to get a sense of how close your iterator
might be to exhaustion.  When converting an iterator to a list,
this attribute is apparently consulted, which is what was causing
problems in a user-defined class (__get_attr__ had been redefined).
This problem has apparently been resolved in Python 3.x as
I'm getting the expected behavior.

</Arcane>

More dialog with "the snake":

>>> thelist = ['a',1,2,['another','list']]

>>> next(thelist)
Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "<pyshell#55>", line 1, in <module>
    next(thelist)
TypeError: list object is not an iterator

>>> '__iter__' in dir(thelist)
True

>>> theiterator = iter(thelist)

>>> next(theiterator)
'a'

>>> next(theiterator)
1

>>> next(theiterator)
2

>>> next(theiterator)
['another', 'list']

>>> next(theiterator)
Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "<pyshell#62>", line 1, in <module>
    next(theiterator)
StopIteration

>>>

For further reading:
http://worldgame.blogspot.com/2009/11/kicking-can-down-road.html

Kirby

From kirby.urner at gmail.com  Sat Mar 27 06:57:46 2010
From: kirby.urner at gmail.com (kirby urner)
Date: Fri, 26 Mar 2010 22:57:46 -0700
Subject: [Edu-sig] about iterators, range,
	and summing consecutive integers
In-Reply-To: <f604188c1003262238n3f8fdef5j9d6e1b9c3bbd9f6d@mail.gmail.com>
References: <f604188c1003262238n3f8fdef5j9d6e1b9c3bbd9f6d@mail.gmail.com>
Message-ID: <f604188c1003262257s49fd32cfheef4565c2c8373d3@mail.gmail.com>

On Fri, Mar 26, 2010 at 10:38 PM, kirby urner <kirby.urner at gmail.com> wrote:

<< snip >>

> How else might we address a Python range object?
>
> With slicing notation:
>
>>>> d[1]
> 1
>>>> d[4]
> 4
>

Erratum:  no, not with slicing notation, with individual indexes only:

>>> d[2:3]
Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "<pyshell#230>", line 1, in <module>
    d[2:3]
TypeError: sequence index must be integer, not 'slice'
>>>

Apologies.

Thanks for the pointer to an overview of turtle graphics responses Daniel.

I always thought Logo was under-appreciated for what it could do
completely independently of having a turtle.  Your libraries prove that
you really appreciate Logo.

Speaking of turtle art, I found this entertaining session with Alex Martelli
helping out:

http://stackoverflow.com/questions/1452311/turtlegraphics-python-constraining-random-moving-turtle-in-a-circle

Note:  The iterator stuff I just posted is to help with a 'Gnomon
Studies' lesson plan...
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/synergeo/message/58114

Kirby

From john.graves at aut.ac.nz  Sun Mar 28 03:27:18 2010
From: john.graves at aut.ac.nz (John Graves)
Date: Sun, 28 Mar 2010 14:27:18 +1300
Subject: [Edu-sig] Dreaming in Code by Scott Rosenberg (2007)
Message-ID: <4BAF6747020000E90001224E@smtpdom.aut.ac.nz>

This book is about the open source, python-based Chandler project ( http://chandlerproject.org/ last mentioned on Edu-sig in 2006) and, more broadly, about the art of creating software.

Here is the website for the book:
http://www.dreamingincode.com/

And a Salon interview with the author:
http://www.salon.com/books/int/2007/02/03/leonard/

Surprisingly, this book has not been mentioned before on Edu-sig if a Google search of the archives is to be believed.

Here are excerpts [and comments on the excerpts] which suggest why it might be useful to Python-using Educators:

pg 41
Torvalds, who is known as Benevolent Dictator for Life of the Linux operating system, consistently exudes a calm optimism about the long-term prospects for the movement he symbolizes. "In science," as he explained in a 2004 interview in Business Week, "the whole system builds on people looking at other people's results and building on top of them.  In witchcraft, somebody had a small secret and guarded it--but never allowed others to really understand it and build on it. Traditional software is like witchcraft.  In history, witchcraft just died out. The same will happen in software. When problems get serious enough, you can't have one person or one company guarding their secrets. You have to have everybody share in knowledge."

[Are the principles of open source and the reading of well written code parts of your curriculum?]

pg 43
In the 1962 essay that laid out his plan of research into the augmentation of human intelligence, Engelbart explained why computer programmers were the most promising initial target group.  ... [He] noted that "successful achievements can be utilized within the augmentation-research program itself, to improve the effectiveness of the computer programming activity involved in studying and developing augmentation systems.  The capability of designing, implementing, and modifying computer programs will be very important to the rate of research progress."  In other words, if NLS [oNLine System] could help his programmers program better, they'd be able to improve NLS faster.  You'd have a positive feedback loop. You'd be, in the term Engelbart favored, bootstrapping.
    To Engelbart, bootstrapping meant "an improving of the improvement process."

pg 98
"If it takes the typical programmer more than two minutes and twenty-seven seconds to find something," Constantine wrote, "they will conclude it does not exist and therefore will reinvent it."

[How do you teach code reuse and enhancement?]

pg 127
There is no reliable relationship between the volume of code produced and the state of completion of a program, its quality, or its ultimate value to a user. ... The week that he was asked to fill out the new management form for the first time, Atkinson had just completed rewriting a portion of the Quickdraw code, making it more efficient and faster.  The new version was 2000 lines of code shorter than the old one.  What to report? He wrote in the number -2000.

[What do you teach students to produce -- code or value-to-the-user?]

pg 149
In 1990, at the PC Forum gathering of computer industry luminaries, Kapor first delivered the text of his "Software Design Manifesto."

   No one is speaking for the poor user.  ... Perhaps the most important conceptual move to be taken is to recognize the critical role of design, as a counterpart to programming, in the creation of computer artifacts.  ...

Reaching back to ancient Rome, Kapor proposed applying to software the architecture theorist Vitruvius's principles of good design:

firmness--sound structure, no bugs;
commodity--"A program should be suitable for the purposes for which it was intended";
delight--"The experience of using the program should be a pleasurable one."

[What design principles do you teach?  How do they compare?]

pg 245
[In "Methods" chapter, discussion of CMM:]
One Humphrey presentation offered these bluntly persuasive bullet points:
- We all work for organizations.
- These organizations require plans.
- Unless you are independently wealthy, you must work to a schedule.
- If you don't make your own schedules, somebody else will.
- Then that person will control your work.

pg 252
The meeting found a more virile name for the movement--Agile Software Development--and produced a manifesto that reads in its entirety:

   We are uncovering better ways of developing software by doing it and helping others do it.
      Through this work we have come to value:
      - Individuals and interactions over processes and tools
      - Working software over comprehensive documentation
      - Customer collaboration over contract negotiation
      - Responding to change over following a plan

[Do you expose students to these ideas?]

pg 306
Knuth's faith is distilled in the haiku-like poem by the Danish poet/scientist/designer Piet Hein that adorns the entryway to his home:

The road to wisdom?--Well, it's plain
and simple to express:
Err
and err
and err again
but less
and less
and less.

Literate programming is intended as an antidote to the excruciating fact that, as Joel Spolsky puts it, "it's harder to read code than to write it.

    Instead of imaging that our main task is to instruct a computer what to do, let us concentrate rather on explaining to human beings what we want a computer to do.

[By implication, if you do not teach literate programming, you teach "illiterate" programming! ;-) ]

pg 268
[Rosenberg's Law]
Software is easy to make, except when you want it to do something new.
[corollary]
The only software that's worth making is software that does something new.

[see also discussion at http://www.wordyard.com/2007/01/15/rosenbergs-law/ ]

pg 314
After spending some time studying Chandler's code base, Eby posted to his blog a lengthy entry titled "Python Is Not Java."
 
   ... So, the sad thing is that these poor folks worked much, much harder than they needed to, in order to produce much more code than they needed to write, that then performs much more slowly than the equivalent idiomatic Python would.

...

  Pretend that Python is a magic wand that will miraculously do whatever you want without you having to lift a finger.  Ask, "how does Python already solve my problem?" and "What Python language feature most resembles my problem?" You will be absolutely astonished at how often it happens that [the] thing you need is already there in some form.

[ http://dirtsimple.org/2004/12/python-is-not-java.html ]

----

I found the book very informative and inspiring--especially in light of another open source, Python-based project, Open Allure, a voice-and-vision enabled educational software, which is part of my PhD study of open source software development. If you are interested in following this project, check out the short videos at

http://bit.ly/openallure

join the discussion list at

http://bit.ly/openalluregg

or get the source code at

http://openallureds.org

John Graves
Auckland
NEW ZEALAND





 

From lognaturel at gmail.com  Sun Mar 28 04:09:50 2010
From: lognaturel at gmail.com (Helene Martin)
Date: Sat, 27 Mar 2010 19:09:50 -0700
Subject: [Edu-sig] Dreaming in Code by Scott Rosenberg (2007)
In-Reply-To: <4BAF6747020000E90001224E@smtpdom.aut.ac.nz>
References: <4BAF6747020000E90001224E@smtpdom.aut.ac.nz>
Message-ID: <d805c9921003271909x675bc4c9i3e4f18536b070a95@mail.gmail.com>

Agreed that it's a very entertaining and informative read.  I really
enjoyed this one and have recommended it to students.

On Sat, Mar 27, 2010 at 6:27 PM, John Graves <john.graves at aut.ac.nz> wrote:
> This book is about the open source, python-based Chandler project ( http://chandlerproject.org/ last mentioned on Edu-sig in 2006) and, more broadly, about the art of creating software.
>
> Here is the website for the book:
> http://www.dreamingincode.com/
>
> And a Salon interview with the author:
> http://www.salon.com/books/int/2007/02/03/leonard/
>
> Surprisingly, this book has not been mentioned before on Edu-sig if a Google search of the archives is to be believed.
>
> Here are excerpts [and comments on the excerpts] which suggest why it might be useful to Python-using Educators:
>
> pg 41
> Torvalds, who is known as Benevolent Dictator for Life of the Linux operating system, consistently exudes a calm optimism about the long-term prospects for the movement he symbolizes. "In science," as he explained in a 2004 interview in Business Week, "the whole system builds on people looking at other people's results and building on top of them. ?In witchcraft, somebody had a small secret and guarded it--but never allowed others to really understand it and build on it. Traditional software is like witchcraft. ?In history, witchcraft just died out. The same will happen in software. When problems get serious enough, you can't have one person or one company guarding their secrets. You have to have everybody share in knowledge."
>
> [Are the principles of open source and the reading of well written code parts of your curriculum?]
>
> pg 43
> In the 1962 essay that laid out his plan of research into the augmentation of human intelligence, Engelbart explained why computer programmers were the most promising initial target group. ?... [He] noted that "successful achievements can be utilized within the augmentation-research program itself, to improve the effectiveness of the computer programming activity involved in studying and developing augmentation systems. ?The capability of designing, implementing, and modifying computer programs will be very important to the rate of research progress." ?In other words, if NLS [oNLine System] could help his programmers program better, they'd be able to improve NLS faster. ?You'd have a positive feedback loop. You'd be, in the term Engelbart favored, bootstrapping.
> ? ?To Engelbart, bootstrapping meant "an improving of the improvement process."
>
> pg 98
> "If it takes the typical programmer more than two minutes and twenty-seven seconds to find something," Constantine wrote, "they will conclude it does not exist and therefore will reinvent it."
>
> [How do you teach code reuse and enhancement?]
>
> pg 127
> There is no reliable relationship between the volume of code produced and the state of completion of a program, its quality, or its ultimate value to a user. ... The week that he was asked to fill out the new management form for the first time, Atkinson had just completed rewriting a portion of the Quickdraw code, making it more efficient and faster. ?The new version was 2000 lines of code shorter than the old one. ?What to report? He wrote in the number -2000.
>
> [What do you teach students to produce -- code or value-to-the-user?]
>
> pg 149
> In 1990, at the PC Forum gathering of computer industry luminaries, Kapor first delivered the text of his "Software Design Manifesto."
>
> ? No one is speaking for the poor user. ?... Perhaps the most important conceptual move to be taken is to recognize the critical role of design, as a counterpart to programming, in the creation of computer artifacts. ?...
>
> Reaching back to ancient Rome, Kapor proposed applying to software the architecture theorist Vitruvius's principles of good design:
>
> firmness--sound structure, no bugs;
> commodity--"A program should be suitable for the purposes for which it was intended";
> delight--"The experience of using the program should be a pleasurable one."
>
> [What design principles do you teach? ?How do they compare?]
>
> pg 245
> [In "Methods" chapter, discussion of CMM:]
> One Humphrey presentation offered these bluntly persuasive bullet points:
> - We all work for organizations.
> - These organizations require plans.
> - Unless you are independently wealthy, you must work to a schedule.
> - If you don't make your own schedules, somebody else will.
> - Then that person will control your work.
>
> pg 252
> The meeting found a more virile name for the movement--Agile Software Development--and produced a manifesto that reads in its entirety:
>
> ? We are uncovering better ways of developing software by doing it and helping others do it.
> ? ? ?Through this work we have come to value:
> ? ? ?- Individuals and interactions over processes and tools
> ? ? ?- Working software over comprehensive documentation
> ? ? ?- Customer collaboration over contract negotiation
> ? ? ?- Responding to change over following a plan
>
> [Do you expose students to these ideas?]
>
> pg 306
> Knuth's faith is distilled in the haiku-like poem by the Danish poet/scientist/designer Piet Hein that adorns the entryway to his home:
>
> The road to wisdom?--Well, it's plain
> and simple to express:
> Err
> and err
> and err again
> but less
> and less
> and less.
>
> Literate programming is intended as an antidote to the excruciating fact that, as Joel Spolsky puts it, "it's harder to read code than to write it.
>
> ? ?Instead of imaging that our main task is to instruct a computer what to do, let us concentrate rather on explaining to human beings what we want a computer to do.
>
> [By implication, if you do not teach literate programming, you teach "illiterate" programming! ;-) ]
>
> pg 268
> [Rosenberg's Law]
> Software is easy to make, except when you want it to do something new.
> [corollary]
> The only software that's worth making is software that does something new.
>
> [see also discussion at http://www.wordyard.com/2007/01/15/rosenbergs-law/ ]
>
> pg 314
> After spending some time studying Chandler's code base, Eby posted to his blog a lengthy entry titled "Python Is Not Java."
>
> ? ... So, the sad thing is that these poor folks worked much, much harder than they needed to, in order to produce much more code than they needed to write, that then performs much more slowly than the equivalent idiomatic Python would.
>
> ...
>
> ?Pretend that Python is a magic wand that will miraculously do whatever you want without you having to lift a finger. ?Ask, "how does Python already solve my problem?" and "What Python language feature most resembles my problem?" You will be absolutely astonished at how often it happens that [the] thing you need is already there in some form.
>
> [ http://dirtsimple.org/2004/12/python-is-not-java.html ]
>
> ----
>
> I found the book very informative and inspiring--especially in light of another open source, Python-based project, Open Allure, a voice-and-vision enabled educational software, which is part of my PhD study of open source software development. If you are interested in following this project, check out the short videos at
>
> http://bit.ly/openallure
>
> join the discussion list at
>
> http://bit.ly/openalluregg
>
> or get the source code at
>
> http://openallureds.org
>
> John Graves
> Auckland
> NEW ZEALAND
>
>
>
>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> Edu-sig mailing list
> Edu-sig at python.org
> http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/edu-sig
>

From kirby.urner at gmail.com  Sun Mar 28 07:54:57 2010
From: kirby.urner at gmail.com (kirby urner)
Date: Sat, 27 Mar 2010 22:54:57 -0700
Subject: [Edu-sig] Dreaming in Code by Scott Rosenberg (2007)
In-Reply-To: <4BAF6747020000E90001224E@smtpdom.aut.ac.nz>
References: <4BAF6747020000E90001224E@smtpdom.aut.ac.nz>
Message-ID: <f604188c1003272254w4e54bb98x9a7346aee1ea8c25@mail.gmail.com>

> Surprisingly, this book has not been mentioned before on Edu-sig if a Google search of the archives is to be believed.
>

I believe you're correct.

> Here are excerpts [and comments on the excerpts] which suggest why it might be useful to Python-using Educators:
>
> pg 41
> Torvalds, who is known as Benevolent Dictator for Life of the Linux operating system, consistently exudes a calm optimism about the long-term prospects for the movement he symbolizes. "In science," as he explained in a 2004 interview in Business Week, "the whole system builds on people looking at other people's results and building on top of them. ?In witchcraft, somebody had a small secret and guarded it--but never allowed others to really understand it and build on it. Traditional software is like witchcraft. ?In history, witchcraft just died out. The same will happen in software. When problems get serious enough, you can't have one person or one company guarding their secrets. You have to have everybody share in knowledge."
>

I'd not seen this quote before.

I understand his point of course.

However, having someone proclaimed a dictator in Business Week saying
negative stuff about witchcraft might not be the best PR imaginable.

The guy lives in Portland, you'd think he'd know better?

Note that wizards seem to get off, i.e. Unix culture embraced the
wizard meme (Google for hits), but not witch (hardly any).

I tried introducing "FOSS witch" on Diversity (python.org) and
appeared to get no takers.

Hacker, pirate, wizard, geek, dictator... but not witch.

I realize there are male witches (technically) but thought some
"subversive word" (like pirate) with a clear slant towards women,
might actually be a positive contribution.

Just about all the hits on Google are my own uses of this term ("FOSS
coven" was another).

I think the history here is that both alchemy and witchcraft were
proto-sciences and didn't so much die out as transform.  They became
actual sciences with the spread of literacy and less persecution by
religious authorities.

Witches were herbalists, practitioners of medicinal arts.  Alchemists
were metallurgists and chemists.

The culture witches lived in believed in curses and spells (as many do
today), so countering spells against a client would count as
psychotherapy by today's standards.  Witches were proto-psychologists.

Witchcraft waned in proportion to people no longer taking it
seriously, meaning you could no longer be put on trial for its
practice, any more than for practicing magic or voodoo -- unless
animals were harmed in the process, or you happened to be an
economist. :)

I'd rather cast the Spanish Inquisition as cathedralist and anti-FOSS,
secretive and control freaky:  a priesthood (mostly male and
hierarchical), looking appropriately klannish in those
identity-masking pointy hoods.

Witches and wizards, good people of the forest, are more egalitarian
and self-organizing, are the open sourcery types trading goods and
skills in the free-wheeling bazaar.  They're like faculty at Hogwarts,
more liberal artsy, more collegial.

Just my own bias.

OK, back to regularly scheduled programming...

Kirby

From bert at freudenbergs.de  Sun Mar 28 14:36:23 2010
From: bert at freudenbergs.de (Bert Freudenberg)
Date: Sun, 28 Mar 2010 14:36:23 +0200
Subject: [Edu-sig] [OT] Re:  Dreaming in Code by Scott Rosenberg (2007)
In-Reply-To: <f604188c1003272254w4e54bb98x9a7346aee1ea8c25@mail.gmail.com>
References: <4BAF6747020000E90001224E@smtpdom.aut.ac.nz>
	<f604188c1003272254w4e54bb98x9a7346aee1ea8c25@mail.gmail.com>
Message-ID: <98A9A655-3CDB-4140-9A04-DA3E71B196EA@freudenbergs.de>

On 28.03.2010, at 07:54, kirby urner wrote:
> 
> I tried introducing "FOSS witch" on Diversity (python.org) and
> appeared to get no takers.
> 
> Hacker, pirate, wizard, geek, dictator... but not witch.

Google for "haecksen".

The German word for witch is "Hexe", plural "Hexen". The German pronunciation of "Haeckse" is almost identical to "Hexe". It was created as a play on the word "Hacker" which is masculine in German, the canonical femininum would be "Hackerin" (i.e., 'hacktress'). But "Haeckse" is much more playful and creative so this is how some women in the CCC started to call themselves. Also it sounds decidedly unixy, some old-school hackers still insist the plural of "unix" is "unixen" and the boxes running them are "boxen".

Since "witch" nowadays has a generally positive connotation (not the least because of J.K.Rowling's and other's books) it at least elicits a giggle when telling girls about this. In Germany anyway.

- Bert -



From kirby.urner at gmail.com  Sun Mar 28 20:42:08 2010
From: kirby.urner at gmail.com (kirby urner)
Date: Sun, 28 Mar 2010 11:42:08 -0700
Subject: [Edu-sig] [OT] Re: Dreaming in Code by Scott Rosenberg (2007)
In-Reply-To: <98A9A655-3CDB-4140-9A04-DA3E71B196EA@freudenbergs.de>
References: <4BAF6747020000E90001224E@smtpdom.aut.ac.nz>
	<f604188c1003272254w4e54bb98x9a7346aee1ea8c25@mail.gmail.com>
	<98A9A655-3CDB-4140-9A04-DA3E71B196EA@freudenbergs.de>
Message-ID: <f604188c1003281142s6b51c1e2o6fe5ce89fb5ee431@mail.gmail.com>

On Sun, Mar 28, 2010 at 5:36 AM, Bert Freudenberg <bert at freudenbergs.de> wrote:
> On 28.03.2010, at 07:54, kirby urner wrote:
>>
>> I tried introducing "FOSS witch" on Diversity (python.org) and
>> appeared to get no takers.
>>
>> Hacker, pirate, wizard, geek, dictator... but not witch.
>
> Google for "haecksen".
>
> The German word for witch is "Hexe", plural "Hexen". The German pronunciation of "Haeckse" is almost identical to "Hexe". It was created as a play on the word "Hacker" which is masculine in German, the canonical femininum would be "Hackerin" (i.e., 'hacktress'). But "Haeckse" is much more playful and creative so this is how some women in the CCC started to call themselves. Also it sounds decidedly unixy, some old-school hackers still insist the plural of "unix" is "unixen" and the boxes running them are "boxen".
>
> Since "witch" nowadays has a generally positive connotation (not the least because of J.K.Rowling's and other's books) it at least elicits a giggle when telling girls about this. In Germany anyway.
>
> - Bert -

Very cool Bert, and also encouraging.

Thx!  I'll share with other members of the coven.  :)

Kirby