[Edu-sig] Reeborg news

[Andre Roberge]

The long-time subscribers to this list may remember RUR-PLE (
https://code.google.com/p/rur-ple/), a Karel-the-robot clone using Python
that I wrote.  The robot's name in my version is Reeborg, hence the title
of this post.

Since the last version was produced in 2009, RUR-PLE had been downloaded
more than 11,000 times.  Since people that download it do not need to
contact me to do so, it is only through serependity that I find out where
it is used.  I know that it has been used by elementary school children in
Austria, by high school children in New Jersey and by university students
in the U.S. and Latin America as a tool to introduce Python.

Recently, Samsung contacted me and got my permission to produce a book
based on RUR-PLE. They distributed free copies of this book yesterday to
something like 1000 Korean students.  (I will likely post pictures of the
book on my blog when I get a copy.)

So what you say?....

I am happy to announce that a test-version of "Reeborg's world" is now
available online as a tool to learn Python.   It is free to use and does
not require registration.

The first version of Reeborg's world was produced to teach Javascript; it
is the default version available from http://reeborg.ca.    It includes
some 98 lessons and can be found directly at http://reeborg.ca/learn_js.html

I'm working on an "improved" version which can be found at
http://reeborg.ca/learn_js_dev.html#welcome
Following some comments by early adopters, the UI of this version is
improved slightly and more changes are planned, including a graphical world
builder, new images for the robot, the option to import from file and save
to file  programs and worlds, etc.

The proof-of-concept Python version can be found at
http://reeborg.ca/learn_py_test.html
It is based on the "improved" version. I do not plan to do more work on it
(including adapting the lessons to teach Python instead of Javascript)
until I have nailed down the "improved" Javascript version.

If you want to quickly try the Python version to see what it can do, I
suggest you select (from the drop down menu showing "Alone" by default) the
world "Tokens 1" and run the following program:

move()
take()
move()
put()
move()

I welcome any comments & suggestions about Reeborg's world; please feel
free to email me directly.

This time, I will probably include a page on the site where I will ask
teachers that use it to communicate with me to let me know in what context
they use it, and keep track of it on a "wall of fame".
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