[Edu-sig] re-doing GvR in xturtle

[Andre Roberge]

On 8/11/06, Scott Chapman <scott_list at mischko.com> wrote:
> I'm beginning work on moving GvR into xturtle.
>
> The main reason I'm doing this is that I want to get over the language
> limitations that GvR currently has.  (No variable assignment, etc.)

This is, in parts, why I designed RUR-PLE  (http://rur-ple.sourceforge.net/).
RUR-PLE uses Python, instead of a Python-like language like GvR.  It
also comes with more lessons than GvR does, but could use more.

>In other
> words, I want to be able to teach much more of Python to young people with
> such an environment.  It'll take a while to get this done.  I'm new to TK
> programming.
RUR-PLE uses wxPython (instead of Tkinter).

>I do web development.  If Crunchy had sufficient graphics and
> sandboxing, I'd probably do it all in Crunchy for web delivery, etc.  I'll
> keep an eye on their progress.

I started developping Crunchy for that very purpose: to have a
web-based version of RUR-PLE.  I still plan to do that, eventually...
 For the foreseeable future, Crunchy will continue to be developped to
run locally, however with the ability of "fetching" tutorials located
elsewhere on the web.  The work lately has focused on doing this part
in a secure way. The next release (soon!) should be secure that way.

Until there's a way to sandbox Python (i.e. until Brett Cannon
finishes his Ph.D.), it would probably be pointless to try to have
Crunchy running somewhere on the web and have user "log" remotely into
it to run an interactive session.

> If anyone's interested in the results or has commentary, please let me know.
>
> Eventually, it would be very nice to have a whole curriculum around such an
> environment, with teaching materials, quizzes, tests, answer keys, etc.
>
I totally agree.

> If anyone has already done this, please let me know.  I'd rather not reinvent
> this if I don't have to.

As far as I know, it has not been done (otherwise I would not be
working on it the way I am).  If you want to contribute in any way
(producing teaching materials, helping implementing browser-based
animations, etc.), feel free to do it!

André


> Cordially,
> Scott
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