Use of Transcript and Turtle Graphics in education

[Jim Hurley]

Erik Hansen wrote:
>
>to get Turtle Graphics back on the map will
>require standalone teacher-proof teaching
>sequences that capable teachers can extend in
>their own way. i still think TG is the most
>intuitive way to learn geometry and programming
>and look forward to the new release.
>
>=====
>erik at erikhansen.org    http://www.erikhansen.org


Ah, a kindred spirit!

I have long had a special interest in using xTalk & TG as means to 
teach programing to science students. In 1985 I wrote a short book 
(Logo Physics, Holt Rinehart & Winston) hoping to kick start the 
process.

It didn't fare very well. I don't think Logo is the right language. 
The primary appeal of Logo (a poor man's version of LISP) was TG.

I have translated/revamped that book into a text for High School 
students but it exists only as a Word document at the present time.

I am sure Erik is right about the serious roadblocks to putting 
x-Talk and TG into the the school  curriculum. Most High Schools are 
very rigidly institutions.

I have sent a Transcript/TG Demo stack to Heather to post on the Rev 
web site. (I hope it goes into the Educators page. I don't think 
this will have much appeal to developers. My apologies for taking up 
this much space already.) I can also include the Word ms. which might 
serve as an open-source text for such a course.

As a physicist, you might imagine that the book is dominated by 
physics, and you would be right, but there is some biology and a fair 
bit of mathematics.

Jim Hurley
Emeritus Prof. of  Physics, Univ. of Calif.
-- 
Jim Hurley