Today's visit to Coral Elementary
3 views
Skip to first unread message
Pavel Solin
Mar 19, 2012, 9:18:12 PM3/19/12
to swe-hs-...@googlegroups.com
Hi,
this was a good visit and we have a follow-up in Coral High on Wednesday. Let
me share some impressions with you and perhaps ask a few questions, since
most of you went through this school system while I did not.
It surprised me that the teacher expects the students to work with the application
basically on their own. The computer is supposed to guide the student, not so much
the teacher. Karel was designed to be used with a teacher's assistance, so we will
have to make some changes. It is pretty clear that Karel the Robot will be about the
only thing that NCLab will offer to elementary schools, but we will make it worth the while.
Karel will get more animation, more graphics, more like a computer game. Hints will
be built into the application rather than into a separate manual. It will talk. Kids will
be able to design their own robot, etc. We will implement network-based competitions.
Some changes will be done until the May 3 meeting, but on August 25 (preliminary
date for a larger workshop at UNR), Karel will be very different from today's version.
If anyone can comment on the teaching methods mentioned above, especially
whether also in a high school it works that way, this would be very helpful.
Pavel
Pavel Solin
University of Nevada, Reno
http://hpfem.org/~pavel
Jordan Blocher
Mar 19, 2012, 9:42:29 PM3/19/12
to swe-hs-...@googlegroups.com
What I remember from high school is a point system. A student had to gain enough points to qualify to graduate. If the students are expected to use this program on their own, it might be worthwhile to look into how many points a completed worksheet would gain a student. Any teacher that wants to use NCLab and assign homework using worksheets will need to make it conform to their point system.
I have been thinking about this a lot. I am going to start with a simple introductory linear algebra worksheet, how to add and multiply matrices in NCLab, introducing what a matrix is and how to program it in Python. The worksheet will come with a tutorial video similar to Khan Academy. Give me a day or so and I'll post a link.
For the future, and I know the NCLab team is already working on this:
I know the folders will be organized into classrooms, with each student able to publish locally to their class. It would be a good point to make if we can say that the teacher can create their virtual classroom for grading purposes, and a group to go along with the class.
Maybe the inclusion of online grading would be useful? The teacher could decide how many points the project is worth, and then assign a number of points to each published (submitted) worksheet?
Independently of schools, if students wanted to work on their own, they would get points for completing worksheets, and after a certain number of points would graduate to the next level.
Pavel, you have so many published worksheets, is it possible for them to be organized into levels? As in, understand all this and you are ready for the next level? I would be willing to make videos to go along with the levels, walking students through the worksheets.
Jordan
--
Jordan
Jordan
Pavel Solin
Mar 19, 2012, 9:48:15 PM3/19/12
to swe-hs-...@googlegroups.com
On Mon, Mar 19, 2012 at 6:42 PM, Jordan Blocher <jordan...@gmail.com> wrote:
What I remember from high school is a point system. A student had to gain enough points to qualify to graduate. If the students are expected to use this program on their own, it might be worthwhile to look into how many points a completed worksheet would gain a student. Any teacher that wants to use NCLab and assign homework using worksheets will need to make it conform to their point system.I have been thinking about this a lot. I am going to start with a simple introductory linear algebra worksheet, how to add and multiply matrices in NCLab, introducing what a matrix is and how to program it in Python. The worksheet will come with a tutorial video similar to Khan Academy. Give me a day or so and I'll post a link.
Looking forward. Khan Academy has only videos or interactive activities as well?
For the future, and I know the NCLab team is already working on this:I know the folders will be organized into classrooms, with each student able to publish locally to their class. It would be a good point to make if we can say that the teacher can create their virtual classroom for grading purposes, and a group to go along with the class.Maybe the inclusion of online grading would be useful? The teacher could decide how many points the project is worth, and then assign a number of points to each published (submitted) worksheet?
We should talk about this more.
Independently of schools, if students wanted to work on their own, they would get points for completing worksheets, and after a certain number of points would graduate to the next level.Pavel, you have so many published worksheets, is it possible for them to be organized into levels? As in, understand all this and you are ready for the next level? I would be willing to make videos to go along with the levels, walking students through the worksheets.
Definitely. After today it is clear that today's Karel's game mode is a draft only. The students
need to progress to thenext level automatically, get points, etc.
We will need to create interactive tutorials for Solid Modeling with PLaSM and for
other activities as well, although it will be a bit more challenging.
Pavel
Jordan Blocher
Mar 19, 2012, 9:50:30 PM3/19/12
to swe-hs-...@googlegroups.com
Khan has only videos, this will be great.
!!!
Jordan
--
Jordan
Jordan
Jackie Wander
Mar 20, 2012, 12:55:31 AM3/20/12
to UNR SWE Outreach Committee
From what I got out of that discussion is that you are just looking
for feedback on ways to incorporate NCLab into the schools that work
with their current teaching methods... This is just how I had imagined
it would work, but they are just ideas from the little that I know
about NCLab and how it works.
For elementary schools, I don't remember ever using computers for
homework. If it was an in-class activity/assignment however, then I
agree with Jordan that it would be most effective to have the games/
worksheets organized into levels. I would imagine that there would be
a couple levels assigned per week, each worth about ten points or so.
The benefit of doing this as an in-class activity versus at home as
homework would be that then the teacher would still be able to walk
around and assist the students whenever they have questions.
For high school and middle school students, I would think the teacher
would assign problems out of a textbook or worksheet that they would
have to solve using NCLab programming. I'm assuming you guys do not
have a text book written about NCLab yet, but I'm sure that the same
problems they assign out of their current math and science books could
be applied and solved for in NCLab so they wouldn't have to buy new
books or anything.
Hope my suggestions are helpful!
for feedback on ways to incorporate NCLab into the schools that work
with their current teaching methods... This is just how I had imagined
it would work, but they are just ideas from the little that I know
about NCLab and how it works.
For elementary schools, I don't remember ever using computers for
homework. If it was an in-class activity/assignment however, then I
agree with Jordan that it would be most effective to have the games/
worksheets organized into levels. I would imagine that there would be
a couple levels assigned per week, each worth about ten points or so.
The benefit of doing this as an in-class activity versus at home as
homework would be that then the teacher would still be able to walk
around and assist the students whenever they have questions.
For high school and middle school students, I would think the teacher
would assign problems out of a textbook or worksheet that they would
have to solve using NCLab programming. I'm assuming you guys do not
have a text book written about NCLab yet, but I'm sure that the same
problems they assign out of their current math and science books could
be applied and solved for in NCLab so they wouldn't have to buy new
books or anything.
Hope my suggestions are helpful!
Pavel Solin
Mar 20, 2012, 1:00:44 AM3/20/12
to swe-hs-...@googlegroups.com
Hi Jackie,
thank you so much for your thoughts.
On Mon, Mar 19, 2012 at 9:55 PM, Jackie Wander <jacki...@hotmail.com> wrote:
From what I got out of that discussion is that you are just looking
for feedback on ways to incorporate NCLab into the schools that work
with their current teaching methods... This is just how I had imagined
it would work, but they are just ideas from the little that I know
about NCLab and how it works.
Yes.
For elementary schools, I don't remember ever using computers for
homework. If it was an in-class activity/assignment however, then I
agree with Jordan that it would be most effective to have the games/
worksheets organized into levels. I would imagine that there would be
a couple levels assigned per week, each worth about ten points or so.
The benefit of doing this as an in-class activity versus at home as
homework would be that then the teacher would still be able to walk
around and assist the students whenever they have questions.
For high school and middle school students, I would think the teacher
would assign problems out of a textbook or worksheet that they would
have to solve using NCLab programming. I'm assuming you guys do not
have a text book written about NCLab yet, but I'm sure that the same
In fact we have - see http://femhub.com/nclab-tutorials/. Some of them
are pretty solid by now, some are still in preparation, and some others
are coming soon.
problems they assign out of their current math and science books could
be applied and solved for in NCLab so they wouldn't have to buy new
books or anything.
Hope my suggestions are helpful!
Yes, thank you!
Pavel
Jackie Wander
Mar 20, 2012, 1:06:46 AM3/20/12
to UNR SWE Outreach Committee
Oh wow that's perfect! You guys are on top of it :)
On Mar 19, 10:00 pm, Pavel Solin <solin.pa...@gmail.com> wrote:
> Hi Jackie,
> thank you so much for your thoughts.
>
On Mar 19, 10:00 pm, Pavel Solin <solin.pa...@gmail.com> wrote:
> Hi Jackie,
> thank you so much for your thoughts.
>
> On Mon, Mar 19, 2012 at 9:55 PM, Jackie Wander <jackie_...@hotmail.com>wrote:
>
> > From what I got out of that discussion is that you are just looking
> > for feedback on ways to incorporate NCLab into the schools that work
> > with their current teaching methods... This is just how I had imagined
> > it would work, but they are just ideas from the little that I know
> > about NCLab and how it works.
>
> Yes.
>
>
>
> > For elementary schools, I don't remember ever using computers for
> > homework. If it was an in-class activity/assignment however, then I
> > agree with Jordan that it would be most effective to have the games/
> > worksheets organized into levels. I would imagine that there would be
> > a couple levels assigned per week, each worth about ten points or so.
> > The benefit of doing this as an in-class activity versus at home as
> > homework would be that then the teacher would still be able to walk
> > around and assist the students whenever they have questions.
>
> > For high school and middle school students, I would think the teacher
> > would assign problems out of a textbook or worksheet that they would
> > have to solve using NCLab programming. I'm assuming you guys do not
> > have a text book written about NCLab yet, but I'm sure that the same
>
> In fact we have - seehttp://femhub.com/nclab-tutorials/. Some of them
>
> > From what I got out of that discussion is that you are just looking
> > for feedback on ways to incorporate NCLab into the schools that work
> > with their current teaching methods... This is just how I had imagined
> > it would work, but they are just ideas from the little that I know
> > about NCLab and how it works.
>
> Yes.
>
>
>
> > For elementary schools, I don't remember ever using computers for
> > homework. If it was an in-class activity/assignment however, then I
> > agree with Jordan that it would be most effective to have the games/
> > worksheets organized into levels. I would imagine that there would be
> > a couple levels assigned per week, each worth about ten points or so.
> > The benefit of doing this as an in-class activity versus at home as
> > homework would be that then the teacher would still be able to walk
> > around and assist the students whenever they have questions.
>
> > For high school and middle school students, I would think the teacher
> > would assign problems out of a textbook or worksheet that they would
> > have to solve using NCLab programming. I'm assuming you guys do not
> > have a text book written about NCLab yet, but I'm sure that the same
>
> are pretty solid by now, some are still in preparation, and some others
> are coming soon.
>
> > problems they assign out of their current math and science books could
> > be applied and solved for in NCLab so they wouldn't have to buy new
> > books or anything.
> > Hope my suggestions are helpful!
>
> Yes, thank you!
>
> Pavel
>
> --
> Pavel Solin
> University of Nevada, Renohttp://hpfem. <http://hpfem.math.unr.edu/people/pavel/>org/~pavel> are coming soon.
>
> > problems they assign out of their current math and science books could
> > be applied and solved for in NCLab so they wouldn't have to buy new
> > books or anything.
> > Hope my suggestions are helpful!
>
> Yes, thank you!
>
> Pavel
>
> --
> Pavel Solin
Pavel Solin
Mar 20, 2012, 1:12:11 AM3/20/12
to swe-hs-...@googlegroups.com
On Mon, Mar 19, 2012 at 10:06 PM, Jackie Wander <jacki...@hotmail.com> wrote:
Oh wow that's perfect! You guys are on top of it :)
Sometimes I feel merely like under it, but never for long :)
Look at the attached image if it reminds you of something.
I just created it in PLaSM.
Best,
Pavel
Jackie Wander
Mar 20, 2012, 1:16:19 AM3/20/12
to UNR SWE Outreach Committee
NC!! Super cool, I love it.
Pavel Solin
Mar 20, 2012, 1:20:22 AM3/20/12
to swe-hs-...@googlegroups.com
On Mon, Mar 19, 2012 at 10:16 PM, Jackie Wander <jacki...@hotmail.com> wrote:
NC!! Super cool, I love it.
There is an "L" hidden as well! :)
Reply all
Reply to author
Forward
0 new messages