Comments on: ISTE, Python and Robots

By: Vern Ceder

Vern Ceder — Tue, 28 Jun 2011 17:07:36 +0000

Thanks for the link to the Moby talk – I had run across Moby before and found it a fascinating idea.

I wouldn’t be so quick to lay the problem to teachers’ vested interests. Certainly that is there – teachers don’t have time to learn something new, so they may tend to want to stay with what they’ve done, or with what has more pre-built texts and materials. However, I’ve heard way too many stories of teachers who want to try Python, or Ruby, or something else open source, who have been blocked by administrators and tech support departments who (for whatever reason) don’t want to use OSS.

I agree that using VB to teach programming is questionable at best, but a sizable portion of schools teaching programming do it. I suppose the argument is that it’s “industry standard”? Or something like that? I do know that I’ve talked to teachers where they do it, and it’s not always the teacher’s choice…

By: Purity Control

Purity Control — Tue, 28 Jun 2011 16:53:47 +0000

While java wouldn’t be my choice I can kind of understand an argument you might make for it. VB.net I just don’t get at all.

On the software side It sounds as much a problem with the teachers and their vested? interests as it does the vendors pushing the technologies.

One of the reasons I asked about scheme was I listened to this talk the other day that seems to particularly resonate with what you are saying. Its worth listening to even if you are not interested in scheme as its focus is on getting students excited.
The link to the slide and talk is:-

http://www.cs.brown.edu/~sk/Publications/Talks/Moby-Bootstrap/

By: Vern Ceder

Vern Ceder — Tue, 28 Jun 2011 14:03:01 +0000

I think there is a lot that can be done with Python and pre-algebra. I’m afraid I’m not the one to give the answers however. I would suggest joining the Python Edu-sig mailing list and posting that question – there are several people on that list who can give you quite a bit of good advice. Go to http://www.python.org/community/sigs/current/edu-sig/ for more info on the list and subscribing. Good luck!

By: Vern Ceder

Vern Ceder — Tue, 28 Jun 2011 13:43:33 +0000

Thanks. As to scheme, not so much. I may have heard of a place or two working with scheme, but it’s been a while. And I would imagine that might become even rarer now that MIT has moved from scheme, but that’s just speculation. I had toyed with the idea of trying scheme myself a few years ago, but never actually did it.

In the programming domain, the main competitors are Java (not exactly commercial, but not really open either) and VB.net. The problem in that space is that there isn’t enough of any variety.

As to software in education in general, the list is endless. The vendor area at ISTE is at least the size of two football fields and overflowing at that. While a fair number of them may well be using open source technology on the backend, only a tiny fraction are at all open source products. For specifics – Blackboard vs. Moodle, Microsoft vs. Open/Libre Office (and Apache, and MySQL, and…), Adobe vs. GIMP, Inkscape, etc… and so it goes. And sponsors get prominent placement, whereas open source products get mentioned only if someone is giving a presentation involving them.

By: mdooms

mdooms — Tue, 28 Jun 2011 13:38:10 +0000

I teach 6th grade math and Python was suggested as a way to apply pre-algebra concepts in a programming context. My programming background consists of one C++ programming class. How do I begin?

By: Purity Control

Purity Control — Tue, 28 Jun 2011 13:18:07 +0000

Nice post. A couple of questions though.

1. Do you come across scheme much as a language taught in education?

2. What is the commercial stuff competing with open source that gets all the attention?