Re: A new graphic user interface
- To: mathgroup at smc.vnet.net
- Subject: [mg111847] Re: A new graphic user interface
- From: telefunkenvf14 <rgorka at gmail.com>
- Date: Sun, 15 Aug 2010 07:37:33 -0400 (EDT)
- References: <i3oh1n$pgr$1@smc.vnet.net> <i3tnug$s7t$1@smc.vnet.net> <i40enl$bmr$1@smc.vnet.net>
On Aug 12, 4:26 am, Helen Read <h... at together.net> wrote: > On 8/11/2010 4:45 AM, telefunkenvf14 wrote: > > > > > On Aug 9, 4:16 am, Murray Eisenberg<mur... at math.umass.edu> wrote: > >> Comments interspersed below. > > >> On 8/8/2010 7:22 AM, telefunkenvf14 wrote: > > >>> One related example, which I believe emphasizes my point: When > >>> students jump into using palettes they're able to create a pile of po= o > >>> rather quickly----a pile they cannot possibly debug due to the fact > >>> they've never absorbed 'everything is an expression'. Clinging to the > >>> pointy-clicky route also makes the documentation seem very foreign to > >>> new users. I have nothing against using palettes, but things need to > >>> be learned in proper order.... > > >> I held that position, too. But Helen Read's reports in this group > >> provide empirical evidence that this is an unfounded concern: with the > >> Classroom Assistant palette, what begins as point-and-click soon morph= s > >> into just typing input, apparently without much or any intervention by > >> the instructor to suggest this change. > > > Not convinced. I sense this observation is (in part) shaped by the > > topic of the class. > > It absolutely depends on what you are teaching. In calculus, I start > them off with the palettes, and let the students wean themselves from > the palettes at their own pace. It happens naturally, because everyone > eventually picks up the syntax as they go, and they all get sick of > point-and-click. > > > If you're teaching a pure math class? Then sure, I can see how > > starting with palettes would do no serious harm---but it all depends > > on the skill-set you want students achieve by the end of the semester, > > and the types of applications you show/build in class. (Simple problem > > solving > > Simple problem solving is a good place to start. > > > vs. building more complicated models and interfaces, grabbing > > data from the net, automating emails or SMS messages, etc.) Helen: 1. Do you have any of your encryption notebooks/lessons on the web? 2. You may have already read this recent blog post ("Doing Spy Stuff with Mathematica," by Jon McLoone); if not, you'll probably want to take a look. Jon always seems to have fun posts. :) http://blog.wolfram.com/2010/07/08/doing-spy-stuff-with-mathematica/ http://blog.wolfram.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/DoingSpyStuffWithMathema= tica.nb 3. Do you collect any data on your students at the start of the semester? (Prior programming experience; interest in programming; aversion to math, etc.?) What about you, Murry? -RG > When I teach our transition-to-higher-math course (which includes proof > writing etc. in the context of some topics in discrete math), I have the > students write Mathematica programs for things like encryption. They > aren't using palettes for any of it, and the existence of the palettes > is neither a hindrance nor a help -- we simply don't use them. I do > find, though, that students who came from my calculus class into this > course pick up the Mathematica faster than those who did little or no > Mathematica in their calculus classes. > > -- > Helen Read > University of Vermont