Re: Intro and question

["Jeff Knope" <jknope@xxxxxxxx>]

Hi Russell,

I am not a teacher.  So there is a built-in absurdity to my responding to 
your question.

But I notice most people don't appear to believe ignorance and opinion are 
mutually exclusive.  So what the heck, I'll give it shot.

Learning LOGO is an adventure in discovery.  Your HCL students are exactly 
the ones most likely to get genuinely caught-up in the chase.

But they must have open opportunity to engage it.  One two-hour session a 
month doesn't stand a chance, in my opinion.

I'll guess most, if not all, of these students have access to a computer 
somewhere. Evaluation copies of MicroWorlds are freely available on the LCSI 
website.

Likely, Bellingham Public Libraries have computers available to all, and 
internet enabled.  Getting an evaluation copy of MW installed may require 
some finesse with the IT administrator.

If you really want to try to turn these kids loose on MW, I have two other 
suggestions:

   1. Get a copy of the Help program of the MW Pro version available to 
them.  It is MUCH easier to learn from than the EX Help.

   2. Get PRINTED physical copies of the Reference Card for each student. 
This gorgeous document explains all the commands, grouped in natural 
categories of the mind.  It is essential. Ask Daniel for the best version, 
and where to find it.

Good Luck!
--Jeff




----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Russell, Ken" <krussell@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <mwforum@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Monday, November 13, 2006 1:21 PM
Subject: Intro and question


> Hello, everyone!
>
> I'm excited to be using Logo (MicroWorlds EX) again! A little bit about me 
> and a question I have...
>
> I am a teacher in Bellingham, WA. I used to teach middle school, but now I 
> work at the district office supporting teachers who use technology (I have 
> an M.Ed. in Instructional Tech). Currently, I do a little bit of 
> everything including teaching professional development courses, maintain 
> the district webs, support the library software system, etc.
>
> I have just been given the wonderful opportunity to teach logo to 6th and 
> 7th grade HCL students ("Highly Capable Learners"). I taught logo about 10 
> years ago when I was teaching 6th and 7th graders. I loved teaching it and 
> they really enjoyed the program. I think logo is an excellent educational 
> tool. The HCL teachers came to me and asked what would be appropriate for 
> that level and age group and I suggested MicroWorlds, so I will be 
> teaching the students and the teachers at the same time. I remember many 
> of the basic turtle graphics commands, but the current version of 
> MicroWorlds is new for me and I am working through the tutorials.
>
> Now my question--what I need to develop is a series of at least 5 
> sequential projects. Because these students meet for only 2 hours at a 
> time with a month or more between each meeting, these projects need to be 
> able to be completed in 2 hours and they need to build in complexity and 
> skill.
>
> Does anyone have suggestions for projects that are available online that I 
> can use or modify to meet my classes needs? Is the Projects Folder for the 
> MWForum the best place to find good projects, or are there other web sites 
> that might have appropriate projects? Do you have any suggestions on what 
> you would do with MicroWorlds for a two hour class with very smart 
> students?
>
> I look forward to learning from all of you and sharing some of the things 
> that I and my students come up with!
>
> Ken Russell
> Bellingham Schools