Lecture 1
Welcome and congratulations on your decision to take this course. You will find yourself challenged in a different way by the process we are going to undertake.
But to
get started ! We will be using a listserv as one means of communicating
with each other. A listserv is simply a boadcasting device. If
you send an email to the "listserv address" the message
will be broadcast to everyone on the list.
Keep in mind if you do want to send a message to one individual
in our class - send it to them and not to the list. Everyone
will get every message sent to the list.
We will also use a webboard. This is an electronic bulletin board which allows everyone to participate in ideas and keeps it all organized. Threads of conversation are made, comments to individuals can be recorded and messages can also be deleted by the sender.
We will use a website for posting our programs. More on that later.
First: Using the information you have recieved post an email message to the listserv and introduce yourselfs to the group. I will take that information with the photo that you sent (yes, there was purpose behind that) and create a location on our class website for each of the members of our class.
Next: Take
time to install your MicroWorlds software. The installation should
be straightforward regardless of which computer OS you are using
- Mac or Windows. If you have access to a Laser printer you may
want to print out the users guide. (Just as a reference - the
software help files has the same information) In order to print
this out you will need Adobe Acrobat. This is a free program
available at: http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep.html
Download
and install
this now - it will come in handy through this course.
You will
also want to print a copy of some general lesson plans I wrote
for LogoWriter (the precursor to our MicroWorlds)
available on the web at: http://home.att.net/~bcattanach/logoplans.html or in the Adobe
Acrobat Portable Document
Format (PDF) at: http://home.att.net/~bcattanach/logoplans.pdf
Read the Introduction in Yoder's text on MicroWorlds and Papert's Introduction in Mindstorms.
For those
over achiever types who want to work ahead - Install the MicroWorlds
Player from the CD or from the website at: http://www.microworlds.com/webplayer/index.html
If you
have time look around the LCSI website at:
http://www.lcsi.ca the home of MicroWorlds
and other related products.
That's plenty for the first week. Any questions you have: Write the listserv! I will be monitoring all comments and we can work together. Many of your classmates will have the answer quicker than I will !!
Bruce
Lecture 2
Other lectures describing and guiding students through Logo Programming and Microworlds will follow - each linked to the syllabus and content.