EduBlocks

Teaching software development? Using LiveCode to build your curriculum? This is the forum for you.

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richmond62
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EduBlocks

Post by richmond62 » Wed Oct 27, 2021 3:26 pm

https://curriculum.edublocks.org/

"A completely free curriculum with everything you need to deliver six lessons using EduBlocks
to help your students make the move from Scratch to Python in a fun and engaging way."

Certainly well worth a look as to how one might effect something similar from some sort of Block-based environment
to LiveCode.
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SShot 2021-10-27 at 17.24.41.png
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KEY PHRASES:

"That Scratch and Python are different languages and share no concepts. This is not true. They may approach the subject differently but they both follow the same key coding concepts."

Obviously substitute LiveCode for Python.

"Understand that coding concepts are not tied to just one language and that skills learnt in one language can be applied to others."
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SShot 2021-10-27 at 17.27.59.png
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This can be implemented with a cardboard turtle on the table, or as an extremely
simple thing in LiveCode.

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Re: EduBlocks

Post by richmond62 » Wed Oct 27, 2021 5:03 pm

Tortuga.png
Tortuga.png (16.46 KiB) Viewed 5516 times

stam
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Re: EduBlocks

Post by stam » Wed Oct 27, 2021 5:37 pm

That does seem like a really good fit for LiveCode…

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Re: EduBlocks

Post by richmond62 » Thu Oct 28, 2021 8:30 am

mockup1.png
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Lest we forget that LiveCode is 100% fantastic for very rapid prototyping.

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Re: EduBlocks

Post by richmond62 » Thu Oct 28, 2021 10:40 am

mockup2.png
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This sort of exercise can be done with children on a whiteboard

or as a "build it as we go exercise" inwith LiveCode itself.

Personally I'd go for a whiteboard 'thing' first, forcing the children to
think first,

then do the same thing again inwith LiveCode so that it can be seen how really
relatively easily one can move from one's model of desired functionality
to something on which one can actually build one's program.

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Re: EduBlocks

Post by richmond62 » Thu Oct 28, 2021 11:16 am

The BIG QUESTION, inevitably, is at which point to introduce some

code

(down in the "undergrowth" of 'real' Primary schools [i.e. NOT Richmond's "Do what he wants and to hell
with government education departments"] this seems to be a DIRTY WORD)

into the classroom:

Code: Select all

on mouseUp
   put 1 into CLINE
   repeat until line CLINE of field "fCOMMANDS" is empty
      add 1 to CLINE
   end repeat
   put "FORWARD" into line CLINE of field "fCOMMANDS"
end mouseUp

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Re: EduBlocks

Post by richmond62 » Thu Oct 28, 2021 12:07 pm

I am going to MODULARISE the code by setting up action buttons for each COMMAND:
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mockup3.jpg
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Programmers will be well aware that this is an extremely inefficient way of performing this type of exercise: but
this is NOT aimed at programmers, this is aimed at children.

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Re: EduBlocks

Post by richmond62 » Thu Oct 28, 2021 12:25 pm

mockup4.png
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Well, Yes, up to a point.

I introduced a grid into the stack to make movement more obvious.

The SPIN buttons are disabled.

I do think I will bring a graphic "track" into play shortly so that the path the turtle traverses is far far clearer.
Attachments
Yertle.livecode.zip
Here's the stack.
(30.15 KiB) Downloaded 125 times

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Re: EduBlocks

Post by richmond62 » Thu Oct 28, 2021 1:30 pm

https://helloworld.raspberrypi.org/arti ... -edublocks

"Making the transition from Scratch to Python easier with EduBlocks"

Um? Well?

http://www.icompute-uk.com/news/editabl ... h3-blocks/

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Re: EduBlocks

Post by richmond62 » Thu Oct 28, 2021 5:38 pm

OBVIOUSLY as at least part of this exercise is get children "unhooked" from SCRATCH style blocks
it is not unreasonable to use exactly those blocks with which they might be familiar
as control buttons:
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mockup5.png

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Re: EduBlocks

Post by richmond62 » Thu Oct 28, 2021 5:56 pm

SShot 2021-10-28 at 19.56.09.png

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Re: EduBlocks

Post by richmond62 » Mon Nov 01, 2021 11:28 am

SShot 2021-11-01 at 12.26.41.png
Attachments
Blocker.livecode.zip
Here's the stack.
(125.78 KiB) Downloaded 127 times

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Re: EduBlocks

Post by richmond62 » Mon Nov 01, 2021 11:39 am

AND, while I'm "here"

[Well, frankly, hiding away in the Bulgarian mountains while the Bulgarians commit national suicide by refusing en-mass to be
vaccinated and their infection rate soars]

'GLIDE' is a case in point, and I would interpret it like this:

Code: Select all

move grc "KRUG" to 365, 365 in 10 secs
Attachments
Slow Mover.livecode.zip
Stack
(824 Bytes) Downloaded 127 times

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Re: EduBlocks

Post by richmond62 » Mon Nov 01, 2021 11:41 am

So . . .

I have demonstrated that it is entirely possible to have a SCRATCH to LiveCode 'thingy'.

BUT this will only happen with:

1. Will power.

2. Time.

3. Money.

SCRATCH provides on the sunny side of 200 blocks . . .

Setting them up, as I have done for a SINGLE BLOCK, would be tedious and time-consuming.
and take quite a bit of thought for some of the more "outré" blocks.

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think-for-secs@4x.png
think-for-secs@4x.png (9.92 KiB) Viewed 4846 times
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Admittedly, that one above strikes me as totally pointless, and, I suppose it would be equivalent of WAIT
in LIveCode.

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Re: EduBlocks

Post by richmond62 » Wed Nov 03, 2021 7:41 am

SShot 2021-11-03 at 8.37.47.png
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https://scratch.mit.edu/parents
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If I were a parent of Primary children, and I read that, I would
be quite worried by "Lifelong Kindergarten", as I would hope
that by the age of 7 or 8 (when children are generally introduced
to SCRATCH) my children would be being given something one hell of
a lot more challenging than what gets dished out at a
Nursery School.
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makey-activity.png
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Too many goofy smiles for my taste.

Certainly, by the age those young people are in that photo
they should have progressed beyond dragging EduBlocks
round a screen.

Mind you, that photo gives me the impression that computer
programming is NOT the focus there, it is some sort of problem-solving
involving a peripheral attached to a laptop.

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