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| | Turtle Art is an activity with a Logo-inspired graphical "turtle" that draws colorful art based on [http://wiki.laptop.org/go/Scratch Scratch]-like snap-together visual programming elements. | | Turtle Art is an activity with a Logo-inspired graphical "turtle" that draws colorful art based on [http://wiki.laptop.org/go/Scratch Scratch]-like snap-together visual programming elements. |
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| − | Turtle Art is intended to be a stepping stone to the Logo programming language, but there are many restrictions compared to Logo. (Only numeric global variables and stack items are available, no lists or other data-structures. The conditionals and some of the functions only take constants or variables, not expressions. Limited screen real-estate makes building large programs unfeasible.) However, you can export your Turtle Art creations to [[#Exporting to Berkeley Logo|Berkeley Logo]]. The [[Activities/TAExperimental|experimental version of Turtle Art]] also has a (limited) facility for sensor input, so, for example, you can move the Turtle based upon sound volume or pitch. | + | Turtle Art is intended to be a stepping stone to the Logo programming language, but there are many restrictions compared to Logo. (Only numeric global variables and stack items are available, no lists or other data-structures. The conditionals and some of the functions only take constants or variables, not expressions. Limited screen real-estate makes building large programs unfeasible.) However, you can export your Turtle Art creations to [[#Exporting to Berkeley Logo|Berkeley Logo]]. |
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| − | A [[Activities/Turtle Art/Templates|portfolio feature]] lets you use Turtle Art to create multimedia slide shows from material retrieved from your Journal. The basic idea is to import images (and eventually movies, audio, and text files) into slide templates, not unlike Powerpoint, and then show a presentation by stepping through them. The portfolio includes the typical major functions of presentation software: an editor that allows text to be inserted and formatted (this is largely incomplete), a method for inserting images (from the Journal), and a slide-show system to display the content. What makes it a bit different than tools such as Powerpoint is that you can program your slides using Turtle Art blocks. Turtle Art also has an export-to-HTML function so that presentations can be viewed outside of the Sugar environment.
| + | Turtle Art was written by Brian Silverman and is maintained by Walter Bender. Arjun Sarwal added the sensor features. Luis Michelena contributed to the "named" action and box blocks. Tony Forster has been the lead test engineer and has really [[#From_the_field|stretched the boundaries]] of Turtle Art. Raúl Gutiérrez Segalés has been a major contributor to the refactoring of the Turtle Art code base starting with Version 0.83. |
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| − | Turtle Art was written by Brian Silverman and is maintained by Walter Bender. Arjun Sarwal added the sensor features. Luis Michelena contributed to the "named" action and box blocks. Tony Forster has been the lead test engineer and has really [[#From_the_field|stretched the boundaries]] of Turtle Art. | + | === Branches === |
| | + | The [[Activities/TAExperimental|experimental version of Turtle Art]] also has a (limited) facility for sensor input, so, for example, you can move the Turtle based upon sound volume or pitch. |
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| | + | A [[Activities/Turtle Art/Templates|portfolio feature]] lets you use Turtle Art to create multimedia slide shows from material retrieved from your Journal. The basic idea is to import images (and eventually movies, audio, and text files) into slide templates, not unlike Powerpoint, and then show a presentation by stepping through them. The portfolio includes the typical major functions of presentation software: an editor that allows text to be inserted and formatted (this is largely incomplete), a method for inserting images (from the Journal), and a slide-show system to display the content. What makes it a bit different than tools such as Powerpoint is that you can program your slides using Turtle Art blocks. Turtle Art also has an export-to-HTML function so that presentations can be viewed outside of the Sugar environment. (These features have been merged into the main branch of Turtle Art.) |
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| | + | Turtle Art with Arduino support is an extension of Turtle Art that supports data capture from the Arduino board. This branch is maintained by Sayamindu Dasgupta and Ortiz. |
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| | ===Learning with Turtle Art=== | | ===Learning with Turtle Art=== |
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| | ====maths==== | | ====maths==== |
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| − | A clock activity
| + | <gallery> |
| − | | + | File:TAclock1.png|A clock activity |
| − | [[Image:TAclock1.png|400px]] [[Image:TAclock2.png|400px]] [[Image:TAclock3.png|400px]] [[Image:TAclock4.png|400px]]
| + | File:TAclock2.png |
| − | | + | File:TAclock3.png |
| − | Calculating the hypotenuse and approximating the angle of a right triangle; Stepping through the program is a nice way to visualize the process of approximation; The final result of the approximation. | + | File:TAclock4.png |
| − | | + | File:TAgeometry.png|Calculating the hypotenuse and approximating the angle of a right triangle |
| − | [[Image:TAgeometry.png|400px]] [[Image:TAgeometry1.png|400px]] [[Image:TAgeometry2.png|400px]]
| + | File:TAgeometry1.png|Stepping through the program is a nice way to visualize the process of approximation |
| − | | + | File:TAgeometry2.png|The final result of the approximation. |
| − | And on-the-fly function definitions: | + | File:Sine.png|And on-the-fly function definitions |
| − | | + | </gallery> |
| − | [[Image:Ta-sin.png]] [[Image:Sine.png|300px]]
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| | Tony Forster describes his "adventures" with on-the-fly definitions to create an [http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_fTmGyLerUL4/SY0URR-P7TI/AAAAAAAAAN4/XySQUPHmiME/s1600-h/clockface.jpg analog clock] in [http://tonyforster.blogspot.com/2009/02/using-insert-function-block-in.html his blog.] | | Tony Forster describes his "adventures" with on-the-fly definitions to create an [http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_fTmGyLerUL4/SY0URR-P7TI/AAAAAAAAAN4/XySQUPHmiME/s1600-h/clockface.jpg analog clock] in [http://tonyforster.blogspot.com/2009/02/using-insert-function-block-in.html his blog.] |
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| | ====presentations==== | | ====presentations==== |
| − | | + | <gallery> |
| − | [[Image:Portfolio14.png|400px]] [[Image:Portfolio13.png|400px]]
| + | File:Portfolio14.png |
| | + | File:Portfolio13.png |
| | + | </gallery> |
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| | ====games==== | | ====games==== |
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| | Turtle Art can be used to write games, such as a simple falling block game: | | Turtle Art can be used to write games, such as a simple falling block game: |
| − | | + | <gallery> |
| − | [[Image:WeGotGame.png|400px]] [[Image:WeGotGame2.png|400px]]
| + | File:WeGotGame.png |
| − | | + | File:WeGotGame2.png |
| − | ===Portfolios===
| + | </gallery> |
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| − | In the era of high-stakes testing, we have the means to measure “which child knows more”; these data tell us about relative merit of the school in which a child is enrolled. The Turtle Art portfolio feature is an assessment tool that shows “what a child knows”; children become the curators of their own work. They advance their own learning and help their teachers, parents, and school administrators understand better the depth and breadth of what they have learned.
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| − | A [http://chronicle.com/wiredcampus/article/3668/electronic-portfolios-a-path-to-the-future-of-learning recent article] in the ''Chronicle of Higher Education'' claims:
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| − | # ePortfolios can integrate student learning in an expanded range of media, literacies, and viable intellectual work;
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| − | # ePortfolios enable students to link together diverse parts of their learning including the formal and informal curriculum;
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| − | # ePortfolios engage students with their learning;
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| − | # ePortfolios offer ''colleges'' a meaningful mechanism for accessing and organizing the evidence of student learning.
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| − | Turtle Art portfolios engage children in the process of reflecting on their work—what they have done, how they have done it, and how success these efforts have been—as they create a multimedia narrative to show their teachers, parents and peers what they have learned. Turtle Art Portfolio builds upon the journaling functionality of the Sugar learning platform, where every action or activity a child takes in the classroom is automatically recorded in a folder: (1) by enabling the child to select important learning achievements, be they in reading, writing, arithmetic, arts, music, physical education, history and social science, etc. Children answer questions such as “I chose this piece because...” (2) creating a multimedia narrative presentation from their selections (including audio voice-overs and video), reflective of the multiple ways in which children learn; and (3) sharing their presentation with classmates, both to celebrate what they have learned, but also to engage in a critical dialog about their work.
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| − | Turtle Art portfolio is innovative in three ways: (1) it builds upon a journal of *all* learning activities that is automatically collected; (2) it has unique programmability, fun and accessible to even the youngest elementary school children, but interesting and engaging to middle-school children as well; and (3) it has unique tools for both collaborating on the construction of the portfolio and its subsequent sharing with others.
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| − | Portfolios have been shown to be “a powerful means for children to assess their own work, set goals, and take responsibility for their future learning.” But portfolio assessment has seen limited applicability. It is a practical, engaging means to using portfolios. By building upon the automatic accumulation of work in journal (including a “screen capture” of their work) the portfolio process can readily be integrated into the classroom routine. Reflection becomes the norm: children are encouraged write in their journals (young children record audio notes) for a few minutes after *every* class. The numbing question, “what did you do in school today?” need no longer a necessary part of the parent-child dialog. Instead, the parent can talk to the child about actual artifacts.
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| − | Culling from the journal becomes part of the end-of-term assessment process. The process of telling one's story as a learning requires further reflection. At a “portfolio social”, parents are invited to view presentations and ask children about their learning; the child's voice is heard.
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| − | The classroom teacher can add addition assessment slides to the portfolio about themes such as work habits and personal growth, as part of an archive that travels with a child across grade levels. Through juxtaposition, the child and teacher can see what has changed over the course of the years, trends, and areas for improvement, Also, a classroom portfolio can be assembled as part of a teacher-assessment process.
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| − | Some additional background on ePortfolios can be found here:
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| − | * [http://ncepr.org/ Inter/National Coalition for ePortfolio Research]
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| − | * [http://epac.pbwiki.com/ ePortfolio Action & Communication – ePAC]
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| − | * [http://electronicportfolios.org/ Helen Barrett’s ePortfolio site]
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| − | * [http://www.igi-pub.com/reference/details.asp?ID=5072&v=preface Handbook of Research on ePortfolios]
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| − | * [http://www.epforum.eu/ EuroPortfolio]
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| − | * [http://www.eportfolio.lagcc.cuny.edu/conference/connections.html Making Connections National Resource Center]
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| | ==Getting Started== | | ==Getting Started== |