Production of educational material

[tiny]

This is a follow on from some posts by stan earlier. I am writing some introductory worksheets for the schools experimenters board based on the silicon chip 2005 articles. I am updating to include the use of directives and removing the use to the reserved 'loop'.

My main question is to do with the use of the if then statement, should I use the original
if ??? then Label

or the new

if ???? then
code
end if

I understand that they both have there place.

I will put a link to the draft worksheet when I can access my web space.

thanks
tiny

Edited by - tiny on 28/07/2007 13:29:07

 

[hippy]

From a software engineering perspective I would recommend using "IF-THEN-ENDIF" and trying to wean people off using GOTO entirely.

That would include changing "Main: ... : GOTO Main" into "DO : ... : LOOP" and "Main: ... : IF b0 < 10 THEN Main" into "DO : ... : LOOP WHILE b0 < 10".

The argument for using GOTO and IF-THEN-label is that it reveals the lowest and fundamental level of operation of the PICAXE ( and any micro or CPU ) while the high-level, block constructs hides the reality of what there are underneath the simplistic source code. Without understanding what's happening under the hood, it's harder to see the implications and impact of the code being written.

The converse argument is that high-level constructs eradicate the bane of 'spaghetti code' and make code easier to read, write and debug. It allows solutions to be expressed more naturally and easily, and a programmer can concentrate on problem solving not on how the solution has to work.

For teaching programming, coding and control my view is GOTO-less is better, but for teaching processor architectures and computer fundamentals, understanding GOTO is essential. Ideally everyone should be familiar with each.

 

[manuka]

Tiny: Good work! My earlier thoughts have been rather sidelined (as have my usual monthly SiChip articles) by the increasing pace of my life, plus wider involvement in assorted energy & educational topics.

I'm still open to a Picaxe Jnr approach using the "Electronic Brain Box"in fact, & have LOTS of thoughts I'd be happy to share. What ages are your worksheets being aimed at?

Hippy's GOTO reasoning is exactly in line with mine, although I come from a hardware viewpoint & hence don't have his formal programming background. Stan

 

[tiny]

Thanks for the reply hippy and stan.

I have just up loaded my first 3 tutorial sheets, they still use the goto statements at the moment but I am in the process of updating them.

The tutorials are still a bit wordy in some areas but I am trying to make each one a 1 page independant tutorial. This at times is not as easy as it sounds.

you can view them at

http://www.norwoodcheersquad.com/picaxe/
(sorry about no link here)

Stan I just received my first electronic brain box from NZ DSE as the Aus DSE doesn’t sell them. They are cool, looking to do the picaxe upgrade soon. Which is the better version to buy? Has most electronic style components etc as I got the second bottom and it doesn’t have much but can see the future.

I will be moving all the code to the if … then … end if, as I come from a programming back ground and find this easier and was over the moon when this became available. Can see some off shoot tutes on the compareing of the two ways to code??

will be working on some more tomorrow

bye
tiny


Edited by - tiny on 28/07/2007 13:35:38

Edited by - tiny on 28/07/2007 13:36:34

 

[boriz]

What ActiveX control is your website trying to install on my PC?

 

[manuka]

Tiny- I'm a great fan of single sheet handouts,but IMHO feel you need to rather tweak things. For starters(& especially since versatile .pdf) include a schematic & a picture on each sheet! There's no real need to say PICAXE TUTORIAL in such big letters twice. How about spaces for the student's name,date,marks & even of course your contact details/version? Suggest instructions say "use the back of the sheet" for their own code variations too. This makes your own life easier later on when -argh- marking/assessing of course!

I naturally applaud the code comments but the green on gray (even though in keeping with the Editor's style) here is a beggar to read clearly. Suggest some other combo-green on white maybe? You've not said the kids ages, but the level to me suggests some pretty switched on cookies. How much electrical/programming work have they done before?

Have you- ahem- considered cheap solderless breadboards? These sell for ~Aust$3 here in NZ &amp; I've taken to issuing these (neatly boxed as shown <A href='http://www.picaxe.orcon.net.nz/pik3.jpg ' Target=_Blank>External Web Link</a>to every (tertiary) student I teach. The productivity boosts are enormous - I'm presently teaching a bunch of new entrant NZ Army signalers about logic ICs &amp; have initially based almost all hands on work around such a breadboard kit. Teasingly I initially issued them pink boxes before settling on a more military green! Their progress,insights &amp; uptake have been brilliant &amp; ~TWICE the rate I'd normally expect with traditional logic trainer kits (which naturally we still also use). They- gasp- even work away refining layouts back at base in their own time! I'm seriously impressed, as these guys hardly knew which end of a resistor was which 3 weeks back. Naturally I'm intending to squeeze in a few 08M/14M sessions...

BRAIN BOXES: I've had a good play with most versions on sale here in NZ, &amp; still find the smallest &quot;80&quot; the best value. Thanks to a few trade contacts I've managed to grab 30 of these for as low as Aust$10 each. They've had a real thrashing with hundreds of Kiwi kids (ages 6-16!)<A href='http://www.picaxe.orcon.net.nz/gkid25707.jpg' Target=_Blank>External Web Link</a> &amp; overall are standing up well. One of their best features relates to rapid &amp; compulsive tidying up afterwards. I'm still intending to PICAXE the sound box in the style shown <A href='http://www.picaxe.orcon.net.nz/ebb08jnr.jpg' Target=_Blank>External Web Link</a>, especially given that kids gravitate to the kits inbuilt &quot;bomb drop + explosion/ police siren&quot; sounds. Stan

 

[Michael 2727]

Nice job, the comments in light green are a little hard to read tho. Maybe change the font colour in the editor.
2 cents worth.

 

[tiny]

Sorry boriz I quickly built the page in word and it puts in is own xml stuff.

Stan - I understand you comments and agree with most of them. My students are yr10/11 (15/16yo) students with little to no knowledge of electronics/micros. I will post an image of the hardware I have built based around the schools experimenters board (the students make these uo in year 11). The have a small bread board (the one you use for the picnix box.) attached.
I agree I need to get less onto each page and the layout is only a first approx.

I will endevour to put more up today, as this keeps me busy at my inlaws.

bye
tiny

 

[tiny]

Just a quick note:

these first versions I am going to trial on some teachers about to teach picaxes in their classrooms. I don't mind them being wordy at this point.

More will follow, all in good time my dear

bye
tiny

 

[BrendanP]

Tiny, why dont you put some video tutorials on YouTube?. Have the written tutes and have a address on the bottom of the sheet which is to YouTube which shows in video what the written tute is about. ie. wiring up a bread board for a 0M8.

 

 

[demonicpicaxeguy]

it's a good point on youtube there are a few for tthe basic stamp and ardino (can't spell it)

 

[moxhamj]

These single page sheets are great. I'm thinking how to get the link between someone like myself who can build electronics without really thinking about it, and my kids (7,9,11) who are experts at playing computer games but really know nothing about electronics or computers. These sorts of intro sheets could be just the ticket!

I'll very much second Manuka's comments about breadboards. Pre-made PCBs are great for doing one task, but as soon as one wants to try something new, nothing beats a breadboard. They are so cheap nowdays.

With breadboards, it could be a simple thing for the teacher to issue the chip plus a few resistors and LEDs and show kids how to do the standard circuits. Big colour photos help a lot (like Manuka does). Then one could have a series of info sheets to take things a bit further. And for the really keen kids, a kit of parts that one issues in the right order, from simple to complex. A LED and an LDR and a set of resistors are much cheaper as individual parts than on a custom PCB. Who cares if a few pins get bent. Maybe add some crocodile clip leads to the kit for interfacing with bigger components like light bulbs. One tiny hint - with TO220 components twist all the leads 90 degrees looking at the device with the leads pointing towards you, then the leads are not so wide when they go into the breadboard.

Comment to Manuka - please don't stop the SC articles, no matter how busy you are. You have an uncanny knack for taking a complex problem and explaining it in simple terms!

Edited by - Dr_Acula on 29/07/2007 10:12:16