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'Teach Naked' Effort Strips Computers From Classrooms

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Re: 'Teach Naked' Effort Strips Computers From Classrooms

#11

Post by yummyfajitas »

mquander wrote: post #5
Oompa wrote: post #3

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This maybe true, but I cringe at the thought of writing code on paper.

Well, hopefully nobody is asking you to write legal Java down to the last namespace and semicolon on paper. (I know some classes do this; I think it's foolish.) But writing semi-legal Scheme or pseudocode on paper is easy and no more strange or demanding than doing mathematics on paper. I don't think it deserves a cringe. Also, if it's some small degree harder to actually physically write the program, I'm not sure th…

Regarding math on paper, I actually find it's easier to do math on computer than on paper. Quick and easy calculations (e.g., less than half a page) are often faster on paper, but the long and involved ones require a computer to manage.

I might have different feelings if I didn't use emacs.

Re: 'Teach Naked' Effort Strips Computers From Classrooms

#12

Post by elbenshira »

yannis wrote: post #2

This is also one of the best ways to teach computer programming. Let also students write programs by hand on paper first. Too many students acquire bad programming habits by brute forcing solutions rather than solving by thinking and researching.

I agree, if you can program on paper, you can program on anything. Paper programming forces you to slow down and think.

I'm a CS student the University of Texas, and quite a few of our professors, especially at the entry level programming courses, disallow students from brining computers to class and all our programming tests are all written. This encourages patient THINKING and not sporadic TINKERING.

And about powerpoint: I dislike it because most people do it wrong. The lecture should be guiding the powerpoint, but most people allow the powerpoint to guide the lecture.

Re: 'Teach Naked' Effort Strips Computers From Classrooms

#13

Post by elbenshira »

wvenable wrote: post #8
yannis wrote: post #2

This is also one of the best ways to teach computer programming. Let also students write programs by hand on paper first. Too many students acquire bad programming habits by brute forcing solutions rather than solving by thinking and researching.

Programming on paper is amazingly bad (I've done it, mostly for exams). Even worse, you will teach programmers that you develop linearly (from top to bottom) and once a line of code is written it cannot be changed. Those are terrible coding habits. Really brute forcing a solution isn't bad for a first run. If they done it, tell them to make it faster or smaller. Given that they've solved it once, they should understa…

I write pseudocode on paper before I implement anything, and it has helped me tremendously. In fact, I think programming on paper encourages nonlinear programming. You can DRAW! Use lines and arrows to code blocks. Sure, it might get messy, but doing it on paper gives you a better idea of how your algorithm should work. You make less mistakes because making a mistake is more costly (you have to erase/mark out the mistake), so you tend to be more careful.

Re: 'Teach Naked' Effort Strips Computers From Classrooms

#14

Post by pyre »

elbenshira wrote: post #12
yannis wrote: post #2

This is also one of the best ways to teach computer programming. Let also students write programs by hand on paper first. Too many students acquire bad programming habits by brute forcing solutions rather than solving by thinking and researching.

I agree, if you can program on paper, you can program on anything. Paper programming forces you to slow down and think. I'm a CS student the University of Texas, and quite a few of our professors, especially at the entry level programming courses, disallow students from brining computers to class and all our programming tests are all written. This encourages patient THINKING and not sporadic TINKERING. And about powe…

Yes. Most people have taken Powerpoint and tried to use it as a replacement for having 3x5 notecards with major points on them so that they don't get lost during a lecture/speech. Unfortunately that is the poorest use of Powerpoint.

But this comes hand-in-hand with the way we choose professors. They aren't usually chosen for their teaching or speaking skills, just for their knowledge and expertise in a particular field.

Re: 'Teach Naked' Effort Strips Computers From Classrooms

#15

Post by pkulak »

Oompa wrote: post #3
yannis wrote: post #2

This is also one of the best ways to teach computer programming. Let also students write programs by hand on paper first. Too many students acquire bad programming habits by brute forcing solutions rather than solving by thinking and researching.

This maybe true, but I cringe at the thought of writing code on paper.

I had to write code in college for tests. Didn't bother me at all.

Re: 'Teach Naked' Effort Strips Computers From Classrooms

#16

Post by Goladus »

elbenshira wrote: post #12
yannis wrote: post #2

This is also one of the best ways to teach computer programming. Let also students write programs by hand on paper first. Too many students acquire bad programming habits by brute forcing solutions rather than solving by thinking and researching.

I agree, if you can program on paper, you can program on anything. Paper programming forces you to slow down and think. I'm a CS student the University of Texas, and quite a few of our professors, especially at the entry level programming courses, disallow students from brining computers to class and all our programming tests are all written. This encourages patient THINKING and not sporadic TINKERING. And about powe…

I program better on a computer because despite my Catholic elementary school penmanship training my hand begins to ache after a few minutes of handwriting, and I write slowly. The longer I have to hold a pen or a pencil the more difficult it becomes to concentrate on anything but how uncomfortable my hands are.

I reach for pencil and paper all the time for solving problems, but if I can't write what has to be written in less than 5-10 minutes it's not worth it.

Re: 'Teach Naked' Effort Strips Computers From Classrooms

#17

Post by RK »

yummyfajitas wrote: post #11
mquander wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Well, hopefully nobody is asking you to write legal Java down to the last namespace and semicolon on paper. (I know some classes do this; I think it's foolish.) But writing semi-legal Scheme or pseudocode on paper is easy and no more strange or demanding than doing mathematics on paper. I don't think it deserves a cringe. Also, if it's some small degree harder to actually physically write the program, I'm not sure th…

Regarding math on paper, I actually find it's easier to do math on computer than on paper. Quick and easy calculations (e.g., less than half a page) are often faster on paper, but the long and involved ones require a computer to manage. I might have different feelings if I didn't use emacs.

Are you one of those people who TeX's their notes while sitting in class? I'm always amazed by that. Wish I could pull it off :)

Long calculations are a pain, but I find doing it by hand is good, so that I can go back and find mistakes. I tend to use one long scratch pads, so that I have a sort of ongoing, live revision control. When I use LaTeX I tend to erase stuff, because I want LaTex to look nice, and of course the erased parts might have been useful later.

Re: 'Teach Naked' Effort Strips Computers From Classrooms

#18

Post by tsally »

mquander wrote: post #5
Oompa wrote: post #3

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This maybe true, but I cringe at the thought of writing code on paper.

Well, hopefully nobody is asking you to write legal Java down to the last namespace and semicolon on paper. (I know some classes do this; I think it's foolish.) But writing semi-legal Scheme or pseudocode on paper is easy and no more strange or demanding than doing mathematics on paper. I don't think it deserves a cringe. Also, if it's some small degree harder to actually physically write the program, I'm not sure th…

The high school Computer Science AP exam asks you to do this with Java. Missing a semicolon is a minor deduction, but it is still a deduction.

Re: 'Teach Naked' Effort Strips Computers From Classrooms

#19

Post by Herring »

krschultz wrote: post #10

Powerpoint ruins teaching. From students saying "I won't take notes its on the powerpoint, and the powerpoint is on the website", to teachers reading straight off the slides it kills me see an all powerpoint lecture.

Really I can't see that it's much worse than watching the professor write & talk to himself for an hour.

Re: 'Teach Naked' Effort Strips Computers From Classrooms

#20

Post by uybuyvg »

krschultz wrote: post #10

Powerpoint ruins teaching. From students saying "I won't take notes its on the powerpoint, and the powerpoint is on the website", to teachers reading straight off the slides it kills me see an all powerpoint lecture.

Isn't that one of those history of education things:

60s - write a 5000 word essay on the causes of the civil war

70s - write a 500 word essay on why the civil war was bad

80s - write a poem about how you feel about the civil war

90 - draw a picture about how the civil war was bad

00s - Copy the PowerPoint slide, make CIVIL WAR bold.

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