Embedding Logo In
Component-Oriented Worlds
For Explorarory Learning

 

George Tsironis
Computer Technology Institute,
P.O. Box 1122, 261 10 Patras,
Greece,
tel: +30 61 273496,
fax: +30 61 222086
email:
tsironis@cti.gr

 

The purpose of this demonstration is to present an exploratory learning environment for the construction of Mathematics and Geography microworlds. The work is being accomplished in the course of project "YDEES", in the Computer Technology Institute, Patras, Greece. The main products of the project are:

The software development is based on the component - oriented approach and has been carried out on both PC and Macintosh platforms using the OpenDoc standard.

According to the component approach, instead of having to use distinct, closed, specific purpose, independent educational applications, the end-user is provided with a library of software components, which can be assembled in order to construct compound microworlds.. Components are autonomous, reusable computational objects that bear a well-defined, simplex or complex functionality. They serve as the building blocks from which domain subject specific or arbitrary microworlds can be composed by the end-user. Examples of components can be a calculator, a slider, a map browser, a globe etc.

Our work has focused on three main areas:

1. Redesigning Logo to fit in component-oriented environments. This process has resulted in the implementation of the following components:

2. Developing several components for Mathematics and Geography such as:

3. Broadening the scope of Logo in a component oriented environment. Logo was given a new central role regarding the manipulation of all the software components participating in a microworld. This was accomplished by the enrichment of the Logo language with new primitives -specific to every software component- and the consequent enhancement of its functionality, resulting in the implementation of a new component flavor of the Logo language, namely CompoLogo.

The demonstration will present various examples of how the components described above can be assembled to construct exploratory microworlds for Mathematics and Geography, emphasizing on the role of Logo as the core symbolic representation tool.