Subject:
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Re: Robolab as a tool for teaching programming
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Newsgroups:
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lugnet.robotics
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Date:
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Thu, 17 Mar 2005 16:09:58 GMT
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Viewed:
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3907 times
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On Wed, March 16, 2005 6:34 pm, John Hansen said:
> In lugnet.robotics, Steve Hassenplug wrote:
> > 3) I think someone who can create a flowchart could program in Robolab
> > better/faster/easier than they could program in NQC.
>
> I don't think pre-existing flowcharting skills will benefit a Robolab newcomer • ...
> On the other hand, pre-existing flowcharting skills will benefit an NQC newcomer
> in exactly the same way that they will benefit any person learning a traditional
> programming language. The flow of logic, decision making, and procedural steps
> that would be familiar to a person experienced with flowcharting will translate
> directly to programming in traditional text-based languages such as NQC. And
> they can use their skills exactly as they learned them to design, code, and test
> their NQC programs.
wow. I guess I don't have a reply to that. My wife (not a programmer) has used
Robolab. She said it was like making a flowchart.
I assume you're suggesting Robolab has no flow of logic, decision making, or
procedural steps. I don't agree. But I have no way to support my opinion.
> > It has (A) a loop that doesn't use a 'jump' icon, instead, it uses a "while"
> > type structure and (B) it shows how 'comments' can be added to the code,
> > pretty much by creating a text-box whereever you want.
>
> While the loop Tom shows appears in his example to be something like a "while"
> loop it isn't substantially different (as far as I can tell) from the jump (up
> arrow) and land (down arrow) I've been discussing thus far. Its graphic is
> certainly different and it takes an itty bitty numeric parameter to indicate how
> many times it should do whatever it does.
almost like a for-loop.
I'm not sure I can explain how Robolab works any better via e-mail than I already
have. I still belive Robolab is a good tool for teaching programming. I'm not sure
if it's the best, but the kids seem to understand it better than a text-based
language.
So here's my speech. I've coached a First LEGO League team for the last four years.
In that time, with the help of three other coaches, we've had over TEN kids (8-14
yr olds) every year, except this year, when we had nine, and last year, when we had
five.
We've been able to write almost twenty programs, some actually having more than FIVE
icons. (When I say 'we', I actually mean the team. I don't do much.) And, I was
able to earn a three figure salary while doing it. (if you count the zero before
the decimal, and the two zeros after...)
I encourage the kids to create flow-charts, before sitting down to write programs,
because I think that's the wave of the future.
I really have no idea why the kids choose to do what I suggest, but it seems to work
for them. Over the last couple years, at every regional and state event they've
attended, the team has earned the maximum number of awards a team could get (usually
limited to two) and their robot performace has been as low as third in the state.
Frankly, I don't care what languages FLL allows. We'll stick with Robolab, because
NQC offers NO advantage to teams. With Robolab, our team will be able to spend much
more time focusing on things that will make a difference.
But, what do I know?
Steve
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Message has 2 Replies:
 | | Re: Robolab as a tool for teaching programming
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| (...) snip.... There must be some serious reasons, why ROBOLAB has won so many international didactical software prizes. One often repeated reason is the fact that ROBOLAB includes absolute fascinating datalogging facilities. This makes of the RCX a (...) (20 years ago, 17-Mar-05, to lugnet.robotics)
| | | Re: Robolab as a tool for teaching programming
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| (...) The text where I said why Robolab requires people with previously acquired flowcharting skills to unlearn some of their skills and break standard flowcharting rules was deleted. Flowcharting rules require that there be only one type of icon (...) (20 years ago, 17-Mar-05, to lugnet.robotics, FTX)
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Message is in Reply To:
| | Re: Robolab as a tool for teaching programming
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| (...) I would agree, but it was you who said "Programming with Robolab is much like creating a flow-chart" and "if you really want to know where spaghetti code comes from, we should talk to those who think flow-charting is a waste of time" here: (...) (20 years ago, 16-Mar-05, to lugnet.robotics, FTX)
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