Re: LOGO-L> Re: what good is Logo?

[gary mccallister <mccallis@mesa5.mesa.colorado.edu>]

     I use Logo for a unique reason.  I am developing a course in 
Artificial Life and Robotics.  This will be a college level course in 
BIOLOGY (not computer science) and will be for general education so many 
non-scientists will be in the course.  I need something that will 
introduce the students to the concepts that they can get up to speed in 
very quickly and accomplish something in just 16 weeks.  
     Some of my goals for the course are to give students a taste of 
scientific research (idea, plan, hypothesis, experiment, evaluate, redesign, 
re-xperiement, etc.).  I also want them to function above the memory and 
analytic level: synthetic (creative) and problem solving.  I want an 
interface that is friendly to many intellectual levels and interests. 
Logo is absolutely the fastest, easiect computer language to learn that still possesess the 
necessary sophistication to really accomplish something significant.    
     I have explored many languages suggested by computer specialists over the 
last four years.  For my particular set of needs: ease of interest, 
power, and friendliness there simply is nothing better.  Of course, it 
also has the Lego Logo connection for the robotics (no soldering or 
pre-requisite of electronics).  
     The course has been offered in bits and pieces so far as special 
topics.  I hope to have it through our curriculum committee next fall and 
the first real course in 1999.  I hope you all hear about it again.  But 
that is why I use Logo.
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