Re: LOGO-L> cloning procedures

[Bob Gorman <bgorman@kncell.org>]

I also teach using the cloning concept, and believe strongly in its effectiveness with both learning challenged and other students. By modifying a working procedure, the student usually has far more success than the habit of writing new code from scratch. I see several reasons for this:

1. If the 1st modification doesn't work, you have the old working procedure to compare to for clues to why the new one doesn't do what you want it to do.

2. Syntax errors are less likely, since you've copied working code.

3. A subtle effect: the student learns by example, good syntax, good structure, and (I wish!) good documentation habits.

When writing code from scratch, the mind must, at the same time, attend to:

1. The dynamics of your particular problem.

2. Spelling of keywords and variables.

3. The syntax of the language (specific LOGO-dialect & version).

4. The sequence of parameters.

By cloning, 3 & 4 are mostly taken care of and you can focus you mind mostly on 1,

with a little on 2 if you're a poor speller, like me.

In art, architecture, martial arts and many  other subjects we learn by the journeyman's method: imitate and improve, i.e. clone and modify. It's worked for 1000's of years.

How:

I agree with George's comments:

>Copy the code you want in the editor (don't cut it).

>Then paste the "clone" and rename the clone to the new procedure you desire.

>You had one procedure, now you have two. What if you really did want to rename

>the procedure?

>In the MSWLogo method, if you delete a procedure in the editor (or rename it) the

>old procedure will be removed from the workspace (i.e. What You See Is What You Get).

Future:

Color syntax and other features would be even better, but seem to be a way off.

I would love to build such an editor for LOGO using LOGO, but a variety of new commands would be needed. Editors, especially syntax-smart ones are complex on the inside even though they appear simpler on the outside, which is a goal of most good product design.

(If only Microsoft believed this!)

Make a meaningful world,

Bob

"To get NEW
Answers, you
must ask NEW
Questions!"
- Bob
Gorman