Re: LOGO-L> Re: Is Boxer better?

["Charles T. Smith" <mrchuc@math.fan.org>]

At 9:44 AM -0800 12/30/1998, Jan Hlavacek wrote:
>
>My impression of boxer is that you can create graphics on a lid of a
>box,  but in order to do it,  you need some tools,  so the box has to be
>contained inside some other box and so on.  This can be distracting.  Is
>there a way in boxer how to make a big picture taking up almost entire
>screen,  with as little things attached to it as possible?  Can it be
>done in an easy way?
>
>My impression is that boxer is very "technological",  with the whole
>idea of "tools" and so on.  I like this very much,  but I can imagine
>that it may drive away somebody who just wants to play with the turtle
>and draw pictures.

Hello Jan,

You mentioned that you had not had a chance to actually work with Boxer. I
have only had an hour or two to play with it, but I an getting an opposite
impression from yours.

If one wants to just do the stuff that is available in older Logos, that is
available quite easily. One can open a graphic "box" (others may want to
call it a window) and then put commands in another (text) box. Other boxes
can be opened and used to name procedures. If you wish, each box can be
named and the the name used in commands or other procedures. Boxes can be
within other boxes. This all sounds kind of complicated the way I am
describing it, but it is quite easy to use in practice.

Placing procedures on the "flip side" (a la Logowriter and Microworlds) is
also available.

I really like to box metaphor. In fact, I have been using it for a long
time (long before I ever heard of Boxer) to help kids understand commands
like repeat.

For example, in the command line "Repeat 6 [fd 50 rt 60]"  I usually tell
my kids that the square brackets are like a box and that whatever is in the
box is repeated 6 times. In Boxer, there really is a box holding the
commands. Creating the box is done in line with a single keystroke, so it
is no more difficult than typing the traditional Logo line.

Boxer is indeed more powerful that many other Logos. It is not as "glitzy"
as Microworlds, but it could easily be made so. Considering that it is a
free version that has been developed for research purposes, I found it
quite intriguing--and potentially useful.  There are many example files
included to demonstrate the power of the environment.

In fact, I hope to spend several more hours with it during this wonderful
holiday break. I plan to show it to some of my 5th graders to see how they
like it when school starts.

For those who have access to a Mac, I recommend giving it a look. The
Windows version is in development and should be out "soon."

Chuc




Charles T. Smith
Professional Educator and Logo Maniac
535 Cap Au Gris
Troy, MO 63379
314-528-7074
mailto:MrChuc@math.fan.org
http://www.math.fan.org/~turtle_family


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