En-Presentation of Squeak Visuals-Toys

From OFSET Wiki

Translated by Paul Trezise Geoscience Australia

1 Introduction
2 Programming
- 2.1 Tiles
- 2.2 Who does what?
3 V-toys Children from 4 to 10 years, synopsis

[edit] Introduction

V-toys or VISUALS - TOYS is a brick collection programmed with scripts EToys which constitutes a visual programming language intended to the young children and for the pupils in difficulties.

[edit] Programming

This new way of programming Squeak objects is not basically different from using traditional EToys scripts. It appeals only, to identify the instructions which are presented in the form of tiles, icons replacing the words usually used for E-toys tiles in the viewer of an object.

[edit] Tiles

These Tiles are stored in a tab from which it is enough to draw them on the screen. They can be included/understood directly by any user without the assistance of linguistic indicators and having recourse to the translation.

Each tile can be tested using the exclamation dot on its left.

The whole of the usual tiles of EToys are thus taken again in a way symbolic system and easy to identify:

Turn by

Change of color of an object

The heading

Positions by co-ordinates X and y

conditional functions related to the meetings,

Operations

And other principles of programming which are not taken again here.

[edit] Who does what?

With E-toys you get the tiles concerning this object by clicking on the blue eye of the halo.

All tiles have the name of the object which is is receiver.(Ellipse in the example above).

To build a script, you have to draw the tiles in a script viewer.

With v-toys linking a tile to an object is at the same time faster and more direct.

[edit] Designation of the object to which addresses the order.

Linking a tile to an object is done by connecting directly the small square called designator of the tile to the object.

Click on the gray square located on the left - the mouse transforms itself into cross) the click on the object involved, the star for example, it appears at once inside the gray square.

[edit] Designation of the object providing information.

With E-toys,you use replacing to give information to a tile.

In the same way, inside v-toys tile, one will find on the right, another square, blue this one, which will be intended to receive the number of pixels to move.

The operation will be the same one between the blue square and the number. The blue designator indicates that the value of the object is used(here the numeric value of the number) not the object itself.

[edit] Testing a tile

Once the designation of the object and the number finished, clicking on the exclamation mark will execute the order.

The star will move by a number of pixels equal to the number displayed.

The blue square where the number was designated can in other tiles accomodate various information, most of the time given by blue tiles. (for instance the up-down value of a joystick).

A grey square is linked to an object, a blue square is linked to an object too, but is using a value given by the object. In the example above the numeric value of the object number' is used for moving.

The whole set of v-toys tiles is echoing the traditional tiles of Squeak Etoys.

This means that the same types of projects, simple or complex could be elaborated using this new writing, allowing to arrive at the same results.

A use with teenagers showed that language supporting on nonlinguistic data allowed pupils having problems related to maladjustments or delays on the level of the control of the language written could testify to a not-verbal intelligence very sharp and therefore show that they were able to succeed as brilliantly as others in this field of programming.

But it appears that this form of programming can also be included/understood by younger children who, for reasons related to the age, this time, have a more or less good control of the written language and value of the figures.

From where the idea, developed by Pierre-Andre DREYFUSS , to build of V-ToysEnfants whose tiles are more diagrammatic, and take into account their age and also the fact that there will be an evolution in the trainings as progress school acquisitions of knowledge.

It thus developed a language colored with the simplified data resulting from EToys having for objective to put at the range children the control of a virtual world and an initiation with the programming .

Moving the joystick will move the pointer givig immediate feed back.

Clicking on the dice will change the value and the length of the line on the tile. The reason of choosing the dice is that it is either a symbol by the conventional layout of the dots and just a representation of a set of dots which can be counted. If you enlarge the tile (using the yellow halo)you get the representation as a number.

The examination of the table above, very incomplete, shows that it is possible to put V-Toys between the hands of the children as soon as they can include/understand the significance of signs symbolic systems and before they are not able to decipher the direction of the written words or to know the value of the figures, i.e., at least as of the great Class of the Nursery schools, perhaps even a little front.

Moreover, V-toys are integral part of the environment Etoys , consequently they are held on same space and profit from all the characteristics of this environment, with the result that it is easy to pass from the one to the other.

One can reinstate of an epic the Etoy programming or go to make a turn on the space Dessin which one reaches while clicking on the brush presented on the orange bar of the functions. This space is a place of very rich creation, comparable with other drafting packages but which with the characteristic to allow to repatriate a personal production of a plastic or graphic nature on principal space called WORLD where it becomes an object which will be able to obey bricks of the programming of V-toys.

That introduced the possibility, for a child, to personalize his research and to direct it towards subjects which interest it .

That also makes it possible to very early develop, at his place, the taste of exploration and the possibility gives him of acting on an environment which it builds itself and to control it, even if it is in a virtual way .

Two spaces are thus not to dissociate.

In addition, dealt efforts with the handling of the computer and the program to connect in a rigorous way (if not that does not go) of the gestures, the startups of orders, and of the objectives to be reached, even modest, (I want to join the moon with my robot). can very prove formative on the level of the construction of the reasoning and the logical behavior, the gestural control and the space management, but to be also an opening towards a world directed more and more towards data processing and the communication

(I safeguard my work and I can show it or send it to someone else so that it of serf).

We thus will present a study in 3 parts which will trace some tracks to accompany the children in their personal explorations using some tools resulting from Squeak grammar.

The first part will be interested in young people which has to acquire the control of their gestures, to apprehend the characteristics of the space on which they work, to include/understand what is an order and how it functions and access to the written language does not have inevitably

The second will continue the efforts in the control of these same capacities by adding to it the development of the aptitudes for the quantitative evaluation and the introduction to mini-programming

The third could be a passage towards the language squeak itself.

An important point remains to be evoked, that of the participation of the Master, the organizer, or the relative who undertake to accompany the children .

It would be essential that it has some concepts of normal programming Squeak Etoys in order to be able to include/understand and locate the tracks of work on which he launches the children and, if need be, to prepare small exercises of demonstration to them. Many texts are available on Internet which bring information and knowledge necessary.

How to obtain the tools V-Toys Enfants when one has already the software of Squeak Etoys version 3.8 on the computers of its class? .

V-toys is not a separated program, calling upon another type of software, but a catalogue of tools which is inside ordinary a Etoys project and it is enough to download this project on normal the Squeak screen starting from the site D `information. It is immediately usable.

Any relative, very teacher, any organizer accompanying by the children in the discovery of Squeak V-toys and having a good knowledge of Etoys de Squeak, are able to organize itself the way in which it will take them along to enter in possession of this software and to then lead them in their progression and their trainings according to their capacities and of their age.

In the chapters which will follow some information and some tracks are presented for each of the 3 levels which do not have any vocation to be a method. They are intended only for initial squeakers to help them, in their role of guides and advisors, to overcome some difficulties and to find their own way more quickly.

Free with them, after information, to differently tackle then the problems according to their personality, of the advance and of lived of the children .