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Short Workshops and Courses
We offer workshops on a wide range of Logo topics. These are generally
from half a day to threes days in duration. Courses cover the same
topics with shorter sessions spread out over a period of weeks.
In addition to the topics listed below we can
design a custom workshop to more specifically meet your needs.
Game Design as a Vehicle for Learning and
Self-Expression
(suitable
for beginners and experienced Logo users)
Creating computer games involves learning
in mathematics, language, and other areas, and also provides an
avenue for literary and artistic creativity. Look at games created
by elementary and middle school students, including Mad Libs, adventure
games, mazes, and action-packed video games. Discuss techniques
and strategies for initiating and sustaining these activities. Develop
your own games during the hands-on portion of the workshop. Learn
how to post games on the Web. You might also want to read Computer
Games for Kids, by Kids and look at some games that were designed
and built by children in Video
Game Works.
Logo and Mathematics
(suitable
for beginners and experiences Logo users)
Explore turtle geometry, a rich environment
for learning mathematics. Also work with a variety of Logo mathematics
activities suitable for grade levels from kindergarten through high
school: extensions of turtle geometry for constructing mosaics,
textile designs, and other patterns; use of Logo implementations
of manipulatives such as Pattern Blocks and Dienes Blocks; functions
and graphing; explorations in probability and statistics; and application
of Logo to curriculum topics in areas such as fractions, perimeter,
area, and measurement.
You can find out more about turtle
geometry.
Logo for Young Children
(suitable for beginners and experiences
Logo users)
Examine
ways to make the Logo programming environment accessible to very
young children. Learn techniques for constructing multimedia projects.
Work with a variety of Logo activities that are suitable for use
with pre-kindergarten through third graders including platforms
that support beginning work with turtle geometry, language programs
for early readers, and animation tools.
Assessing and Extending Student Projects
(participants should have experience
using Logo with students)
We look at student
projects and ask, "What has been learned? Where can we take
this? What evidence do we see of programming skill and content area
learning? Is the project well designed and esthetically pleasing?"
Bring samples of your students’ work to share and discuss.
The hands-on portion of the workshop will be devoted to formulating
ideas and techniques for developing the projects further.
Logo Robotics
(suitable for beginners as well as
people experienced in Logo and/or Robotics)
The combination of LEGO and Logo opens
up a world of projects and explorations in science and engineering.
Design and build a variety of machines and robotic devices using
Control Lab™ software and materials, LEGO Mindstorms™;
with the RCX programmable brick, and Yellow Brick Logo, which is
currently under development at MIT.
You can look at some projects that
were developed at previous workshops.
Logo Grammar
(participants should have some experience
with Logo)
Logo has its rules and syntax. It is more
uniform and consistent than most programming languages and therefore
easier to understand and work with. This workshop is intended for
people who have been using Logo. We build on your concrete experience
with Logo to provide an overview of its formal structure that can
make its day to day use easier. Learn
about how Logo works with words, numbers, and lists; the difference
between commands and reporters; when and why to use quotes, brackets,
colons, and other punctuation; how to use variables; and how recursion
works. Some newer versions of Logo, especially
MicroWorlds and StarLogo, include multiple objects and processes.
See how the Logo language has been extended to work with these new
features.
You can read more about the Logo
programming language.
MicroWorlds Tricks and Techniques
(participants
should have some experience with MicroWorlds)
MicroWorlds
is a rich environment for exploration and creating multimedia presentations.
Learn a variety of tricks for working with and importing graphics,
sound, and movies. Find out about programming techniques that will
help you create smooth running and polished looking projects.
StarLogo
(suitable for beginners and experienced
Logo users)
How do termites "know" how to accumulate
piles of wood chips? How do traffic jams form? Investigate these
and other phenomena using StarLogo, a programmable modeling environment
especially designed for exploring decentralized systems.
You can find out more
about StarLogo and download a copy for your own use.
Upgrade Workshops
If you have just upgraded to a newer
version of Logo, or are thinking about doing so, this workshop zeroes
in on the changes and how they affect the way you work and develop
projects. The MicroWorlds™ Upgrade Workshop examines the differences
between MicroWorlds 2 and MicroWorlds Pro. The Terrapin™; Logo
Workshop uses the new Terrapin Logo and compares it with the older
Logo PLUS™; for Macintosh and PC Logo™; for DOS and Windows.
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