D4.1.2 TM Prototypes 2
Date: 16/02/2016
The ToonTalk prototypes are all located in the "tools" section of the WebLabs
WebReports site:
http://www.weblabs.org.uk/wlplone
In order to run the actual code, you will need to install ToonTalk version 3.68 or higher.
The installer can be found at:
ftp://www.weblabs.eu.com/
Under the folder: ToonTalk/Releases/TT_3.68_Full_Installer
If you do not know how to access this site, email us and we will send you a username and
password.
To use it, you should:
1.
Download the contents of this folder to an empty local folder.
2.1
Run setup.exe from the local folder,
OR
2.2
Burn the contents of the folder to a CD, and insert it into the CD drive.
3.
Follow the on-screen installation instructions.
Alternatively, you can email us, and we will send you an installer CD.
16 February 2016
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1.
Introduction
This documents the second set of prototype Transparent Modules (TMs) which are
available on the WebLabs WebReports site. We have iteratively refined these TMs over
the course of the second year based on evaluation and testing with students. The
development of the particular TMs has been driven by the particular activity sequences
within each knowledge domain that have been given priority and trialled during the year.
Owing to the major change in the WebReports system architecture (documented
elsewhere) during the second year, TMs are now categorised and presented in a much
more user friendly way. TMs are available in the Tools section of the WebReports site
and are categorised by topic. They may also be accessed by first visiting a topic page and
then selecting the tools link for that topic. It is also possible to include TMs in template
reports (e.g. worksheets) for students when appropriate. This improved structuring of the
storage of TMs makes it easier for students and researchers to navigate the site and locate
the particular TMs they require.
Some of the TMs take advantage of recent ToonTalk enhancements that were not
available in the first year. The majority of the TMs are single-use tools that are packaged
in ToonTalk boxes with accompanying descriptions. Other TMs may include a number of
tools that are packaged together in ToonTalk notebooks. This is generally the case when
students are working with a group of related tools in a particular activity, and having
them together in one notebook makes for easier use.
There is now a ToonTalk tool that can be used for auto-translation of TMs (see
http://www.weblabs.org.uk/wlplone/Members/Ken/my_reports/Report.2004-06-29.5237).
This means that documentation (text pads in ToonTalk) included in TMs adapts to the
local language. Text pads display different pre-translations of text depending which
language version of ToonTalk is running (English, Swedish, and Portuguese are
supported). We have included sample auto-translation TMs on the site (e.g.
http://www.weblabs.org.uk/wlplone/Members/Ken/my_reports/Report.2004-01-22.2613)
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2.
TM categorisation
The TMs are sorted by activity sequence category on the WebReports site
(http://www.weblabs.org.uk/wlplone/Tools/tools_index_html).
Topic
Infinity
Sequences
Randomness
Fibonacci
Primes and Factors
Collisions
Ecomodelling
Force and
Acceleration
General
All
Description
3 TMs used in the cardinality activity sequence.
12 TMs used in the number sequence challenge and
convergence and divergence activity sequences.
15 TMs used in the randomness activity sequence.
No TMs available at present.
No TMs available at present.
2 TMs used in the 1D collision activity sequence.
2 TMs used in the ecoliteracy activity sequence.
1 notebook of prototype TMs for lunar lander activities.
8 general purpose TMs that may be used for various
activities.
This lists all the available TMs (43 at time of writing)
Table 1. The TMs available in the various categories.
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3.
List of TMs
The following table lists all the TMs current available on the WebReports site.
TM
Lunar Lander notebook
Topic
Force and
Acceleration
Stream bar graph
Randomness
Stream counter
Randomness
Remove duplicates
Randomness
Nest to box
Randomness
Box to nest
Randomness
Destructive random garden
Randomness
Random Garden
Randomness
Sequences notebook
Sequences
Halfer Sequence Notebook
Sequences
The Random Bot 2D
(Sweeper Bot)
Randomness
Reciprocals
animal gadgets
Sequences
Ecomodelling
Eat
Diagonal tool
Ecomodelling
Infinity
Simplified export to Excel
Multiple uses
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Description
A notebook of tools for
acceleration, boost, and exporting
data to Excel
Plots a bar graph of the elements of
a stream
Counts how many times an object is
present in a stream
Removes all duplicated elements of
a box.
Converts a stack of objects on a nest
into a box.
Converts a box of objects into a
stack on top of a nest.
Picks at random one of the parts
(i.e. pictures, texts and numbers) of
the white picture.
Picks at random one of the parts
(i.e. pictures, texts and numbers) of
the green picture.
Notebook containing Apply, Add
Up and Excel tool robots
A notebook of tasks about the
Halfer sequence
Description and building
instructions of the Random Bot 2D
also called Drunk Bot 2D or "Berto"
(as pupils of Class2A suggested)
Generate the reciprocals sequence
notebook with behaviours for the
ecoliteracy domain
I "eat" the object I collide with
Used in activity sequence 8 of
cardinality of infinity
A tool for easy extraction of
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ShakerBot
ShakerHarvester
Randomness
Randomness
Bee-wop
General
Sequences NoteBook
Sequences
Decimal to fraction
converter
Data to Excel
Sequences
Constant
Spread out a sequence in a
box
Sequences
Sequences
Remove copies of the same
fraction
Divides 1
Add Up
Add 1
Stream numbers to a nest
Spread numbers from a nest
Infinity
plain text out
General
Coin
Halfer robot
Randomness
Sequences
Wrap around tool
General
Eraser
General
1D collision tool
Collisions
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Multiple uses
Sequences
Sequences
Sequences
Sequences
Sequences
numbers to Excel, or any other
program
ShakerBot RCX Robot
Description of the RCX tool
ShakerHarvester, with images,
instructions, and NQC file.
Makes a funny noise whenever it
touches something.
A notebook with several sequences
tools.
Converts numbers from decimal to
fraction representation.
This packages up two other tools:
Data To Tabbed Text and Plain Text
Out.
Produces a stream of equal numbers
This robot converts a stack of things
on a nest to a box with those things
spread out.
This is a tool used in the Cardinality
Infinity activity 4 and beyond.
Divides 1 by any number
Add up robot.
An Add 1 robot
Send numbers from a box to a nest
A robot that spreads numbers from a
nest to a long box.
A tool for copying text out to other
programs.
coin you can toss by hitting t
A robot that repeatedly halves a
number
A tool that can be used to make
something wrap around the edges of
a picture (like a torus)
This is about Eraser he can erase
from birds nest. (posted by a
student)
A tool that can be used to
investigate horizontal 1D collisions
between objects.
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Mass tool
Collisions
Copy touched
Randomness
Random garden
Graphing Tools
Randomness
General
Random gardens tools
Randomness
To Tabbed Text for Excel
Multiple uses
The RandomBot1D (Drunk
Bot 1D)
Randomness
A tool for setting and displaying the
'mass' of an object
Sends a copy of whatever it touches
to a nest.
random garden notebook
This a very modular tool for making
dynamic bar graphs within
ToonTalk.
ToonTalks tools for exploring
random numbers generators.
A tool that takes a stream of
numbers or boxes of numbers and
produces a text pad that can by
copied and pasted into Excel (and
other applications).
Description of the RandomBot1D
with instructions for building and
running it.
Table 2. Full list of TMs.
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