Week 7, Turtle Graphics

Turtle Chapter

Learning Objectives

Students will be able to:

• Understand Logo, Mindstorms, and turtles
• Compare turtle and Cartesian graphics.
• Use basic turtle commands
• Use the basic turtle class

Materials

• Deck of Drawings
• Drawing Instruction Worksheet

Schedule

Duration	Time	Purpose	Format	Name
–	Pre	TBA	-	Seymour Papert Videos
30	3:50	Review+Engage	Discussion	Homework Review
30	4:20	Study	Lecture	01 Logo and Turtle Graphics
10	4:50	Study	Lecture	02 A Simple Turtle in p5.js
25	5:00	Activate	Code	Turtle Challenges + Break
10	5:25	Study	Code Lecture	Challenges Discussion
25	5:35	Study	Study Examples	Images, Push, Pop, Tree
20	5:50	Study	Code Lecture	Turtle Class
20	6:10	Intro	Intro	MFA Assignment

Lecture

Logo and Turtle Graphics

• I’m a design + technology teacher and grew up programming.
• Seymour Papert researched how technology could support teaching.

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• Seymour Paper on Learning with Toys (1986)
• Playing with toys in a sophisticated way.
• Masterful use of computers.
• Creation vs consumption.

In many schools today, the phrase “computer-aided instruction” means making the computer teach the child. One might say the computer is being used to program the child. In my vision, the child programs the computer and, in doing so, both acquires a sense of mastery over a piece of the most modern and powerful technology and establishes an intimate contact with some of the deepest ideas from science, from mathematics, and from the art of intellectual model building.

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• Seymour Papert and Students (1972)
• Logo: Language created not for teaching students to code, but teaching students to code as a powerful tool for learning about the world.
• Turtle: a robot that provides a relatable context for coding

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• Seymour Papert on Logo + Body Syntonic Learning 4:25 - 6:45 - 8:23
• Body Syntonic Learning
• Transitional Objects
• Learning through Play

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• Steve Jobs, Bicycle for our minds
• A bicycle is about efficiency: miles per effort
• Masterful use of a computer lets you explore ideas further per effort

Turtle vs Cartesian

• Use examples in chapter
• start/end vs. angle/length
• absolute vs. relative

::: .activity

Homework Review

Observe, describe, and critique sketches from the past week.

Prepare

Individually, 5 minutes

• Review all of the posts made by your partner over the past week.
• Choose one work that you wish to provide feedback on.

Observe

Individually, 5 minutes

Observe the post carefully. Look at all images in the post. Read the post text. Look at any linked code or inspirations.

Discuss

Individually, 5 minutes

Describe what you see. Focus on what you can see, don’t comment on the artist’s intent, process, or success.

Individually, 5 minutes

Compare the post another work. Quickly choose a well known artwork that you feel has a formal relationship to the sketch. Enumerate as many similarities and differences as you can.

Individually, 5 minutes

Suggest possible ways the sketch could be further developed. Technical, formal, aesthetics, framing, concept, content.

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::: .assignment

Comp Form Case Study

Base

Conceive, create, and document a self-directed project that employs computational form. Your project may explore a concept introduced in class, suggested by one of your sketches, or revealed through personal investigation.

This assignment is required for MFA students and suggested for BFA students.

Calendar

Your project is due before the start of the final class meeting. You may submit it at any time between now and then. I suggest completing this project in March, as a sort of midterm. That way you will have no final in this class.

March 30

Optional proposals due. Proposals should be informal, 100-200 words, and include exactly two links to related web resources that I will find interesting. Submit proposals via email. Proposals are optional: you do not need an approved topic for this assignment.

If you submit a proposal I will respond with my thoughts.

April 13

Optional drafts due. Drafts should be complete, full-length, fully-proofed versions of your case study, meeting the full assignment requirements. Submit your draft by linking to your online case study. Optionally, include a google doc of your case study text.

If you submit a complete draft, I will respond with my thoughts. If your draft is incomplete or not proofed, I will not respond.

May 11

Last day to submit final.

Deliverables

This project has two main deliverables:

1. The project itself. Your project should represent about 5-8 hours of work and have a clear connection to computational form. Your project does not need to employ a novel technique but it may. In either case your project should not be just an exploration of a technique: it should apply computational form within a specific context.
2. Your written case study. Host your case study online on the platform of your choosing. Turn in your case study by creating a post on the sketch blog with an image, link, and brief teaser text.

• 500-1000 words
• Describe your goals for the project and explain how your project works.
• Emphasize the procedural methods employed by your project.
• Include at least 3 cited references.
• Include images of your work and precedents to support key ideas.
• Edit your case study for spelling, grammar, clarity, and style.
• Have your case study edited for spelling, grammar, clarity, and style by at least one other person.

I highly suggest you build this case study into your online portfolio. You have an online portfolio, right?

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