Talk:Application Program: Test of ability with arithmetic
Use UTF-8 for strings !!!
Using XML for translation strings garanties, that encoding isn't a problem.
<application name="aritmetic program"> <item>
<string lang="en">0123456789</string> <string lang="de">0123456789</string> <string lang="ar">٠١٢٣٤٥٦٧٨٩</string>
</item> <item>
<string lang="en">+-*/=.</string>
</item> <item>
<string lang="en">How many digits should the numbers use?</string> <string lang="de">Wie viele Stellen soll die Zahl haben?</string>
</item> </application>
While I certainly understand the merits of a discussion about how to develop software for the machine, I am not sure that an arithmetic proficiency test is in the spirit of what we are trying to accomplish with the laptop. While we certainly could use laptops to distribute worksheets and administer tests, wouldn't it be more productive to work with an example where the children are being expressive? Perhaps we could work with one of the examples from Logo? Walter 19:11, 31 May 2006 (EDT)
Thank you for your comments. The program is not so much an arithmetic proficiency test, though it could be used as such, as a program for children to test themselves that they can work out the right answer to a problem. This could be used in a ready-to-test situation as outlined in the http://wiki.laptop.org/index.php/Software_Ideas_-_Education#The_.22ready-to-test.22_concept section.
Whether the ready-to-test idea is considered a good idea and, if so, whether it wil be used as part of the One Laptop per Child project is for the OLPC management to decide, perhaps influenced by any comments made by members of the community.
The "spirit of what we are trying to accomplish with the laptop" is an interesting phrase. The children need to be educated. Qualifications are an important part of being educated if that education is to be applied to obtain employment. This application program is just a drop in the ocean along that path, yet it is a start. A culture that examinations are a fun thing to do because they can lead to recognition of ability could be a major turn around from the traditional culture that examinations are something to fear.
This application program is intended to be an example of a stand-alone program which can run directly on the as-supplied laptop.
> ..., wouldn't it be more productive to work with an example where the children are being expressive?
Well, it would be good to have an example where the children are being expressive. However, I have no idea at present how to proceed to specify such an application program. If you or other readers would like to start a page for such an application program that would be good.
> Perhaps we could work with one of the examples from Logo?
Yes. I know very little about Logo at present, though I am interested to learn, so I could not start the page off. Would the example from Logo be a stand-alone program which can run directly on the as-supplied laptop? If it is not then it is still worth doing, though something else would be needed to try to produce a stand-alone program which can run directly on the as-supplied laptop.
William Overington 2006-06-01 0621Z
There is now a page especially for The ready-to-test idea within this wiki. Your comments are welcome.
Why are you teaching kids to type in an arithmetic program?
I would have thought that a child needs to already know how to type before they are given an arithmetic program to use. Therefore, the repeated instruction to press the "Enter" key is not needed and patronizing. Kids are NOT stupid.
You could actually do this without any Enter keys at all. Show some indication that a correct answer has not been entered yet. Then time the input keystrokes and once the correct answer has been entered, pause for some short time before changing the indicator. The pause should be roughly 3 times the shortest inter-keystroke timing unless there was an inter-keystroke time longer than that in which case the pause should be the sum of the longest and shortest inter-keystroke timings.
If you insist on an "Enter" key then this should be a GUI Button labelled "Check this answer".
But, in general, I think you are going about this all the wrong way. A reward/punishment framework like this testing program is not consistent with constructionist principles. And designing a program needs to begin at the beginning, not start with translating strings that may never appear in the program or which may have to be changed after testing shows that they confuse the kids.