Nebula/nebula.bin/Newsletters/NeXTNuggetNewsDigest/vol.06.07.txt

Internet Message Format | 1993-08-07 | 17KB

Date: Thu, 25 Feb 93 13:51:33 PST
From: Conrad_Geiger
To: [e-mail]
Subject: v6.7 - NeXT Nugget News Digest (vol. 6, issue 7, February, 1993)

NeXT Nugget News Digest (vol. 6, issue 7, February, 1993)

             ***  TABLE OF CONTENTS  ***

HIGHER EDUCATION / ACADEMIC ANNOUNCEMENTS (December/January)
 =>   20. U. of Houston Students Use NeXT to Develop Courseware
 =>   21. Announcing NeXT Education Software Sampler: CD-ROM Software
 =>   22. Accepting Entries for 1993 EDUCOM Software and Curriculum
                Innovation Awards
 =>   23. Digital Tool Works announces release of EquationBuilder 3.0
 =>   EXTRA - NSF Workshop for Faculty w/ Symbolic Algebra Experience


Conrad Geiger
Manager, International NeXT User Group Program (over 420 groups
worldwide)

All previous 47 Nugget News Digest issues from 1992 are archived at
the Purdue ftp archive site: sonata.cc.purdue.edu under...

In NeXTMailbox format:
      /pub/next/Newsletters/Nugget/Oct92.tar.Z
      /pub/next/Newsletters/Nugget/Nov92.tar.Z
      /pub/next/Newsletters/Nugget/Dec92.tar.Z
      /pub/next/Newsletters/Nugget/Jan93.tar.Z

and in text (ascii) format.

Past issues (early 1992 and 1991) also appear in
/pub/next/Newsletters/Nugget on Sonata.


____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________

HIGHER EDUCATION / ACADEMIC ANNOUNCEMENTS (December/January)


 =>   20. Article on NeXT courseware development at University
of Houston follows:


The Open Channel
University of Houston Information Technology News
Volume 9, Number 8 * August 10, 1992

Students Use NeXT to Develop Courseware

One of the most innovative uses of computers in higher education is
to visually demonstrate concepts which are difficult to understand.
However, a barrier to this kind of use id the lack of appropriate
education software or "courseware."  Dr. John R. Glover, a professor
in the department of Electrical Engineering, uses the unique
user-friendliness of NeXT workstations to allow students in his ELEE
4401 classes to develop courseware that visually demonstrates complex
engineering topics.

In this senior projects class, titled Computer Engineering Design,
students develop courseware that can be used in other engineering
classes.  In this way, students not only learn important programming
and engineering concepts, but also develop skills in project
management and technical communications-the presentation of
complicated materials in a way that can be understood by others-that
will serve them in their professional careers.

For the first half of the course, students learn about
object-oriented programming and the NeXT development environment, as
well as presentation and project management skills.  In the second
half of the course, students present their project proposal to the
class using a video project and slides they've created on the NeXT,
after which they spend the semester working on their project in teams
of two.  Each team meets with Glover for assessment and feedback at
least once a week during the development.  At the end of the
semester, students present their finished product, and turn in a
written report and full documentation for the software.

Projects are designed for use both as a classroom demonstration tool
for instructors and as a laboratory resource for students.
Instructors benefit from a customizable visual aid, and students in
the lab can explore the simulations at their own pace to develop
their understanding of the topic.  Representative projects from this
year's course include a digital logic simulator, a Karnaugh map
tutor, and various signal processing simulations, including linear
and circular convolution, and signal sampling/reconstruction.

Glover also manages another NeXT-based educational project: the
Summer program for Engineering Courseware Development.  In this
intensive summer seminar, students work full-time to learn
object-oriented programming and develop courseware as described
above.  Currently-enrolled engineering students and graduating
high-school seniors are eligible for for this program, for which they
are paid a stipend based on experience.  A special laboratory has
been set aside for this program, which provides a NeXT workstation
for each participant, a color system for demonstrations, and a
conferencing area.  Though a teaching assistant is assigned to the
program and Dr. Glover is available for guidance, participants are
expected to work without supervision.

This summer's students are working on projects including plotting and
graphics applications, which will allow users to move a graphical
"object" into another application; objects and programs for discrete
simulation which allow you to choose an object, set relevant
parameters, and observe the effect of your change; and user-friendly
interfaces for Mathematica, which allow the user to use sliders, text
fields, and buttons while still able to access Mathematica's robust
number crunching abilities.

According to Glover, the combination of NeXTSTEP (the NeXT's
development environment) and object-oriented programming makes it
possible for even relatively inexperienced programmers to develop
courseware.  Says Glover, "As Steve Jobs said, 'the NeXT does for the
developer what the Macintosh did for the user.  It makes it easier.'"




____________________________________________________________________

 =>   21. Announcing NeXT Education Software Sampler: CD-ROM Software

Over 500 Megabyes of Higher Education NeXTSTEP software available!
Call 1-800-879-NeXT to order.

BALTIMORE, - At the EDUCOM'92 conference this past Fall,
NeXT Computer, Inc. announced the availability of the first NeXT
Education Software Sampler, a CD-ROM containing a wide assortment of
public domain shareware education software for NeXTSTEP(tm)
computers.

"Our goal with the NeXT Education Software Sampler is to provide
users with useful, easily accessible software as well as to stimulate
users' imaginations by providing ideas for further development with
NeXTSTEP," said David Spitzler, higher education marketing manager
for NeXT.  "Because all the software on the disc was submitted to
NeXT specifically for redistribution, we encourage users to share
anything on the Software Sampler with others who may be interested in
educational NeXTSTEP software."

Most of the software on the CD-ROM is ready to run and can be used
free of charge.  The software was submitted by faculty, researchers
and students as well as representatives from various industries.  The
disc also contains demonstration versions of a variety of
commercially available applications, submitted by the third-party
developers themselves.  In addition, NeXT has also included the
source code of its modifications to the Free Software Foundation's
GNU-based development tools, including the compilers, debugger and
the emacs editor.

Examples of education software on the disc include FlyLab, an
application written for an introductory genetics course at the
California State University at Los Angeles.  Fly Lab teaches the
principles of genetic inheritance by simulating a genetics laboratory
of the common fruit fly.  Students can design flies that carry
various combinations of mutations, then "mate" the flies to study the
inheritance of genetic traits in the offspring.  Other examples
include Geo4 and Geo5, software for teaching and learning historical
geography, written at St. Mary's College of Maryland, and a
demonstration of Tarski's World, an application for learning
first-order logic written at Stanford University.

Organized into sections by subject, the CD-ROM contains more than 500
megabytes (MB) of applications, utilities, documents and much more.
For instance, the disc includes nearly 15 MB of music software, more
than 70 MB of mathematics software and almost 80 MB of programming
examples and source code from full-functioning applications.  Each
submission includes a README file with minimum standard information
about the application and who to contact for more information.

Price and Availability
The NeXT Education Software Sampler is available now directly from
NeXT for $25.00.  Interested parties can call 1-800-879-NeXT to
order.

About NeXT Computer, Inc.
NeXT Computer, Inc. designs and markets the industry-acclaimed
NeXTSTEP object-oriented operating system, and designs, manufactures
and markets UNIX-based workstations that run NeXTSTEP.  NeXTSTEP and
NeXT workstations are used by medium and large organizations to
develop and deploy mission-critical applications, using both custom
and shrink-wrapped software.  NeXT is headquartered at 900 Chesapeake
Drive, Redwood City, Calif., 94063.

-30-


NeXT, the NeXT logo and NeXTSTEP are trademarks of NeXT Computer,
Inc.  All other trademarks mentioned belong to their respective
owners.


____________________________________________________________________

 =>  22. Accepting Entries for 1993 EDUCOM Software and Curriculum
Innovation Awards

Contact:
        Phone: [phone]
        Email: [e-mail]

The EDUCOM Software and Curriculum Innovation Awards Program is
accepting entries for the 1993 competition.  The deadline for
submissions is February 26.  To request that an entry form be sent to
you, send e-mail to [e-mail], or call 301/405-7534.

There are two categories in which submissions can be made:  the
Product Division, for original software designed to enhance student
learning, and the Curriculum Innovation Division, which focuses on
the use of technology by rewarding excellence in teaching with
computers.  There is no requirement that original software be
developed by the submitter to enter an application in the Curriculum
Innovation category, just that the computer be applied in ways that
meet an important instructional need. The innovation might be the
creative classroom use of existing commercial software packages; it
might be the adaptation of existing packages for educational use; or
it might be built around new software designed by the applicant.

Entries will be reviewed in the following disciplines, all of which
are at the undergraduate level except Law:

* Natural Sciences, which can include Astronomy, Atmospheric Science,
Biology, Botany, Ecology, Forestry, Genetics, Zoology, Chemistry,
Geology, or Physics;

* Humanities, including Area Studies, Communications, English
(Literature or Composition), Journalism, Foreign Languages, or
Philosophy;

* Engineering, including Aerospace, Chemical, Civil, Computer
Science, Electrical, Mechanical, or Nuclear;

* Mathematics, which can include Algebra, Calculus, Geometry,
Statistics, or other;

* Social Sciences, including Anthropology, Archaeology, Economics,
Geography, History, Political Science, Psychology, Sociology,
Statistics or Research Methods; and

* Law (Graduate level), which can include any area of specialization.

____________________________________________________________________

 =>   23. Digital Tool Works announces release of EquationBuilder 3.0

 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Terrence Talbot
         Digital Tool Works
         100 Charles St, Ste D
         Boston, MA  02114
         [phone] (Voice/FAX)
         [e-mail]


Digital Tool Works announces release of EquationBuilder 3.0

BOSTON, Mass., December 9, 1992 - Digital Tool Works(TM) today
announced the immediate availability of EquationBuilder(TM) 3.0,
advanced technical publishing software for NeXTSTEP(R) 3.0.
EquationBuilder 3.0 represents a significant upgrade from the
original version, EquationBuilder 0.9b, released in July, 1992.

EquationBuilder is the first object-oriented, fully WYSIWYG technical
equation editor for NeXTSTEP. EquationBuilder 3.0 takes full
advantage of NeXTSTEP 3.0, making EquationBuilder an ideal tool for
use in an integrated NeXTSTEP publishing and presentation
environment. Using Encapsulated PostScript(R) as its native file
format, EquationBuilder expressions can be included in any page
layout, word processing, or presentation graphics application by
either simple drag-and-drop, copy-paste, or via the new object
linking capabilities of NeXTSTEP 3.0.

Among the new features in EquationBuilder 3.0 are multi-level
undo/redo, direct support for object linking of EquationBuilder
expressions with other NeXTSTEP 3.0 compatible applications,
universal drag-and-drop among EquationBuilder documents and with
other NeXTSTEP 3.0 compatible applications, complete support for
Services, and full drag-and-drop color.

Current owners of EquationBuilder 0.9b are entitled to a free
software upgrade to the current release.

EquationBuilder 3.0 is available through authorized resellers.
Discounts for academic institutions and students, and multi-user
network licenses are also available. Contact Digital Tool Works for
more information.

Digital Tool Works is a privately funded software start-up dedicated
to the development of productivity and authoring tools running under
NeXTSTEP.

All trademarks belong to their respective owners.


____________________________________________________________________

=>    EXTRA - NSF Workshop for Faculty w/ Symbolic Algebra Experience


AN NSF WORKSHOP FOR FACULTY WITH SYMBOLIC ALGEBRA EXPERIENCE

Contact:
        Email: [e-mail]
        FAX: [phone]
        Phone: [phone]

Revitalizing the Engineering, Mathematics, and Science Curricula via
Symbolic Algebra

WHEN
        Tuesday, July 13 through Saturday, July 17, 1993
        with an optional refresher on Monday July 12th.
        (Also to be offered in 1994.)

WHERE
        Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology
        5500 Wabash Avenue
        Terre Haute, IN 47803

STAFF
        Dr. Mark A. Yoder
        Electrical Engineering
        [phone]
        [e-mail]

        Dr. Robert Lopez
        Dept. of Mathematics
        [phone]
        [e-mail]

COURSE DESCRIPTION

This is a five-day workshop for faculty with previous exposure to
computer algebra systems such as Maple or Mathematica.  Faculty,
drawn from engineering, science, and mathematics, will learn how to
use computer algebra as an effective tool in teaching, revising
curricula, and making the contents of their courses more conceptual.
A participant will craft at least one instructional unit showcasing
the utility of symbolic manipulation software.

Participants will be shown examples of similar curricular
improvements that have already been made at Rose-Hulman.  In the
interdisciplinary atmosphere of the workshop, participants will
conceive, create, and critique units of their own.  They will leave
the workshop with a clear understanding of the potential for computer
algebra to transform their own curricula.

The course is taught in a laboratory equipped with NeXT workstations
and Mathematica and Maple; participants are seated in front of their
own workstation.


ELIGIBILITY

Participants must have previous symbolic algebra experience.
Participation in UFE workshops is limited to those in
permanent faculty positions in post-secondary educational
institutions in the 50 states and US possessions and
territories.


Enrollment is limited to 30 participants who will be selected on the
basis of topics they teach and their level of facility with a
computer algebra system.

If the workshop is full, or you are not eligible, please see the
Rose-Hulman shortcourse described below.


COST
Registration and room and board will be covered by NSF.  The only
participant cost is transportation to the workshop.

CONTACT
The course is part of the NSF Undergraduate Faculty Enhancement (UFE)
Program.  If you would like an application, please Email
[e-mail], FAX [phone], or call (812)
877-8143.

_____________________________________________________________________

In addition to the workshop described above we are offering the
following shortcourse for engineering, mathematics & computer science
faculty with little or no symbolic algebra experience:

"Using Computer Algebra to Teach Engineering"

The NSF workshop is for faculty with some experience using CAS in
teaching. For faculty with little or no experience using CAS who
would like to learn how to incorporate CAS into their classroom,
Rose-Hulman is hosting a 4-day shortcourse from 16-June to
19-June-1993.

The shortcourse will be much like the workshop, except that its
audience is not restricted by experience or geography.  During the
shortcourse we will offer a tutorial on Maple or Mathematica (your
choice).  We will also disseminate results from the 1992 NSF
workshop.

NSF is not funding this shortcourse, therefore anyone can participate
(unlike the workshop).  Unfortunately without such funding we have to
charge a fee of $800 to cover our costs.  This fee will cover room,
board, materials, etc.

Since we can't guess what the demand will be for this shortcourse, we
are asking for a $50 deposit (which will count toward the
registration fee) with each application.  If we get 20 deposits by
23-April-1993, the course will run.  If not, the $50 deposits will be
returned.

Please Email to [e-mail] or contact Dr. David
Purdy at 812-877-8321 or for an application if you are interested.






___________________________________________________________________
continued in issue 6.8