On Wed, Jan 07, 2009 at 12:41:56PM -0500, Simón Ruiz wrote:
> *lol* I remember running a hex editor on the binary of Moria and
> seeing the "super god mode" code sticking out as an odd legible plain
> text word in the middle of unrecognizable binary goop, so I wrote it
> down out of curiosity.
>
> It took me a few days to actually use it and figure out what it was, though.
You should've tried a hex editor on the saved games! That's how I
started.
Who needs god mode when you can quickly and easily both increase
your own hit points, and decrease the hitpoints of particularly hard
monsters. (Though that came much later, it was fairly easy to change the
PC's stats, including literally maxing out the money.)
> Alice is a java-equivalent "language" which is constructed via a drag
> and drop interface with drop down menus and such. This makes it
> literally impossible to make syntax errors, so students can focus more
> on understanding programming concepts and fundamentals than on the
> mechanics of how to "write" the language.
>
> We're beginning to use it for teaching programming in our Middle School.
Yeah, the rest of the world thinks of using it no earlier than middle
school. I think, "Hey, that may be an introduction suitable to age 5 or
6."
After all, I was already planning to teach her Python at age 8. If this
one is supposed to be easier to use, then it logically would be suitable
for earlier ages...
> BTW, I've found teaching someone how to use a language is a pretty
> effective "focused project" to get me to get a basic understanding of
> the language and then while I'm teaching it, to get my understanding
> tested and hammered on by questions and such so I usually end up
> pretty well versed in the basic fundamentals.
>
> I rarely get into anything too advanced, though, when I'm teaching an
> introductory course; I have to find my own reasons to explore more
> advanced topics.
Yeah. This sort of thing has actually caused me a bit of trouble in
classes in the past. This happens due to a craptastic "good enough"
approach to some facts, where presumably the details are expected to be
provided in a later class. Well, if a student already knows the details,
then it looks like both the instructor and the author are incompetant.
I blamed the author more than the instructor, of course, as the author
should have researched the material and known the truth beforehand.
Cheers,
Steven
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