<div dir="ltr"><div class="gmail_extra"><br><div class="gmail_quote">On Wed, Dec 13, 2017 at 11:18 AM, Paragreen, Chris J <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:paragreen.chris.j@edumail.vic.gov.au" target="_blank">paragreen.chris.j@edumail.vic.gov.au</a>></span> wrote:<br><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left:1px solid rgb(204,204,204);padding-left:1ex">
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<p class="gmail-MsoNormal"><span style="color:rgb(31,73,125)">I haven’t, but it gives me an idea …. A good way to embed some algorithmic thinking …?<u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p class="gmail-MsoNormal"><span style="color:rgb(31,73,125)">Chris</span><br></p></div></div></blockquote><div><br></div><div>I fully endorse the brief exposure of SD students to the concept of assembly code - even machine code, and how CPUs work in binary with registers and stuff.</div><div>But... going to that depth to teach <i>algorithms</i> may be less beneficial.</div><div><br></div><div>You <i>may</i> risk losing sight of the overall algorithm in the tortuous and bulky detail of the assembly code...</div><div>High level source code hides the gory complexities of CPU operations and lets humans focus on higher, more spiritual and abstract programming matters.</div><div>That's one of the reasons the exam only deals in generic, high-level pseudocode.</div><div><br></div><div><font color="#ff0000"><RANT></font></div><div><font color="#ff0000"><br></font></div><div><font color="#ff0000">In fact SD pcode is <i>so</i> high level that I have yet to see any VCAA exam pseudocode that even calls a function using parameters! </font></div><div><font color="#ff0000">This <i>really</i> need to happen soon. </font></div><div><font color="#ff0000">The lack of functions in pcode is a serious deficiency in examining students' understanding of basic modular programming. </font></div><div><br></div><div><font color="#ff0000">Would it be so hard for pseudocode like...</font></div><div><font color="#ff0000"><br></font></div><div><font color="#ff0000" face="monospace, monospace">sampletext <-- "foobar"</font></div><div><font color="#ff0000" face="monospace, monospace">mode <-- "upper"</font></div><div><font color="#ff0000" face="monospace, monospace">newtext <-- CHANGECASE(sampletext, mode)</font></div><div><font color="#ff0000" face="monospace, monospace">DISPLAY newtext</font></div><div><font color="#ff0000"><br></font></div><div><font color="#ff0000">and then include a function like</font></div><div><font color="#ff0000"><br></font></div><div><font color="#ff0000" face="monospace, monospace">FUNCTION CHANGECASE(T,M)</font></div><div><font color="#ff0000" face="monospace, monospace"> IF M == "upper" THEN</font></div><div><font color="#ff0000" face="monospace, monospace"> Convert T to uppercase</font></div><div><span style="color:rgb(255,0,0);font-family:monospace,monospace"> ELSEIF m == "lower" THEN</span><br></div><div><font color="#ff0000" face="monospace, monospace"> Convert T to lowercase</font></div><div><font color="#ff0000" face="monospace, monospace"> ELSE</font></div><div><font color="#ff0000" face="monospace, monospace"> DISPLAY "Mode parameter must be UPPER or LOWER"</font></div><div><span style="color:rgb(255,0,0);font-family:monospace,monospace"> END IF</span><br></div><div><font color="#ff0000" face="monospace, monospace"> RETURN T </font></div><div><font color="#ff0000" face="monospace, monospace">END FUNCTION</font></div><div><font color="#ff0000"><br></font></div><div><font color="#ff0000">... and then a nice question about calling the function, passing some parameters, and using the function's output?</font></div><div><font color="#ff0000"><br></font></div><div><font color="#ff0000">Think of how deliciously <i>juicy</i> the exam pseudocode could become with the added milky goodness of functions... drool.</font></div><div><font color="#ff0000"><br></font></div><div><font color="#ff0000"></RANT></font><br></div><div><br></div><div>My point is, it can be all too easy to get lost in the lower-level opcodes and forget the overall shape and intention of the algorithm one was supposed to be working for.<br></div><div><br></div><div>I don't miss the days when I could calculate in hexadecimal as easily as I could in decimal.</div><div>Now I expect software to carry that mundane load for me, like a faithful servant, so I can dwell on more lofty and ethereal matters.</div><div><br></div><div>Like lunch.</div><div> </div></div>-- <br><div class="gmail_signature"><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div><i><br></i></div><div><span style="font-size:12.8px">Mark Kelly</span><br></div><div><br></div><div><a href="mailto:mark@vceit.com" style="font-size:12.8px" target="_blank">mark@vceit.com</a><br></div><div><a href="http://vceit.com" target="_blank">http://vceit.com</a></div><div><a href="https://twitter.com/intent/follow?original_referer=http%3A%2F%2Fvceit.com%2Fwp%2F&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw®ion=follow_link&screen_name=vceitcom&tw_p=followbutton" target="_blank">Twitter @vceitcom</a></div><div><br></div><div>Powered by <b>nybbles.</b></div><div><b><br></b></div><div><b><br></b></div><div><br></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>
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