[plt-scheme] Teach Yourself Scheme

On Jan 21, 2010, at 03:14, John Clements wrote:
> http://li21-127.members.linode.com:8001/servlets/standalone.ss
> This servlet has the beginnings of a teach-yourself-scheme / "test-driven-learning" web site.  It's part of a mock-up I'm doing for a little workshop paper. 

I Like The Idea.  The only thing I didn't like was that follow-up questions appeared at the bottom of an ever growing web page (as Jon Rafkind mentioned).  I'd prefer a new screen.  Or maybe the lengthening page could at least start with the most recent questions.

Pamela Gill at Sierra College recently posted a link to this site:

http://javabat.com/

which I like quite a bit, except of course I wish it were helping people learn a different programming language.  At least it does have the beginnings of contract, purpose and test cases.

Maybe, if we want people to learn HtDP, every page on your mockup could have contract, purpose, test cases, template, etc.  You see the whole thing on one page, but you complete sections in the proper order, enforced by some JavaScript.

That made me think of another idea, for DrScheme itself.  Have little boxes on a DrScheme source page, that each just contain the name of a function.  Click on a box, and a window pops up (or div section expands) that has spaces for contract, purpose, tests, code.  You get to run your tests on that function in that new window.  When you're done with that function, close the window and the little box in the original window turns to a happy color.  The modularity this suggests, even within a single source file, could help make big hairy complex functionality seem more accessible and bite-sized.

Geoff