• Research in Mathematical Education
• /
• v.15 no.1
• /
• pp.1-14
• /
• 2011

Logo has influenced many researchers and learners for the past decades as a 20 turtle geometry environment in the perspective of constructionism. Logo uses the metaphor of 'playing turtle' that is intrinsic, local and procedural. We, then, design an environment in which the metaphor of 'playing turtle' is applied to construct 3D objects, and we figure out ways to represent 3D objects in terms action symbols and 3D building blocks. For this purpose, design three kinds of representation systems, and asked students make various 3D artifacts using various representation systems. We briefly introduce the results of our investigation into students' cognitive burden when they use those representation systems, and discuss the future application measures and the design principles of Logo-based 3D microworld.

• Communications of Mathematical Education
• /
• v.22 no.2
• /
• pp.125-136
• /
• 2008

There are different perspectives on a function graph. For instance, a parabola is defined by movement of a ball in physics and by quadratic function in mathematics. This study deals with the turtle motion, which is local and intrinsic, and the construction of function graphs with mathematical experiments in a microworld. This paper concerns with a function graph which is in the curriculum or in the history of mathematics. In view of pre-calculus, we introduce activities of mathematization about formalizing of length and area of function graphs without knowledge of calculus.

• East Asian mathematical journal
• /
• v.26 no.4
• /
• pp.447-461
• /
• 2010

Papert [17] introduced the LOGO environment in which we make a curve using LOGO commands (FORWARD, ROTATE). We call this geometry as turtle geometry. This environment has influenced many researchers and designers of computers and mathematics education. But the curve that we can make using LOGO command is elementary or too difficult. Polygon and circle is elementary and making other curves is difficult. In this paper, we introduce the method of drawing some other curves mediating new command. First, we study epicycloid and hypocycloid in the historical and the physical context. And we introduce the method of making epicycloid and hypocycloid using vector addition. Next we study the polygon patterns of this curve. Finally, we extend the method for making more general curve and we improve the computer environment using this metaphor.

• Journal of Educational Research in Mathematics
• /
• v.16 no.4
• /
• pp.367-386
• /
• 2006

There are two strands for considering tile relationships between education and technology. One is the viewpoint of 'learning from computers' and the other is that of 'learning with computers'. In this paper, we call mathematics education with computers as 'computers and mathematics education' and this computer environments as microworlds. In this paper, we first suggest theoretical backgrounds ai constructionism, mathematization, and computer interaction. These theoretical backgrounds are related to students, school mathematics and computers, relatively As specific strategies to design a microworld, we consider a physical construction, fuctiionization, and internet interaction. Next we survey the different microworlds such as Logo and Dynamic Geometry System(DGS), and reform each microworlds for mathematical level-up of representation. First, we introduce the concept of action letters and its manipulation for representing turtle actions and recursive patterns in turtle microworld. Also we introduce another algebraic representation for representing DGS relation and consider educational moaning in dynamic geometry microworld. We design an integrating microworld between Logo and DGS. First, we design a same command system and we get together in a microworld. Second, these microworlds interact each other and collaborate to construct and manipulate new objects such as tiles and folding nets.