University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
Educational Psychology 387
Computer Uses in Education

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Highly interactive web pages: Javascript and Java applets

• Javascript
• Java

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Javascript

• What is Javascript?
• Javascript prompters
• Javascript libraries
  • Javascript Source
  • Website Abstraction

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Java applets: highly interactive learning environments

• applet: a little application
• Java applet is a little program written in the Java programming language that is transferred to your computer and runs locally
• Java illusion example

• <APPLET CODEBASE="classes/" WIDTH=400 HEIGHT=250
          CODE="Illusion"
          ARCHIVE="Illusion.zip">
  

  plus 7 other small files
• Java source

• Color additive mixing applet
• Color absorption mixing applet
• Chemistry titration applet

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Object Oriented Programming (OOP)

• program components (objects)
• "black box" functional definition (can be used without knowing what's inside)
• message sending; message receiving
• can assemble a larger application from object-oriented components

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How to get a Java applet you want

• Find one that does what you want
• Write one (ie. learn Java and become a programmer)
• Assemble one from Java objects that others have written (learn "just-enough" Java to be able to draw upon existing Java classes to construct an applet you need)
• Get someone else to write one for you

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Finding Java applets

• Sun's Java applet library
• Educational Object Economy site
• Interactive Mathematics Miscellany and Puzzles
• Java Boutique

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Learning Java

• web sites
• Buy a book ("Learn Java in 21 days" - 21 weeks? - 21 years?)

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Get someone to write it for you

• Jim Peterson's project

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