We're preparing another issue of the Physics Courseware Communicator
(PCC), a quarterly (more about that in a moment) publication
reviewing physics courseware. Often we have some kind of ranking of
products, and for the next issue we'd like to report the favorite
software of phys-l readers for teaching physics. It's more than just
a popularity contest; we'd like to see if there are any interesting
trends in what is actually getting used in the classrooms and labs
today.
While by asking phys-l readers will obviously skew things since
you're more computer-involved than most, I think that the phys-l
tastes will still be interesting to report.
The PCC has been published for the last three years by the Physics
Courseware Evaluation Project at North Carolina State University. Our
funding has been patchwork, and that has delayed publication of
recent issues. But, we do have an issue that is just about to be
mailed (the Summer '96, alas) the fall issue in layout, and the next
is being written. For information on the PCC, send a request to
pcep@ncsu.edu.
Anyway, we'd like your help in this unscientific survey. Please
respond directly to me ( gastineau@badgerden.com ) and not to phys-l
(that is, don't just hit reply).
For the multiple choice questions, as it were, just delete all but
the choice you want. Otherwise, just fill in the form and email it
back to me. Thanks for your help. I'll summarize your responses and
post them here as well as the PCC.
==========
Your name:
School name:
School level: High School Two Year College Four Year/University
Computer operating system info:
Primary OS: MacOS(before system7.1) MacOS(7.1 or greater)
Windows 3.1x Windows95 unix other
Secondary OS: MacOS(before system7.1) MacOS(7.1 or greater)
Windows 3.1x Windows95 unix other
The list: please list the most important software packages that
you or your students use in physics instruction. Include applications
like spreadsheets, simulations, tutorial/problem solving systems,
math packages (Mathcad, Maple, etc) and data acquisition systems, MBL,
and CBL. Indicate how each package is primarily used: lecture/demo,
individual student use, laboratory. Give up to ten packages, but if
you don't use ten packages regularly, that's interesting too.
package primary use
1.
2, etc.
=================
again, just send your response to me directly and not to the list.
Thanks for your time.
JEG
--
John E. Gastineau (304) 296-1966
900 B Ridgeway Ave. gastineau@badgerden.com
Morgantown, WV 26505
www.badgerden.com/~gastineau