Thank you for your interest in Gary Stager’s Virtual Workshop, “Coding in the Age of AI.” Be sure to check out all of the resources, guides, and recommended reading below the workshop video.
If you registered for the workshop, you have an email in your inbox with the password to watch the workshop video (below) on-demand.
If you would like the password to watch the workshop video on-demand, click here.
Workshop Code
Lynx Code created during the workshop:
- Reporters with and without inputs
- Random gossip/insults
- Madlibs
- Plural software
Dollar Words Lynx code with annotations:
- Checking the value of a word
- Generating new words – what are they worth?
Play with Stephen Wolfram‘s code for exploring Dollar Words in Wolfram Language in this online notebook.
In the days since our live coding workshop, ChatGPT and Wolfram Language have made it possible to design your own “plugins” in ChatGPT. Read all about it at Instant Plugins for ChatGPT: Introducing the Wolfram ChatGPT Plugin Kit.
Critical information for workshop participants
Workshop Level
These activities are intended for 5th grade to adult. Following the workshop, you will receive access to the recording and related resources to continue learning at your own pace.
Required Software Preparation
- Go to lynxcoding.club and register for a trial Lynx account. Lynx is a web-based dialect of the Logo programming language
- Go to wolframcloud.com and create a free Wolfram Cloud account. This is a free web interface to the remarkable Wolfram Language
- [Optional] Sign-up for a ChatGPT account at chat.openai.com
Workshop Materials Related to the Workshop
- Introduction to Lynx List Processing handout
- The Building Blocks of Logo
- Introduction to Wolfram Alpha & Language
Workshop Content
Although most people associate the Logo programming language (and its descendants such as Scratch) with turtle graphics and animation, the language includes a great deal more functionality and power. Logo is based on LISP, a language originally designed in 1959 and still used in artificial intelligence (AI) due to its ability to compute with symbolic expressions. Despite being more than sixty years old, LISP is still popular in AI, machine learning, and quantum computing.
LISP stands for List Processing. Word and list processing in Logo is fun, elegant, and easy to learn. Much of the April 27th workshop will engage you in a variety of activities intended to help you understand list processing, mess about with language, build logical systems, and program computers to solve problems. I tested some of these ideas with fifth graders earlier this week and kids spontaneously observed that “this is just like AI.”
After developing a basic understanding of list processing and other fundamental computer science concepts through programming and debugging, I will introduce a classic arithmetic problem that caused ChatGPT trouble. This playful problem inspires more computational thinking, programming, and debugging to fact check ChatGPT and model complexity. The workshop will end with examples of how Wolfram Language may be used to supercharge this inquiry.
For Over-Achievers
Here are some things to read or watch to begin thinking about AI and computational fluency.
- Obsolete Skill Set: The 3 Rs — Literacy and Letteracy in the Media Agesby Seymour Papert
- What is Logo? And Who Needs It? by Seymour Papert
- Stephen Wolfram’s Introduction to the Wolfram Language (13-minute video)
- What is Wolfram Language – An interview with Stephen Wolfram (40-minute video)
- What is a Computational Essay? by Stephen Wolfram
- How to Teach Computational Thinking by Stephen Wolfram
- Game Over for Maths A-level by Conrad Wolfram
- Will AIs Take All Our Jobs and End Human History—or Not? Well, It’s Complicated… by Stephen Wolfram
- ChatGPT Gets Its “Wolfram Superpowers”! – by Stephen Wolfram
Learning Lynx Materials
- Getting Started with Lynx pdf manual
- Code to Learn – Canadian Lynx project resource site
Wolfram Language Code related to this workshop
- Article with code exploring Dollar Words in ChatGPT through the power of Wolfram Language – written by Stephen Wolfram following our conversations. Within weeks of our conversation, ChatGPT 4 added the ability to run Wolfram Language within ChatGPT.
- In the days since our live coding workshop, ChatGPT and Wolfram Language have made it possible to design your own “plugins” in ChatGPT. Read all about it at Instant Plugins for ChatGPT: Introducing the Wolfram ChatGPT Plugin Kit
- A Wolfram Language Notebook featuring Dollar Words code written by Stephen Wolfram. You may use, edit, or remix the code.
Videos worth watching to understand Wolfram Language
- Stephen Wolfram’s Introduction to the Wolfram Language (13 minutes)
- What is Wolfram Language – An interview with Stephen Wolfram (40 minutes)
- Wolfram Programming Language Quick Start (14 minutes)
- Introduction to the Wolfram Language Part 1 (thorough, but robotic 42 minute video)
- Using the Wolfram Plugin for ChatGPT: Live with the Dev Team (67 minutes)
Recommended Books
- An Elementary Introduction to the Wolfram Language 3rd Edition by Stephen Wolfram
- The Math(s) Fix: An Education Blueprint for the AI Age by Conrad Wolfram
- Dollar Word Riddle Book by Marilyn Burns
- The Children’s Machine: Rethinking School in the Age of the Computer by Seymour Papert
- Seminal Books on Artificial Intelligence
- A Society of Mind by Marvin Minsky
- The Cognitive Computer: On Language, Learning, and Artificial Intelligence by Roger Schank
- What Is ChatGPT Doing … and Why Does It Work? By Stephen Wolfram
- How to Teach Computational Thinking by Stephen Wolfram (Kindle Only – $1.99)
- Adventures of a Computational Explorer by Stephen Wolfram
- Idea Makers: Personal Perspectives on the Lives & Ideas of Some Notable People by Stephen Wolfram
- What’s Math Got to Do with It?: How Teachers and Parents Can Transform Mathematics Learning and Inspire Success by Jo Boaler
- The Mathematical Tourist: Snapshots of Modern Mathematics by Ivars Pederson
- Math: Facing an American Phobia by Marilyn Burns
- Invent To Learn: Making, Tinkering, and Engineering in the Classroom by Sylvia Martinez and Gary Stager
- Twenty Things to Do with a Computer Forward 50: Future Visions of Education Inspired by Seymour Papert and Cynthia Solomon’s Seminal Work by Gary Stager
- Inventive Minds: Marvin Minsky on Education by Marvin Minsky and Cynthia Solomon
References
Burns, M. (2006). Dollar Word Riddle Book. Math Solutions.
Burns, M. (2012). Math: Facing an American Phobia. Math Solutions.
Boaler, J. (2015). What’s Math Got to Do with It?: How Teachers and Parents Can Transform Mathematics Learning and Inspire Success. Penguin Books.
Martinez, S., & Stager, G. (2013). Invent To Learn: Making, Tinkering, and Engineering in the Classroom.Constructing Modern Knowledge Press.
Minsky, M., & Solomon, C. (2011). Inventive Minds: Marvin Minsky on Education. MIT Press.
Minsky, M. (1986). The Society of Mind. Simon and Schuster.
Papert, S. (1993). The Children’s Machine: Rethinking School in the Age of the Computer. Basic Books.
Pederson, I. (2008). The Mathematical Tourist: Snapshots of Modern Mathematics. Oxford University Press.
Schank, R. C. and P. Childers (1984). The cognitive computer on language, learning, and artificial intelligence. Addison-Wesley.
Stager, G. (Ed.). (2018). Twenty Things to Do with a Computer Forward 50: Future Visions of Education Inspired by Seymour Papert and Cynthia Solomon’s Seminal Work. Constructing Modern Knowledge Press.
Wolfram, S. (2019). An Elementary Introduction to the Wolfram Language (3rd ed.). Wolfram Media, Inc.
Wolfram, C. (2019). The Math(s) Fix: An Education Blueprint for the AI Age. Wolfram Media, Inc.
Wolfram, S. (2020). What Is ChatGPT Doing … and Why Does It Work? Wolfram Media, Inc.
Wolfram, S. (2016). How to Teach Computational Thinking (Kindle Ed.). Wolfram Media, Inc.
Wolfram, S. (2016). Adventures of a Computational Explorer. Wolfram Media, Inc.
Wolfram, S. (2016). Idea Makers: Personal Perspectives on the Lives & Ideas of Some Notable People. Wolfram Media, Inc.