The Education Vector
Vector 4:2, page 31
Transcribed from the printed issue; not yet reviewed. Read it in the PDF of the issue, page 31
The first APL clear workspace, called CLEANSPACE, came to life in November 1966, and today in APL2, you can still:
to which the reply is
21 years later, as APL comes of age, it is appropriate to look back and view it in the context of the education/technology lag whereby today's development becomes after a lapse of time enshrined in tomorrow's curriculum. 21 years ago APL was an off-beat program harboured within the confines of IBM's Yorktown Research Laboratory. Today, as was demonstrated at the Winchester course in July, APL systems twice as versatile can be carried around on a floppy disc and immediately brought to life on a sundry assortment of computers anywhere in the world.
The Winchester course is adequately reported elsewhere in these pages - as a tutor it stimulated recollections of my own first introduction to APL some 16 years ago, when in order to conduct a course with on-line demonstrations, the entire computing service of a major University had to be suspended during the periods when lectures were taking place. APL itself resided on a disc file about the size of a small dustbin, and the University computer required a system IPL to bring even the single terminal to life. The idea of practical sessions was quite absurd.
As the wheels of technology turn, the phases of development will undoubtedly be repeated as the educational part of the cycle comes round. In particular, one recalls the difficulties inherent in APL's special requirements - keyboards, golfballs, EPROMs and so on - and these or similar hurdles will be surmounted anew as I-APL brings the language into the arena of the home and school micro. Already we see some of the first excitement of APL being relived by the teachers and students for whom it has now become affordable, and this will undoubtedly ensure that these hurdles will be overcome, and that APL will become a feature without which a school or college micro is quite unacceptable.
There is nevertheless a danger that the excitement remains within a closed group of enthusiasts, and it is still as vital as ever for members of the Association to be outward-looking and bring others into the fold. Keep in mind the "Please Tell a Teacher" slogan used recently in a VECTOR insert. A mention of APL, however trivial, can be crucially important, since human nature contrives that on first hearing about a new idea, the name is mentally filed but nothing is done. It is the second mention from an independent source that triggers action.
At the last Committee meeting Val Lusmore undertook to compile a list of "mentors" spread around the country who would be willing to act as advice support centres for teachers, and perhaps make visits to introduce APL to schools and colleges. Would members who are prepared to have their names added to this list please contact Val at APL People, 17 Barton Street, Bath BA1 1HQ. Act now, while it is on your mind. You determine your own level of commitment, and you could find such contacts highly satisfying.
A final news item comes from the City University, where a 3-hour Lab session on APL is incorporated into the M.Sc. course on Information Engineering. It is an open-ended activity in which there are no formal lectures, but students explore simple examples with the help of an instruction manual. It is good to hear of still more courses which have an APL content.