🧭 Tech Tools for Creative Education

Introduction

This is my exploration of diverse tools to help explain things better. I will look at :

  1. Idyll Language: https://idyll-lang.org
  2. Observable JavaScript: https://beta.observablehq.com/
  3. Kinetic Graphs: https://kineticgraphs.org/
  4. Apparatus: http://aprt.us/
  5. Joy.js: http://ncase.me/joy/
  6. Tangle: http://worrydream.com/Tangle/
  7. g9: http://omrelli.ug/g9/gallery/
  8. Loopy: http://ncase.me/loopy/
  9. All Explorable Tools: https://explorabl.es/tools/
  10. APL: https://tryapl.org

Abstract and Course Contents

The intent of this course is to provide a brief quick introduction to several different tools that help to create interactive diagrams, web pages, scrollies to explain ideas and concepts better.

Hopefully each module will also contain a simple but complete process on tools and how to install, integrate, and use them in a non-intimidating way.

Since I am used to R + RStudio + Hugo/Quarto + Github + Netlify workflow, I will try my best to see if I can use any of these tools in that workflow. The best case would be:

  • simply invoke the specific tool in an RMarkdown or Quarto document. Today Observable is easily doable; Idyll also seems to be possible.
  • pass data and variables seamlessly between multiple modules
  • They must not clash, these tools and give me hell like with htmlwidgets in R which was a miserable experience up to now.

References

  1. https://michaelnielsen.org/reinventing_explanation/
  2. https://distill.pub/
  3. Bret Victor http://worrydream.com/
  4. Naval Ravikant. Good Explanations are Acts of Creativity. https://nav.al/explanations