Cooperative/interactive learning system for logic instruction

• US 5,868,575 A
• Filed: 05/20/1996
• Issued: 02/09/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 05/20/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Robert M. Kuczewski
• Original Assignee: Robert M. Kuczewski
• Inventors: Kuczewski, Robert M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Cheng, Joe H.
• Application Number:
  US08/650,480
• Time in Patent Office: 995 Days
• Field of Search: 434/118, 434/219, 434/224, 434/307 R, 434/308, 434/365, 434/379, 395/500, 395/927, 364/578, 364/800-802, 345/326, 345/950, 706/927
• US Class Current: 434/118
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 19/0053 Computers, e.g. programming
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 23/186 for digital electronics; for computers, e.g. microprocessors
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 5/14 with provision for individual teacher-student communication
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 706/927 Education or instruction

Abstract

A cooperative, interactive computer logic instruction system is disclosed in which students participate by performing individual gate and component functions. These functions are linked together by connections carrying power, ground, and signals to form a cooperative logic system distributed over the entire class. Individual components range from gates and other low-level electronics up through larger scale devices and computer components. An important aspect of this invention is that each student linked in the system must actually perform the assigned function themselves in order to generate the proper output which then feeds as input to other students in the system. In this manner, entire logic circuits, computers, and networks may be modeled and understood. In addition to the manual mode described above, each component also supports an automatic mode for demonstration, error checking, and completion of circuits not exactly suited to the particular number of students in a given classroom situation.

Claims

1. An educational method for teaching a plurality of persons the operation of a selected system and the operation of a plurality of different system elements of said selected system comprising the steps of:

assigning to each one of said plurality of persons an individual different one of said plurality of different system elements;

simulating the operation of each one of the assigned individual different system elements by each one of said plurality of persons;

simulating by at least two persons of said plurality of persons the combined operation of their assigned individual different system elements to teach a resulting combination thereof; and

simulating by said plurality of persons the combined operation of all of said assigned individual different elements to teach the operation of said selected system.

2. The educational method of claim 1, wherein said selected system is a computational system and said system elements are computational and logic elements.

3. The educational method of claim 1, wherein said selected system is an electric circuit system and said system elements are electric circuit elements.

4. An educational apparatus for teaching a plurality of persons the operation of a selected system and the operation of a plurality of different system elements of said selected system, said apparatus comprising:

instruction means for describing the function of a selected system and the interconnection of said plurality of different system elements forming said system to a plurality of persons;

a plurality of different system elements, wherein each one of said plurality of different system elements having individual function, and each one of said plurality of individual system elements being independently operated by at least one of said plurality of said persons, so as to teach the operation of each one of said individual system elements; and

a plurality of interconnection means for interconnecting said different system elements to form said system by said plurality of persons, so as to teach the operation of said selected system.

5. The educational apparatus of claim 4, wherein said selected system is a logic system and said system elements are logic elements.

6. The educational apparatus of claim 4, wherein said selected system is an electric circuit system and said system elements are electric circuit elements.

7. An educational apparatus for teaching a plurality of persons the operation of a selected logic system and the operation of a plurality of different logic elements of said selected logic system, comprising:

instruction means for describing to each one of said plurality of persons the function of said selected logic system, the function of each of said plurality of different logic elements forming said selected logic system, and the interconnection of said plurality of different logic elements forming said selected logic system;

a plurality of logic devices, each of which corresponds to one of said plurality of different logic elements of said selected logic system;

wherein each of said logic devices comprises a circuit board means, connection means for exchanging power, ground, control, and logic signals with others of said plurality of different logic elements, actual circuit components as appropriate for automatically implementing the function of the logic device'"'"'s corresponding logic element, actuation means for accepting manual control input from at least one of said plurality of persons being assigned to said logic device for manually implementing the function of said logic device'"'"'s corresponding logic element, logic operation mode selection means for choosing between automatically implementing and manually implementing the function of said logic device'"'"'s corresponding logic element, control selection means for choosing between local mode selection based on said local operation mode selection means and global mode selection based on global control signals distributed to all of said logic devices, and

means for displaying the state of said logic device'"'"'s corresponding logic element including the states of any input signals to said logic element and the states of any output signals from said logic element;

means for sending global control signals to all of said plurality of different logic elements;

a plurality of interconnection means for exchanging power, ground, control, and logic signals between said plurality of different logic elements; and

means for supplying power and ground to said plurality of individual elements.