Using visual demonstrations to teach computer science (abstract)

Visual demonstrations and interactive visualization tools can be used in the classroom to convey complex ideas. This is especially true in computer science. For example, the short film Sorting Out Sorting and several algorithm animation systems have received a great deal of acclaim. However, this powerful educational tool is not used as often as it should. One reason maybe that existing demonstrations are not widely known or available within the community. Another problem is the lack of tools to create custom demonstrations. The objective of this tutorial is to encourage the use of visual demonstrations in the classroom for teaching computer science. This will be accomplished in two ways: 1) by showing examples of visual demonstrations currently used in classrooms, and 2) by providing access to demonstrations and visualization tools via Internet.