Thomas Thank you for an interesting post.. My first reaction is that your ancdotes powerfully reinforce why people here, and elsewhere, have been articulating so strongly in favor of a new 'computer literacy' as opposed to computer use. Use of MSExcel by itself will lead to a dumbnig down effect perhaps as many times as it has the oppposite. Microsoft's philosophy in general is "we do it all for you - sit back and munch popcorn in yuor lazey boy!".. thisis why so programmers adn artists many fear an mistrust them.. The same may be true for any packaged tool which comes without guidance, experience or understanding.. And it is participative experience, the essence of an active and emersive quality in life which is the crucial difference. 'Experience' these days is a word which has been wholesale drugged, gagged, beaten and kidpnapped by marketeers. Making things, doing thinsg with one's own mind, eye, hand brain.. experimenting, making mistakes, getting lost, finding one's way, trying again, succeeding .. that is experience. I argue: #1 It does NOT matter what tools one uses - sticks and sand, pencil and paper, python and laptop. It's how you use them that counts.. [pun by accident] You said it yourself - she had internalized the data and the insight.. Had the kids who used Excel, instead been taught the foundation of programatic thinking using 'hands-on' CLI and visualization tools like Python _before_ having being turned loose on MSExcell with its blasckbox, counter-intuitive, packaged magic charting 'wizards', they might even have surprised you even more! Would you ask them to run a 3.x minute mile before they can walk? [-> see #2 below] #2 It DOES matter what tools one uses. It's how you use them that counts.. Tools which are open..let one explore, tools whihc let one build one's own tools and use them how one wants.. These are good tools to use for learning. Computers are among the most adaptible tools ever invented, because they are tool building tools. One can thus grow with them and adapt them to ones learning. [-> see#1 above] If people [schools] put computers and dependancy upon them at the focus, and then ask everyone to adapt to them then a terrible mistake and disservice is being made. However, if children and learning are the center, and we teach how to use and adapt these soft tools [computers] to each other's needs [programming] then I believe we will see a flowering of human expression and intelligence whcih will make the renaissance look like kindergarden!! - Jason ___________________________________________________________ Jason CUNLIFFE = NOMADICS['Interactive Art and Technology'] ----- Original Message ----- From: "Thomas O'Connor" <toconnor@vcd.hp.com> To: <edu-sig@python.org> Cc: <toconnor@hpvcpto.vcd.hp.com> Sent: Thursday, April 19, 2001 6:39 PM Subject: [Edu-sig] Observations from the Northwest Science Expo
On March 12 of this year, I participate as a middle school judge for the Northwest Science Expo held on the campus of Portland State University, in Portland Oregon. I was assigned to the team evaluating middle school behavioral science projects along with 8 other scientists and engineers. We evaluated 21 student projects.
...snip interesting annecdotes and concerned questions...