[Edu-sig] Programming for the fun of it

[Kirby Urner]

>you have to turn the teachers from Eloi (passive consumers of we'll give you 
>what we think you want technology) into Morlocks (the ones who make the 
>technology/write the code). 
>
>By the way, that is a very accessible book, whether or not you agree with
the 
>author on all of his points, and could be used to bring together parents, 
>teachers, and students to talk about these issues.  
>
>Joan Combs

I agree with Joan -- we need more Morlock teachers, as per 
Neal's non-fiction 'In the beginning was the command line'.

And it's not just that teachers are control freaks and 
won't let technology they haven't mastered take over for
silly reasons.  On the contrary, I think especially 
young students are in need of role model adults who 
aren't phased by computers and know how to put them through 
their paces.  

You wouldn't trust a horse riding academy where the trainers 
were afraid of the beasts.  So we definitely want Morlocks, 
not Eloi, showing off computers in the classroom -- lest we 
get another generation of passive "you do it for me" types.
Teachers are correct not to push computers into the limelight
until they achieve Morlock status.  As professional teachers,
that's their job (to stand for mastery and competence in a
particular field).

So when I imagine a healthy use of computers in a classroom,
it's not necessarily this situation where a teacher gets 
a CDROM going, and then walks away (computer as babysitter,
a kind of boob tube, freeing the teacher to give his or
her attention to other students).  

No, my image of health and proper Morlock role modeling 
is a teacher with a projected computer screen, writing 
interactive command lines in a kind of stream of 
consciousness way, talking and interacting, explaining,
popping source code (some of it written by the teacher,
some of it by students, some downloaded etc.).

Of course too much sustained droaning and watching 
someone else code is no fun -- that's just a mode the
head Morlock should have mastered.  Then the students
get to turn to their own machines and teach it similar
tricks, emboldened by the model of a teacher who has
no fear.

Kirby