[Edu-sig] Observations from the Northwest Science Expo

[Jason Cunliffe]

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...