[Edu-sig] slashdot: Teaching Primary School Students Programming?

[Andreas Raab]

Arthur wrote:
> The problem might be the "progress" of Logo since 1983.

Try this on for size:

   http://education.mit.edu/starlogo-tng/

I saw a demo last week and there is definitely some serious potential in it.

Cheers,
    - Andreas

> 
> When I go to:
> 
> http://el.media.mit.edu/Logo-foundation/logo/programming.html
> 
> I see the potential of Logo in introducing kids to programming 
> abstraction.  One types within the framework of a defined syntax, and 
> gets immediate results, or informative errors.
> 
> When I take the next step and look at major current implementations - I 
> downloaded StarLogo and NetLogo - I am confronted with Logo environments 
> with lots of GUI doo-dads.  And lots of ambiguity about the purpose of 
> this environment.  Is its primary focus to introduce programming, or to 
> explore computer simulations for the benefit of what it is the 
> simulations teach us.  There *is* a fundamental difference.
> 
> It is hard for me not to describe these environments as 
> "self-involved".  That is always the problem with these kinds of 
> environments - to me.  One, in some sense, must "submit" to them, with a 
> promise of rewards if one does so.  But the kids most likely to excell 
> at Logo are, IMO, also the ones least likely to be the ones comfortable 
> with submitting to an imposed (not selected) environment.
> 
> The solution is simple - simplicity, less environment.
> 
> Why is this obvious to me, and lost on the MIT folks?
> 
> Art
> 
> 
>> --- "Paul D. Fernhout" <pdfernhout at kurtz-fernhout.com>
>> wrote:
>>
>>  
>>
>> http://ask.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=06/08/27/000248
>>  
>>
>>> Teaching Primary School Students Programming?
>>> Posted by Cliff on Saturday August 26, @08:25PM
>> >from the toddlers-as-coders dept.
>>> Education Programming
>>> NotesSensei asks: "Recently I was teasing the
>>> teacher who runs the 
>>> computer club in my sons' primary school: 'You teach
>>> the kids only how to 
>>> use software but not how to make software.' Today I
>>> got an email: 'OK, 
>>> you're in: teach them programming.' Now I wonder
>>> what language should I 
>>> pick? My first lesson will be the board game c-jump,
>>> but after that? The 
>>> contestants are: Kids programming language KPL (ab
>>> VB.net derivate; Java 
>>> using BlueJ; Greenfoot (and the BlueJ); and HTML.
>>> Does it sound like I'm 
>>> on the right track or should I try something
>>> completely different? We are 
>>> looking at primary 3-5 (that's 10-13 in this part of
>>> the world). Where can 
>>> I find inspiration for the curriculum?"
>>>
>>> ===
>>>
>>> Python is mentioned there, along with a lot of other
>>> suggestions.
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>>>
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