[Edu-sig] Alan Kay - another one of his ideas

[ajsiegel at optonline.net]

From: Andre Roberge 
> When I look at Logowiki, I think "this is
> fantastic..." ... and then get the impression that its purpose 
> is just
> to amaze me  <snip>

Don't know how much was intended, but this touching on 
a lot to me.

It is too easy to amaze, too hard to resist doing so.

I would want educational software for children, in particular, to go out
of its way to not amaze, not rely on the ability to create magic as
its point of engagement. *Not* be immersive.

But that is not where things have been, and they seem to be going further
in a direction away from it.  

Bets being off if, for example, we are teaching something like
Panda3d, where the *subject matter* is that magic.
 
This implies, among other things, that we have had the technological
capability to approach this problem for some time, and to the extent
that it is not "solved", it is for reasons other than that we haven't had the bits and bytes
configured just right, or enough accelerator cards,  or folks are scared and 
resistant to change.

But of course I don't really understand the problem.  If computers do not
have a major contribution to make to the education of children....so be it.
Who promised us it must be otherwise, and when.

Art
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