A couple of basic questions...

[G.J.Tielemans at dinkel.utwente.nl]

I looked at several clubhouseweb-pages and I like the initiative.

> On Thursday 22 November 2001 09:36, Leo Burd wrote:
> Hello everyone!
>
> I'm starting to use Squeak at the Computer Clubhouse
> (http://www.computerclubhouse.org/), a network of after school centers
> where kids from 8-18 come to learn about technology, interact with other
> kids and develop personally meaningful projects.
>
> Would you please help me with the following questions?
>
> * How would you present Squeak to teenagers?  How would you describe the
> tool? Is it a programming environment, a multi-media tool, an operating
> system, a make-your-own-game environment, or what?

In the first place: I would not start with Squeak but with their own
interests, finding things they worry about... Motivate them to make a
project of that idea... Then you are in..

Then step 1: Despite the seventies: Most Girls are not boys:

My wife told me about a demo she saw last week: Children were given clay
without instuctions. At the end most girls created things while the tables
of the boys showed only a mess. 
Before you make your conclusion: looking at the videotape of the session it
self, you saw that boys where trying things, testing the material, not with
a clear goal but just learning about the possibilities of the material,
maybe for future use, just by acting.
So: Boys want to experiment, do something, build, act.. most girls want to
do something useful, work on a serious theme, sharing their concerns and:
communicate.

So.. Starting a project asks for a web-site: look at the Swiki concept and
see how it can facilitate projects: put the projectgoal on the webpage,
devide in groups to tackle parts of the problem:  some children are
constructors: let them work with eToys, they are motivated to learn Squeak,
others are more in arts, let them create the lay-out and video's on the
website, others are more contemplative: let them fill the textual part of
the website, others are curious: let them surf the www to find resources
related to the problem, make liks on the swikipages, others are born
projectleaders: let them organise the webpage-tree, etc..

(I forget where I saw it(squeakland?) but on university example of a project
was about busstops... boring, not at all if you look better:
Someone did decide that the busstop is on the wrong spot (dark alley), so
how can you make it move. Who does decide about that. 
(Deeper lesson: The world is invented by people, knowing more of these
processes can help you to try to change that world..)

> * Do you have examples of activities that I could develop with teenagers? 

Children example: how can we get OUR place to hang around after school?


Most of the examples that I've seen so far are either targeted to younger
kids, or are too centered around school curriculum.

Chris wrote: Teachers can't stop being teachers can they? :-)

Ger: Yes Chris, teachers live outside the ZOO, supporting children with
handling their daily problems: bad school-experiences, lack of
career-opportunities, thus lack of motivation...  So how can you help
(=guiding / scaffolding, .... ) 


> I'm also trying to
> find examples that make creative use of video and photographs.  At the
> Clubhouse, kids play a lot with Director and Photoshop.

Put them on webpages of your project.