Fill in the Blank

[Mark Guzdial]

I think I'm after something similar, Edwin.  Elliot Soloway and I 
published an article recently on "Teaching the Nintendo generation to 
program" where we argue that we need to get beyond "Hello, World!" 
http://coweb.cc.gatech.edu/guzdial/17

Now, I'm trying to build an intro class around these ideas for 300-600 
freshmen/term at Georgia Tech.  We're planning it now at 
http://coweb.cc.gatech.edu/mediaComp-plan  We're not currently using 
Squeak, but mostly because of time constraints.  Down the road, I'd hope 
to have a scripting-level interface to Squeak and use that.

Mark

On Wednesday, June 5, 2002, at 04:28  PM, Edwin Pilobello wrote:

> I have a 2-hour, 3-session class called "Getting Ready for Computers".
> It's one of the least expensive classes that Saturday Academy offers.
> It's also the earliest Visual Basic intro course that a 4th grader can
> access.  Hardly able to type, these young students delight at their
> first "Hello World" or "Smiley on a button" program.  This quickly
> dispatches the first session, then what?
>
> I've tweaked this class for over three years.  I think it's time for a
> new approach.  As stated, I want to create a class on tech literacy
> targetted at the same novice market.  This time, I'm going to use
> Squeak.
>
> Fee-based VB experiences are limited to class time.  To encourage home
> study, I've used freeware MSW Logo. It's a tricky switch defended by
> "It's free, it's simple, it's for kids, etc."  The turtle gives
> immediate feedback, the syntax is easy and that's pretty much where it
> ends.  There are versions of Logo (i.e. Microworlds, Terrapin, Imagine)
> that support drag&drop story-boarding and prototyping).  Unfortunately,
> site licenses do not extend to the homes.
>
> Rik Smoody is going to teach the very first Squeak class offered by
> Saturday Academy.  He entitled it "Games Programming".  It's full and
> probably has a waiting list.  His target is 6th to 8th grade students.
> I want to target the 4th to 6th graders in the Fall.  Same inexpensive
> format which would probably sell a few of Mark Guzdial's books.
>
> Before I re-invent the wheel, does anyone have a class outline to share?
> If not, I figure within a year, I'd will have taught 8 to 10 of these
> classes.  I'll debrief you folks are I go.
>
> Cheers,
> Edwin
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: owner-squeakland at squeakland.org
> [mailto:owner-squeakland at squeakland.org] On Behalf Of Alan Kay
> Sent: Wednesday, June 05, 2002 12:56 PM
> To: squeakland at squeakland.org
> Subject: Re: Fill in the Blank
>
>
> By the way, one of the ways that I characterized the Dynabook years ago,
> was:
>
>       "An instrument whose music is ideas"
>
> Cheers,
>
> Alan
>
> ------
>
> At 2:19 PM -0400 6/5/02, Anindita wrote:
>> There's also the "standardized test way" of approaching an analogy by
>> rephrasing it:
>>
>> A piano is an instrument (or tool) with which one makes music. A
>> computer is an instrument (or tool) with which one makes. . .?
>>
>> I don't have something easy to fill in the blank since there are so
>> many things which can fill that blank (music, art, applications), but
>> it's another way of looking at it.  Music isn't in the tool, it's
>> something that you can express or create with that tool.  Is there a
>> word to summarize everything that can be expressed or created with a
>> computer?
>>
>> Could one invent a word to encompass all of that?
>>
>> Anindita
>>
>>>         At 3:42 PM -0700 6/4/02, Edwin Pilobello wrote:
>>>> I'm writing up a new course description for the Fall term.  I need
>>> your  >opinion on what fills the blank :  >
>>>> "Music is not in the piano" as "(blank) is not in the computer"
>>>>
>>>> Should it be knowledge, learning, wisdom, whatever?
>>>>
>>>> For a course title, I've considered "Pre-Dynabook Lab" or something
> to
>>>> that effect.  I could use suggestions on the course title as well.
>>>>
>>>> Cheers,
>>>> Edwin Pilobello
>>>> Instructor, Saturday Academy
>>>> www.saturdayacademy.org
>>>
>>>
>>>  --
>>>
>
>
> --
>