Newsgroups: comp.lang.logo Path: news.media.mit.edu!bloom-beacon.mit.edu!usc!howland.reston.ans.net!gatech!usenet.ufl.edu!draco.nova.edu!alpha!gowj From: gowj@alpha.acast.nova.edu (James Gow) Subject: Re: Info on S. Papert's books Message-ID: Sender: news@draco.nova.edu (Usenet Administrator) Organization: Nova University References: <9401151126591.vbock.DLITE@delphi.com> Date: Mon, 17 Jan 1994 05:33:59 GMT Lines: 47 vbock@delphi.com (Valerie Bock) writes: >Disclaimer: the following synopses are provided by an interested parent and >former 6th grade computer geek (back when real nerds played via acoustic >coupler on the modem and paper tape!) I have no real qualifications to >discuss Logo, other than I've read the books! >_Mindstorms_ written in 1983, was Papert's manifesto on how computers could >be used to give children a way to discover math principles by playing and >using their knowledge of how their bodies move through space... the same way >they discover physics in the sandbox and the bathtub. He intersperses his >discussions of this vision with delightful anecdotes of the work done in >Logo with elementary school kids in the Boston area. "The Children's >Machine" written in 1992, is largely an update of mindstorms...and further >evolution of Papert's theory of education. I found both books inspirational >and provocative. >Now if I could only figure out how to interest my kids...drawing squares on >the screen looks pretty tame when you could be building a castle or flying a >defense mission, or drawing something really spectacular with kidpix! >******************************************************************** >* Valerie C. Bock * Mom to Jimmy, 6-3/4; Stephen, 5; Katie 2-1/2 * >* vbock@delphi.com * (It's the go nuts now, go broke later plan!) * >******************************************************************** Valerie, Karen Swan demonstrated how to teach five problem solving strategies with Logo. Clements showed you could teach metacogntion with planning heuristics by teaching Logo. Logo is a language that can be usd to teach other thinking skills or superordinate thinkng skills with. Try readin gsome of these other authors. There is an issue of transparency related to Paperts books and discovery learning that may give the child the utility s/he needs to build programs in Logo that are far more entertaining than clear state squares. By using the NOlan-Ryba matrix you can monitor changes in thinking proceses. You can build expert systems with Logo and measure knowledge refinement. With cybernetics and ES I doubt if there is any end to where Logo can go. With *Logo you can program massively parallel systems. Valerie what were you thinking? -- Linc, James Internet: Gowj@novavax.nova.edu; UUCP: gatech!uflorida!novavax!gowj Songs of Solomon 2:12 "...the voice of the turtle is heard in our land." James Gow P.O. Box 700585 Miami, Fla. 33170. Disclaimer [Is this really necessary? I have a hard time getting people to understand that!]