[Edu-sig] "Croquet Project" and Python ?

[Arthur]

David Handy


> 
> I went to the Croquet web site, and got the impression that it was another
> massively-multiplayer online game, but possibly less violent than most. :)
> 
> Is it educational? Yes, highly educational - for the people designing and
> building the system itself.

Thanks for chiming in, David . Especially considering that you could also
decide to be defensive about my anti-kid and programming rhetoric and decide
to take it personally. To clarify here, the OP was talking about critical
mass, implying something large scale.  That there are individual kids with
an inclination to be precocious in regard to exploring this area, and
resources available to those kids - is quite nice.  Its just that I see no
particular large scale implications here. 

> 
> Writing computer games is far and away more educational than using
> (playing) "educational" software. When I was a teenager and dinosaurs
> roamed
> the earth (early 80's) I wrote games and simulations, and so did my
> friends.
> One of my ambitions with the book I have written is to try to rekindle
> that
> "lost art" among today's youth. I have had at least some success in my
> previews so far, which gives me some hope.

We agree absolutely.  

I am fascinated with the possibilities of 3d technology for educational
purposes. But only in the respect that I think the "what makes it tick" of
3d is a rich mine of mathematics, technology and - if you like - a for the
appreciation of collaborative achievement in science. But all those
possibilities involve stepping back from it, and demystifying it - rather
than becoming immersed in it.

Art