[Edu-sig] re: Beyond CP4E

[Jordan Johnson]

On Friday, April 15, 2005, at 02:13  PM, Kirby Urner wrote:
> I don't know exactly what "it" is in the above sentence.  I think 
> there'll
> be many abuses of computer technology, have been already, many
> counter-productive experiments.  It's called trial and error and we're 
> going
> to see lots of errors.
>
> Kids tend to observe their peers and learn from them.  So what comes 
> to be
> the most popular way of using computers won't be imposed top-down by
> schooling.

This is where *I* see the interesting question:

Where is the balance we must strike between
	experiment, see new things, and play!
and
	practice to assimilate new patterns, forms, and structures
and
	identifying and meeting goals for learning
?

The technology we work with is a powerful motivational tool, no 
question.  I know it can be connected to high-level discipline of 
thinking, too (though I'm not convinced that play and experimentation 
alone will lead to that jump).  I really don't know.  This is sort of a 
half-baked question, yes, but I've been interested in this discussion 
of how computers (and computer science, i.e., reasoning about 
computation) figure into the grand scheme of education, science, and 
the humanities.

jmj

--
No matter how far down the wrong road you have gone, turn back now.
		-- Anonymous (Turkish proverb)