A11JacobWisnesky
Last modified by Hal Eden on 2010/08/20 11:06
A11JacobWisnesky
To Do
- please work as individuals for this assignment
- read the paper for the guest lecture on November 12
- Michael Eisenberg "Mindstuff: Educational Technology Beyond the Computer"
Task
Post one question about the paper including a rationale why you find your questions interesting and important!Response
- 1. Members of the Group
- Jacob Wisnesky
- 2. MikeQuestion
- The paper seems to place much emphasis on the need for physical transitional objects to engage kids. However, kids today are being exposed to computers earlier and earlier; many kids are simply parked in front of the computer or TV playing video games all day. For many children, this has gotten to the point where their preference for computers has caused them to have little to no interest in physical objects; show a kid a set of gears or a way to make polyhedra and he'll simply turn around and start playing Halo again. I, for example, do not remember playing with any physical toys once I got my hands on Super Mario Bros for Nintendo. In this sense, computers have really alienated many children from the physical. It seems like producing physical objects for kids is an uphill battle that may not be winnable. In the past, the turtle-esque path was lacking, hence the desire for physical objects. However, given the above, it seems like the disconnect between many children and physical objects may also cause this new path to be lacking. Do you think that this overexposure to computers to the point of abandoning the physical in many cases makes the traditional "turtle-esque" path more promising?
