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Educating TheEducating TheBarney Generation’s Barney Generation’s

GrandchildrenGrandchildren

Elliot SolowayUniversity of Michigan

The Solid, Stable Middle of America

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ACM 97ACM 97THE NEXT 50 YEARS OF

COMPUTING

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ACM 97ACM 97

Copyright Copyright 1997 ACM, Association for Computing 1997 ACM, Association for Computing

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THE NEXT 50 YEARS OF COMPUTINGTHE NEXT 50 YEARS OF COMPUTING

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What is an educated person?– .... we need to change our pedagogy

What are the roles of technology?– ...technology is absolutely critical to

realizing this new pedagogy How transition to that future?

– ...technology can play a catalytic role

Today’s Story

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What Is Educated Individual?

Industrial, Product Economy– Classroom reflects a factory– Breed for punctuality, orderliness,

respect for authority– Teach to pass a test

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Or, To Put It In The Vernacular

“When I think back to all the crap I learned in high school, it’s a wonder I can think at all”– Paul Simon, Kodachrome Camera

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Need NEW Type of Workers Knowlege-work, Process Economy

– Teach for understanding & to take action Kids should be able to... (Gov. Engler,

MI, Republican)– Solve hard problems, without being led by

the nose– Learn new things on their own– Communicate with their co-workers

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A Old Pedagogy To Meet The New Needs John Dewey& Your

Mother– Don’t just sit

there; do something!!

– Think about what you just did!!

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A Old Pedagogy To Meet The New Needs John Dewey&

Your Mother Sustained Inquiry

– What is the quality of the water in my local river?

– Where does my school waste energy?

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Student Inquiry Looks Like What Adults Do

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Enabling Inquiry: Technology’s Roles

Address fundamental problems Four elements

– School, Community, Learning, Teaching

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School, Community, Learning, Teaching

Fundamental problem:– Enable healthy, caring teacher -

student relationships Enabling technology:

– Not applicable!

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School, Community, Learning, Teaching

Fundamental problem:– Enable student- student

relationship Enabling technology:

– Not applicable!

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School, Community, Learning, Teaching

Fundamental problem:– Enable student-teacher & student-

student relationships Enabling technology:

– Not applicable!– SURE tech is applicable; but please

be careful!!

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School, Community, Learning, Teaching

Fundamental problem:– Support learning in context

Enabling technology:– Truly personal computers,

collaboration technologies

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Star Trek’s Star Trek’s Tricorder Tricorder Lives!Lives!

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It Really Does Take It Really Does Take A Whole Village A Whole Village To Raise A ChildTo Raise A Child

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School, Community, Learning, Teaching

Fundamental problem:– Develop literacy

Enabling technology:– Computational media

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"For the next generation or two one must expect literacy to include some letteracy, since our culture's past is so connected with expression through writing. ...it will not follow that learning the letters should be the cornerstone of elementary education."– Seymour Papert, Wired, 1993– "Obsolete Skill Set: The 3 R's/Literacy and

Letteracy in the Media Ages"

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School, Community, Learning, Teaching

Fundamental problem:– Deal with complexity

Enabling technology:– Learner-centered design of

software

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Summary: Probems & Enabling Technologies

FundamentalProblems

Enabling Technology

School Student-TeacherDiversity

N/A

N/ACommunity Learning in

contextPersonal computersCollaboration tech

Learning LiteracyComplexity

Computational mediaLearner-centered

designTeaching Prof. Develop Collaboration tech

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But.......

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Technology Has Had ZERO Impact On Education, So Far

“I believe that the motion picture is destined to revolutionize our educational system and that in a few years it will supplant largely, if not entirely, the use of textbooks.”– Thomas Edison, 1922

Wrong!!

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What Wil Be Different?

Availability:– Consumer prices – A laptop in every lap

Functionality:– Previously: support telling– Now: support doing

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Parable of the Trojan Horse

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Trojan Mouse.....

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Public Education --Democray’s Premier Institution