Re: Linux in education advocacy side Re: Edutainment

[Bill Tihen <bill@tasis.ch>]

>Personally I think that many(most?) kids have got the potential to learn 
>whatever you put in front of them.  For some reason our expectations are 

Well, I don't know where you teach and what age the kids are, but most of
the students I teach need to be suckered into learning or they aren't very
interested.  Of course they can learn nearly anything -- nearly anybody can
-- not just kids.  

>shrinking.  Parents say "Don't teach my kids concepts,    And so on.
<shudder>

I disagree that this is what is happening.  I have been teaching computers
for 5 years now & my curriculum has evolved over time and continues to
evolve.  However, I am interested in what works in the classroom -- I am
not interested in software that doesn't work.  The math example was a good
one.  But remember that I teach too, so I can't spend the whole day
fiddling with configurations for other teachers. The programs have to
nearly set them selves up once I have done the initial configuration.  All
the schools I have worked in can't afford a computer guy just to perform
services.  I have always been busy teaching and manage around 100 computers
on the side.  Please keep these real considerations in mind when
programming for schools.  Here are more reasons why I dissagree with the
statements from Duane.  If the programs won't further my goals then I am
not interested in using Linux at all in schools -- outside of as a server
platform.  But if anyone can show me the light to improve education and use
other interfaces please do -- but be specific.  I am not only interested in
what can be done but how to do it.  
1.	That interests kids, if I don't interest them I don't have a program -- 
	don't have a job.  Most of my classes are electives.  So I figure I need
	to take these click happy game players and kids who are afraid of computers
	or oppose to computers and get them interested in Computers in a more 
	meaningful way.  Because of this I cover ethics and do case studies for 
	the thoughful kids.  I do a graphics/html unit for the creative kids.  	I
do an OS unit for those who are afraid of computers and there are of 
	course programming units too. One year I even had some advanced students 
	studying numeric methods and CPU architechture.  

>Don't use Pascal as a teaching language anymore, teach Java. 
2.	I teach Java for some very specific reasons. Because it's syntax is very 
	similar to C. It is easier to teach than C++ which is the new language for 
	the AP exam (in the US).  I agree that OO programming is worth teaching.  
	That's where the jobs are and I encourage my students to get summer jobs
programming.  I also find that if one learns OO first it is still 
	easy learn proceedural programming, but the converse is not true.  Finally, 
	people are still afraid of computers or only want to play games.  Java is 
	not only an easy OO programming language, but also fun.  I don't see the
	problem with teaching programming concepts in Java as 	opposed to Pascal.
	Please explain.  

>just teach them the buzzwords they need to get into college [or get a job]."
3.	One of the less pleasant  sections I teach I guess is your buzzword 
	section.  But I teach more than that (I hope).  I look at it as teaching
	computer vocabulary and then the students need to follow that up with 
	technical reading and make choices about what is the best printer, 
	monitor, etc for their "given needs."  

>Don't teach word processing, teach MS Word.  
>processing in a writing course, not a word processing course.  
4.	What makes you think schools can even afford MS Word?  I spend about 1 day
	on the wordprocessing and then the students are required to write a paper, 
	practice formatting skills they have learned, and of course it has to be
on 	a topic we have already studied in class.  More technical reading.  
	Complete with reference, etc.  About 15% of the grade is the formatting.
	However, I feel it is only fair to spend some time first showing them
	what a ruler bar does, etc so that they can format a bibliography and have 
	it print out correctly -- even after making modification or using a 
	different font size.

>Teach spreadsheets in a statistics or accounting course, not a
spreadsheeting >course.
5.	After I spend some time teaching spreadsheets, then I have them analyze 
	data from science classes.  I am a research engineer by training -- I hope 
	that counts too.