Papert Chapters 3-5

Chapter Three: School: Change and Resistance to Change.

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Page 38: Microcomputers…almost all int eh classrooms of visionary teachers, most of whom employed them in a “progressive” spirit, cutting across Schools practices of balkanized curriculum and impersonal roe learning.
Definition of balkanized: To divide (a region or territory) into small, often hostile units. Can we say No Child Left Behind BAF
Page 39: Instead of cutting across and so challenging the very idea of subject boundaries, the computer now defined a new subject; instead of changing he emphasis from impersonal curriculum to excited lived exploration by students, the computer was now used to reinforce School’s way.
Assimilation by the Borg…whose end result is to digest and assimilate the intruder. Pg. 40 BAF
Page 51. What is truly ridiculous is that the very idea of banking computer knowledge for use one day in the workplace undermines the only really important computer skill: the skill and habit of using the computer in whatever one is doing. But this is exactly what was given up in shifting the computer to the computer lab.
Page 53. Second order or the systemic effects of the computer presence.

Chapter 4-Teachers

Page 70: School does not have in its institutions mind that teachers have a creative role; it seems them as technicians doing technical job, and for this training is perfectly appropriate.
Page 79.As long as there is a fixed curriculum, the teacher has no need to become involved in wht is or what is not mathematics. Thus, if the curriculum was more flexible would these philosophical questions become a mainstay of conversation. BAF
Page 81 Society cannot afford to keep back its potentially best teachers simply because some, or even most, are unwilling.

Chapter Five: A Word for Learning.

Page 89: And I know that I and anyone else who is not mentally defective can easily solve any problem if we are willing to take the time.
Page 89:A central tenet of mathetics is that god discussion promotes learning, and on of its central research goals is to elucidate the kinds of discussions that do the most good and the kinds of circumstances that favor such discussions.
Page 104: One of these is cultivation of mathetic thinking…more like a careful tending of a garden rather than quickly setting up a house.
Page 105:This suggest a strategy to facilitate learning by improving the connectivity in the learning environment, by actions on cultures rather than individuals.

Computer as Material: Messing About with Time by Seymour Papert

http://www.papert.org/articles/ComputersMaterial.html

This article was published in the Teachers College Record in Spring 1988 (Volume 89, Number 3). The project reported in this article was carried out at The Computer School, New York City Board of Education, 100 West 77th Street, New York, NY 10024. The work presented here was aided by a grant from the Apple Education Foundation. Seymour Papert is affiliated with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. George Franz is affiliated with The Computer School and the New York City Board of Education.

Computers are largely teacher-directed, workbook-oriented, for limited periods of time, and confined to learning about the machines themselves or about programming languages. Further, computers are located in separate labs and are not integrated into the standard curriculum. "Computer as Material."

One that can build a sense of science as inquiry, exploration, and investigation rather than as answers.

Just as a pencil drawing reflects each artist's individual intellectual style, so too does work on the computer.

Trial and error mingled with ample quantities of thought and discussion led them to realize that the smaller the number following WAIT, the shorter the wait.

What should one do to use computers in the classroom:

Seek out open-ended projects that foster students' involvement with a variety of materials, treating computers as just one more material, alongside rulers, wire, paper, sand, and so forth.
Encourage activities in which students use computers to solve real problems.
Connect the work done on the computer with what goes on during the rest of the school day, and also with the students' interests outside of school.
Recognize the unique qualities of computers, taking advantage of their precision, adaptability, extensibility, and ability to mirror individual students' ideas and constructions of reality.

		Bridgette Fincher- Masters in Educational Technology and Leadership. 2006
BFincher.net Terms and Classes Summer '05 Summer Distributed Learning Fall Term '05 Fall Main Edtech Learners Winter Term '06 Winter Main Mentoring Curriculum Spring/Summer Term '06 Spring Leadership Change Action Research Project Main Appendix		Chapter Three: School: Change and Resistance to Change. Back Page 38: Microcomputers…almost all int eh classrooms of visionary teachers, most of whom employed them in a “progressive” spirit, cutting across Schools practices of balkanized curriculum and impersonal roe learning. Definition of balkanized: To divide (a region or territory) into small, often hostile units. Can we say No Child Left Behind BAF Page 39: Instead of cutting across and so challenging the very idea of subject boundaries, the computer now defined a new subject; instead of changing he emphasis from impersonal curriculum to excited lived exploration by students, the computer was now used to reinforce School’s way. Assimilation by the Borg…whose end result is to digest and assimilate the intruder. Pg. 40 BAF Page 51. What is truly ridiculous is that the very idea of banking computer knowledge for use one day in the workplace undermines the only really important computer skill: the skill and habit of using the computer in whatever one is doing. But this is exactly what was given up in shifting the computer to the computer lab. Page 53. Second order or the systemic effects of the computer presence. Chapter 4-Teachers Page 70: School does not have in its institutions mind that teachers have a creative role; it seems them as technicians doing technical job, and for this training is perfectly appropriate. Page 79.As long as there is a fixed curriculum, the teacher has no need to become involved in wht is or what is not mathematics. Thus, if the curriculum was more flexible would these philosophical questions become a mainstay of conversation. BAF Page 81 Society cannot afford to keep back its potentially best teachers simply because some, or even most, are unwilling. Chapter Five: A Word for Learning. Page 89: And I know that I and anyone else who is not mentally defective can easily solve any problem if we are willing to take the time. Page 89:A central tenet of mathetics is that god discussion promotes learning, and on of its central research goals is to elucidate the kinds of discussions that do the most good and the kinds of circumstances that favor such discussions. Page 104: One of these is cultivation of mathetic thinking…more like a careful tending of a garden rather than quickly setting up a house. Page 105:This suggest a strategy to facilitate learning by improving the connectivity in the learning environment, by actions on cultures rather than individuals. Computer as Material: Messing About with Time by Seymour Papert http://www.papert.org/articles/ComputersMaterial.html This article was published in the Teachers College Record in Spring 1988 (Volume 89, Number 3). The project reported in this article was carried out at The Computer School, New York City Board of Education, 100 West 77th Street, New York, NY 10024. The work presented here was aided by a grant from the Apple Education Foundation. Seymour Papert is affiliated with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. George Franz is affiliated with The Computer School and the New York City Board of Education. Computers are largely teacher-directed, workbook-oriented, for limited periods of time, and confined to learning about the machines themselves or about programming languages. Further, computers are located in separate labs and are not integrated into the standard curriculum. "Computer as Material." One that can build a sense of science as inquiry, exploration, and investigation rather than as answers. Just as a pencil drawing reflects each artist's individual intellectual style, so too does work on the computer. Trial and error mingled with ample quantities of thought and discussion led them to realize that the smaller the number following WAIT, the shorter the wait. What should one do to use computers in the classroom: Seek out open-ended projects that foster students' involvement with a variety of materials, treating computers as just one more material, alongside rulers, wire, paper, sand, and so forth. Encourage activities in which students use computers to solve real problems. Connect the work done on the computer with what goes on during the rest of the school day, and also with the students' interests outside of school. Recognize the unique qualities of computers, taking advantage of their precision, adaptability, extensibility, and ability to mirror individual students' ideas and constructions of reality.
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