Perspectives on Papert
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Winter 1999 Volume 17 f Number 2 PERSPECTIVES ON PAPERT INSIDE The History of Mr. Papert Dreams, Realities, and Possibilities • Papert's Conjecture About the Variability of Piagetian Stages Papert, Logo, and Loving to Learn Mixed Feelings about Papert and Logo • Polygons and More • Explaining Yourself • Book Review, Logo News, Teacher Feature Gtste Volume 17 I Number 2 Editorial Publisher 1998-1999 ISTE BOARD OF DIRECTORS Logo Exchange is published quarterly by the In International Society for Technology in Education ISTE Executive Board Members ternational Society for Technology in Education Lynne Schrum, President University of Georgia Special Interest Group for Logo-Using Educa Editor-in-Chief tors. Logo Exchange solicits articles on all as Gary S. Stager, Pepperdine University Athens (GA) Heidi Rogers, President-Elect University of Idaho pects of Logo use in education. [email protected] Cheryl Lemke, Secretary Milken Family Submission of Manuscripts Foundation (CA) Copy Editing, Design, & Production Manuscripts should be sent by surface mail on Ron Richmond Michael Turzanski, Treasurer Cisco Systems, a 3.5-inch disk (where possible). Preferred for Inc. (MA) mat is Microsoft Word for the Macintosh. ASCII Founding Editor Chip Kimball, At Large Lake Washington files in either Macintosh or DOS format are also Tom Lough, Murray State University School District (WA) welcome. Submissions may also be made by elec Cathy Gunn, At Large Northern Arizona tronic mail. Where possible, graphics should be Design, Illustrations & Art Direction University Peter Reynolds, Fablevision Animation Studios submitted electronically. Please include elec pete @fablevision.com ISTE Board Members tronic copy, either on disk (preferred) or by elec Larry Anderson Mississippi State University tronic mail, with paper submissions. Paper sub Contributing Editors jose Calderoni ILCE. Mexico missions may be submitted for review if Dr. Douglas Clements, SUNY Buffalo Penny Ellsworth Western Springs School electronic copies are supplied on acceptance. Dr. Carolyn Dowling, Australian Catholic District 101 (IL) Send surface mail to: University Marianne Handler National-Louis (IL) University Gary S. Stager Alan Epstein, Metasoft Dennis Harper Olympia School District (WA) Dr. Brian Harvey, U.C. Berkeley 21825 Barbara St. Jorge Ortega FACE/Leon County SD (FL) Torrance, CA 90503 USA Daniel E. Kinnaman, Curriculum Administrator Neal Strudler University of Nevada, Las Vegas Magazine Sue Waalkes Upper Dublin School District (PA) Send electronic mail to: Dr. Julie Sarama, Wayne State University Peter Wholihan Sts. Paul & Peter School, Virgin logoexchange@moon. pepperdine.edu International Editor Islands Deadlines Jeff Richardson, Monash University, Australia ISTE Committees To be considered for publication, manuscripts International Editor Emeritus Lajeane Thomas Accreditation and Standards must be received by the dates indicated below. Dennis Harper, Olympia, Washington School Dave Brittain Awards Vol.l7,No.4 ....................... Aprill5, 1999 District Cathy Gunn Distance Learning Michael Turzanski Finance "The Turtle Parties Like It's 1999" SIGLogo Officers Paul Resta and Gerald Knezek International Stephen Sesko, President jenelle Leonard Minority Affairs jeff Richardson, Vice-President LarySmith Policies and Procedures Hope Chafiian, Secretary/Treasurer M. D. Roblyer Publications Gary S. Stager, Editor ISTE Executive Officer SIG Coordinator for Research and Development Tom Magness David Moursund Logo Exchange is published quarterly by the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE). 1787 Agate St., Eugene, OR 97403-1923, USA: 800.336.5191. ISTE members may join SIG/Logo for $24. Dues include a subscription to Logo Exchange. Non ISTE member subscription rate is $34. Add $10 for mailing outside the USA. Send membership dues to ISTE. Add $4.00 for processing if payment does not accompany your dues. VISA. MasterCard, and Discover accepted. Advertising space in Logo Exchange is limited. Please contact ISTE's director of advertising services for space availability and details. Logo Exchange solicits articles on all topics of interest to Logo-using educators. Submission guidelines can be obtained by contacting the editor. Opinions expressed in this publication are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent or reflect official ISTE policy. © 1999 ISTE. All articles are copyright of ISTE unless otherwise specified. Reprint permission for nonprofit educational use can be obtained for a nominal charge through the Copyright Clearance Center, 27 Congress St., Salem. MA 01970: 508.750.8400: Fax 508.750.4470. ISTE members may apply directly to the ISTE office for free reprint permission. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Logo Exchange, ISTE, 480 Charnelton St., Eugene, OR 97 401-2626 USA. Periodicals postage paid at Eugene, OR. USPS# 000-554. ISTE is a nonprofit organization with its main offices housed at the University of Oregon. ISSN# 0888-6970. This publication was produced using Aldus PageMaker®. - Winter 1999 Vol. 17 I No. 2 Contents ARTICLES The History of Mr. Papert Martin Boyle 8 Dreams, Realties, and Possibilities Gail Marshall 15 Papert's Conjecture about the Variability of Piagetian Stages in Computer-Rich Cultures Anne McDougall 23 Logo News Logo Exchange staff 30 Polygons and More William]. Spezeski 31 Papert, Logo, and Loving to Learn Pam Gibbons 33 COLUMNS EDITORIAL IN THEIR OWN WORDS Never Satisfied, Only Gratified Mixed Feelings about Gary S. Stager 2 Seymour Papert and Logo KenKahn 18 QUARTERLY QUANTUM Turtle and the Moon STARTING WITH STARLOGO Tom Lough 3 StarLogo Community of TEACHER FEATURE Learners Workshop Mr. Condom Vanessa Colella, Eric Klopfer and Mitchel Resnick 20 Seymour Papert 5 LOGO: SEARCH AND RESEARCH BOOK REVIEW Reading Papert or Papert's Perspectives, Research Responses Growing with Your Guru Douglas H. Clements Carolyn Dowling 7 and julie Sarama 27 FOR BEGINNERS THE LAST WORD: Simple Probability as a Vehicle Explaining Yourself for Understanding MicroWorlds Bernard Newsome 35 Data Structures Gary Stager 13 1ste EDITORIAL I GARY S. STAGER Never Satisfied, Only Gratified hose were the frequently uttered is an object to think with, both for the battlefield of ideas but rather in the Twords of my old trumpet teacher, learner and for the people who are marketplace. Logo is bad for business. William Fielder. You may enjoy the thinking about the thinking of the If kids construct their knowledge momentary pleasure of success, but learner. Seymour Papert has provided and express themselves in an environ persistence and hard work are required countless educators with the thrill as ment designed to have "no threshold if you wish to achieve greatness. This sociated with students performing in and no ceiling," then you are not simple poetic phrase reminds me of Dr. tellectual feats they never before be likely to buy lots of other software Seymour Papert. lieved to be possible. He invited products. Schools not disposing of old Papert' s life, work, and ideas have educators into a community of power computers because they are just per inspired countless people around the ful ideas by giving voice to their expe fect LEGO TC logo workstations world and acquainted millions of chil riences and encouraging the sharing of don't run out and buy as many new dren with the joy of learning. While learning stories. We have been given a computers each year. While the Soft reasonable people may differ about way in which to discuss profound ideas ware Publishers Association may whether Papert is the Father of Logo, without being overburdened by osten honor Papert with a lifetime achieve he can surely be considered its loving tatious vocabulary or overly technical ment award, its member companies mentor. In fact, Papert was one of the theories. Best of all, we are encouraged conspire to keep Logo-related presen first people to suggest (more than 35 to interpret these ideas in personally tations off far too many educational years ago) that computers could play resonant ways. technology conference programs. an important role in learning. Thirty Papert's books about education Logo is also bad for the business of years ago, Papert, Alan Kay, and Mindstorms, The Children's Machine schooling because it encourages con Cynthia Solomon were predicting that and The Connected Family-take the cerned adults to rethink the nature of every child would own a portable com reader through the development of his teaching and learning. puter. Papert's previous accomplish thinking about learning with comput The most noxious attacks on Logo ments in mathematics, cognitive psy ers. We are challenged to question our are acts of omission. As a university chology, and artificial intelligence led own assumptions in order to take steps teacher educator, I receive countless credibility to such predictions. toward enriching the learning experi textbooks on the theory, history, and In Papert you find the rare futurist. ence for children. (Carolyn Dowling practice of educational computing for He not only launched the idea of explores these books later in this issue.) my consideration. The majority of these learner-centered computing, but then It has always pleased me that texts don't disagree with Logo research spent several decades expanding his Papert's books have enjoyed no serious or the theories of Seymour Papert. They theories while actually building things criticism in academic circles. People don't mention them at all. Most