WINTER 1997 Volume 16 I Number 2

~~ ~~s nat of th . n9 t.ouc. e ISTE Special Interest Group for Logo-Us'

LOGO RENAISSANCE

INSIDE Seymour Papert on Looking at Technology Robert Tinker on Logo's Return Logo for Little Kids Logo and the Writing Process StarLogo Starters Research You Can Use News, Reviews and Commentary Volume 16 I Number 2

Editorial Publisher 1997-1998 Logo Exchange is published quarterly by the In­ International Society for Technology in Education ISTE BOARD OF DIRECTORS ternational Society for Technology in Education Special In terest Group for Logo-Using Educa­ Editor-in-Chief ISTE Executive Board Members Lynne Schrum, President University of Georgia­ tors. Logo Exchange solicits articles on all aspects Gary S. Stager, Pepperdine University of Logo use in education . [email protected] Athens (GA) Dave Brittain, Past President MGT of America (FL) Submission of Manuscripts Cheryl Lemke, Secretary Milken Family Copy Editing, Design, & Production Manuscripts should be sent by surface mail on Foundation (CA) Ron Richmond a 3.5-inch disk (where possible). Preferred for­ Michael Turzanski, Treasurer Cisco Systems, mat is Microsoft Word for the Macintosh. ASCII Founding Editor Inc. (MA) files in either Macintosh or DOS format are also Tom Lough, Murray State University Chip Kimball, At Large Lake Washington welcome. Submissions may also be made by elec­ School District (WA) tronic mail. Where possible, graphics should be Design, Illustrations & Art Direction Neal Strudler, At Large University of Nevada­ submitted electronically. Please include elec­ Peter Reynolds, Fablevision Animation Studios Las Vegas [email protected] tronic copy, either on disk (preferred) or by elec­ ISTE Board Members tronic mail, with paper submissions. Paper sub­ Contributing Editors Jose Calderoni ILCE, Mexico missions may be submitted for review if Dr. Doug 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 Cameron Go nzales New Mexico State University Alan Epstein, Metasoft Gary S. Stager Cathy Gunn Northern Arizona University 21825 Barbara St. Dr. Brian Harvey, U.C. Berkeley Dennis Harper Olympia School District (WA) Torrance, CA 90503 USA Daniel Kinnaman, University Associates Paul O'Driscoll Salem-Keizer Public Schools (OR) Dr. Julie Sarama, Wayne State University Jorge Ortega FACE/Leon County SD (FL) Send electronic mail to: International Editor Heidi Rogers University of Idaho [email protected] Jeff Richardson, Monash University, Australia Carla Schutte Technology Specialists (FL) Peter Wholihan Sts. Paul & Peter School, Virgin Deadlines International Editor Emeritus Islands To be considered for publication, manuscripts Dennis Harper, Olympia, Washington School must be received by the dates indicated below. District ISTE Committees LaJ eane Thomas Accreditation and Standards Vol. 16, No.2 june 1, 1997 SIGLogo Officers Dave Brittain Awards Vol. 16, No. 3 Oct. 1, 1997 Chuck Friesen, President John Ketelhut Distance Learning Vol. 16, No.4 jan. 1, 1998 Steve Sesko, Vice-President Michael Turzanski Finance Vol. 17, No. 1 Mar. 1, 1998 Hope Chafiian, Secretary/Treasurer Paul Resta and Gerald Knezek International Gary S. Stager, Editor Jenelle Leonard Minority Affairs Lary Smith Policies and Procedures Director of Advertising Services Gwen Solomon Publications Judy Stickney ISTE Executive Officer 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. lSTE 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.

© 1997 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 Copyl.'ight Clearance Center, 27 Congress St., Salem, MA 01970; 508/750-8400; Fax 508/750- 44 70. 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 97401-2626 USA. Periodicals postage paid at Eugene, OR. USPS# 660-130. 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 1997 Vol. 16/ No. 2 Contents

ARTICLES

Logo's Return Robert Tinker 5

Looking at Technology Through School-Colored Spectacles Segmour Papert 15

Logo and Thinking Writing: Part II Leslie F. Thgherg 22

COLUMNS

EDITORIAL FOR BEGINNERS Hard Fun Micro Worlds for Munchkins Garg S. Stager 2 Garg S. Stager 13

QUARTERLY QUANTUM LOGO: HomeWork SEARCH AND RESEARCH Tom Lough 3 This Much We Know: LOGO NEWS 4 Part II, Mathematics Douglas H. Clements BOOK REVIEW and]ulie Sarama 26 The Cyber Self Carolgn Dowling 8 THE LAST WORD: COMMENTARY TEACHER FEATURE Storytelling and John St. Clair Situated Cognition Jim Muller 9 Daniel E. Kinnaman 31 STARTING WITH STARLOGO Self-Organizing Behavior Alan Epstein 10 EDITORIAL / GARY S. STAGER

Hard Fun

n The Childrens' Machine, Seymour Seymour Papert described in 20 Things begin to trust teachers and support I Papert tells the story of one kinder­ to do with a Computer (1971), many their desire to create rich personal garten telling student another that schools react with increasingly au­ learning environments for kids. Logo is hard fun. Papert goes on to use thoritarian policies and trivial com­ About a decade ago the citizens of hard fun as a metaphor for thinking puter usage. In the hands of many Costa Rica made such a hard decision. about the deepest learning which oc­ schools the democratizing power of the They decided to leap-frog the curs when passion, challenge, context, Internet is used to cover the curricu­ instructionist technologies of 19th/ and purpose are all present. Any edu­ lum. New laptop computers are being 20th century schooling and embrace cator who has tried to make Logo or advertised for their ability to deliver the hard fun of Logo. They invested a Logo-like learning a staple of the school disembodied content and take student great deal in professional development day understands how hard and fun attendance-not as powerful vehicles and in supporting the dreams of their this process can be. for learning and self expression. teachers. Along the way, these educa­ Logo Exchange is thrilled to publish Those of us still healing from the tional pioneers had a great deal of fun a provocative speech by Dr. Seymour psychic scars left by our own school­ and their work has inspired educators Papert. The "Father of Logo" has spent ing are thrilled to assist Logo's creators around the world. Well, it seems that decades challenging our thinking and in realizing their visions of construc­ their hard work and commitment to inventing learning tools used by chil­ tionism and personal computing. Per­ excellence is beginning to pay off. The dren around the globe. His unbridled haps Papert's greatest achievement was Intel Corporation has decided to build optimism and advocacy for children creating a transitional object (Logo) its new $500 million chip plant in has been tireless and infectious. Al­ with which adults charged with the Costa Rica. Intel chose Costa Rica in­ though Dr. Papert is arguably one of care of children could feel creative and stead of 10 other countries because of the great minds of the 20th century, his intellectually powerful. Logo is great its "well-educated, highly-skilled, ideas are too often marginalized. In the fun. I can't imagine what my life would highly-motivated labor pool" and "the intellectual-free zone of educational be like without the joy oflearning and skills of the Costa Ricans are only go­ computing his ideas are not debated or teaching with Logo. ing to grow as a result of a MIT media even disputed-merely ignored. Logo I am reminded of how much fun program that has already placed com­ Exchange is one of the few educational learning and teaching can be when I puters in 30 percent of Costa Rica's publications to review his ground­ visit Cathie Galas' class in which 8- to primary schools." 1 Congratulations are breaking books, The Childrens' Ma­ 11-year-old kids create sensational certainly well deserved for our Costa chine and The Connected Family. Logo simulations of the brain or when Rican Logo-using colleagues. Papert's speech reminds us that I help Wesley College children program Many of you know how hard it is Logo was always about more than just their own virtual pets. Watching gradu­ to "shoehorn" Logo into an overflow­ turtles. Since the 1960s, Dr. Paperthas ate students and veteran teachers giggle ing curriculum or justify open-ended viewed school's ability to embrace in­ with joy while struggling to solve a projects in an age of national testing. creasingly powerful personal comput­ turtle graphics challenge reminds me In spite of the obstacles, Logo Exchange ers as a measure of the institution's that Logo is a powerful object to think readers work hard to make schools willingness to respect and support stu­ with. wonderful places for children. You dent learning. Bob Tinker makes the case that the know how hard it is to sustain Logo While the availability and power of availability oflow-cost ubiqui to us com­ and constructionism in increasingly personal computers begin to make pos­ puting will support a reemergence of sible the ideas Cynthia Solomon and Logo. This will occur only if schools See HARD FUN (Page 21)

2 LOGO EXCHANGE Vol. 16/ No. 2

------··----:--:----:=-:-c=;;;;;iiiiiji-llllllilii---~~~~~~~ QUARTERLY QUANTUM I TOM LOUGH. FOUNDING EDITOR

Home Work

have always enjoyed the thinking what unwelcome or that is uncomfort­ schools, Seymour Papert suggested that I that different Logo commands some­ able to acknowledge. Stay with me "the locus of innovation in thinking times stimulate. Recently, I was work­ now. about learning is moving rapidly out ing on a Logo project and things were The July 199 7 issue of The Atlantic of the school and into the home." not going well. I had moved the turtle Monthly magazine carried a cover ar­ Home education and home learning around quite a bit and had lost track ticle titled "The Computer Delusion," with a home computer have the poten­ of things. What to do? in which Todd Oppenheimer described tial to create a force for change that For the first time in a long while, I how many school districts are cutting schools might not be able to ignore. If used the home command. Bam! In a entire programs from their budgets to children (and parents) begin doing twinkling, the turtle blipped to the free up funds to purchase computers. things at home with a computer that middle of the screen, ready to start The problem was the home truth: are more interesting, more stimulating, over. Cool! Oppenheimer had difficulty finding and more challenging than at school, As I began anew on the project, I evidence that computer use improved won't the schools have to respond? also found myself thinking about the teaching and learning significantly in Hmmm. This could get interesting, home command. It had rescued me the schools. folks. from a confusing and somewhat com­ He mentioned a few shining ex­ Like the home command, have we plicated situation. It bad returned the amples, such as Dennis Frezza at now come full circle in education, back turtle to its starting point and its ini­ Thurgood Marshall Academic High to where education started in the first tial heading. In a way, it was revolu­ School in San Francisco using comput­ place - in the home? Perhaps we'll tionary, because it gave me a fresh start ers and an "advanced Lego engineer­ soon see if that is so. In the meantime, on the problem I was trying to solve. ing kit" (presumably LEGO® TC logo) let's keep the home fires burning - Suddenly, my mind was flooded to challenge his students to solve real­ and don't forget to do our homework! with aspects of home. istic problems, and an elementary Remember ever being in the home school using computers to assist chil­ FD 100! stretch, and then arriving after a long dren with disabilities. Quoting from trip? The exclamation "I'm home!" has books such as Endangered Minds: Why PS: Speaking of home, my family and I been music to many an anxious paren­ Children Don't Think and What We have blipped to a new one! 105 tal ear. "Home sweet home" reminds Can Do About It, Silicon Snake Oil: Sec­ Hickory Drive, Murray, KY 42071, to us of our hedge against the bitterness ond Thoughts on the Information High­ be exact. My new professional home is oflife, a place where they have to take way, and The End of Education, how­ at Murray State University, teaching you in if you show up. ever, Oppenheimer sketched out a science education and working with Got any of that good ol' home brew? broadly pessimistic picture and sug­ nearby schools. ~ Well, one mix developed into a pretty gested that perhaps priorities have good concoction not too long ago, been misplaced when it came to pro­ when two Steves had members of their curing more computers for schools. Homebrew Computer Club help them This is certainly some home-cooking develop the first Apple home computer. food for thought. Let's follow that line a bit further. Anything else for home? How about Ever hear of a home truth? This is a home remedy? In a recent lament usually defined as a fundamental or about the sorry state of learning with Tom Lough, Founding Editor key truth, especially one that is some- technology and computers in the [email protected]

Winter 1997 LOGO EXCHANGE 3 Logo News

Eurologo 1997, Budapest. The kids there are com­ of primitives. For example, the turtle Budapest, Hungary pletely unafraid! Maybe I'm romanti­ commands are removed from the core August 20-23, 1997 cizing because I don't speak the lan­ language and are just one of several by Dr. Brian Harvey, guage and could only judge by body loadable sets. They showed a "varia­ U.C. Berkeley gestures, but I had a strong sense that tion" tool that lets you track graphi­ [email protected] kids don't look over their shoulders cally the effect of changing a param­ expecting to be told to stop doing eter to a procedure with sliders. Here are my impressions from something. At the conference, I did a Disclaimer: I'm a software devel­ EuroLogo. I wasn't in every session, so workshop about logic puzzles in oper and computer hacker; a classroom this isn't an authoritative report! There which most of the participants were teacher probably would give you a com­ was some tension between the origi­ around junior high age. Because of pletely different report! nal idea of Logo as a tool for learning language problems, I wasn't able to -edited by Jeff Richardson mathematics (that is, for learning how give them as much one-on-one help as to be a mathematician, which may or I would have liked, so a lot of them Learning In a may not be connected with school were stalled on small notational issues Multimedia World math) and the newly influential school a lot of the time, but they all main­ A Residential Workshop for subject of Informatics, into which a lot tained a cheerful demeanor and appar­ Computer-Using Educators, of recent Logo-related effort is going ent interest. Presented by Gary Stager in Europe. A plenary session with Celia This experience suggests to me that and Fred D'lgnazio Hoyles and Richard Noss (UK) on the reform instead of revolution might be by Brenden Morris first day included a strong reaffirma­ okay in Europe, or at least in Budapest. St. Paul's Anglican tion of mathematics as the goal. Mike Maybe kids' lives are basically okay Grammar School Doyle (UK), who ran the last EuroLogo there, and maybe the schools really are Warragul, Victoria, Australia in Birmingham, strongly argued the in­ pretty much okay places. I certainly got bmorris@sym pac.com .au tellectual case for the computer as a the impression that Hungarian adults new thing that shouldn't be under­ actually like kids. Multimedia and the multimedia-ready stood in terms of old topics. Many more I was excited by Comenius Logo, a version of MicroWorlds 2.0 offer an pragmatic presentations were about commercial product called by various ideal environment for students to ex­ using Logo in various countries as part other names in assorted countries. It's plore learning in a collaborative, of the national Informatics curriculum. too bad it's commercial, but it com­ constructivist, student-driven, and The long-standing tension between re­ bines real support for multimedia glitz opened-ended way. The workshop pre­ form and revolution is still in evidence, (e.g., movies and melodies are first­ sented at Avalon in Victoria, Austra­ although reform seems to be winning. class objects; they can be members of lia, demonstrated not only the software That is, most people are talking about lists, arguments to procedures, and so and hardware that teachers and stu­ using Logo in the context of public on) with real support for debugging dents can use to explore multimedia as schooling (in the American sense, not (pause, trace, and the like). MSWLogo, a learning tool, but also modeled the the British sense), not about creating a free extension of Berkeley Logo, has learning environment and philosophy alternative institutions. a similar spirit; both are widely used that suits the use of this tool. This may In contrast, what struck me most in Europe. A team in Greece has made well become the classroom model of the strongly was something outside of the another extension to Berkeley Logo to future. conference itself, as I walked around allow dynamic extension with new sets See LOGO NEWS (Page 7)

4 LOGO EXCHANGE Vol. 16/ No.2 ,..

FEATURE ARTICLE

Logo's Return

by ROBERT TINKER

There are major changes in the wind that will bring some word processor cannot be realized just by typing in an es­ I important opportunities to the Logo community. Com­ say, running a spelling checker and printing out the result. puter costs are finally dropping, with the eMate and WebTV Only when the user is familiar with outlining and able to starting a trend that will end with $200 computers in this move sentences and paragraphs around fluidly, can the word academic year. Ubiquitous computing will finally be within processor really help to conceptualize an essay and help the reach of every student, and this will make it possible for us writer capture its logic succinctly in powerful, expressive to finally realize the dreams of vastly better education fu­ words. In addition to very general "productivity" tools, the eled by technology. last two decades have seen the development of dozens of Big visions for education have been articulated by tech­ tools designed especially for education, such as Logo, the nology advocates for two decades. Pessimists have termed Geometer's Sketchpad, and probeware, that have proven ef­ these "faded dreams" that have yet to be realized in any fective. Each of these require an investment of time to mas­ substantial way, and they use this non-result as a way of ter before returning rich educational dividends. discrediting the entire idea of using new technologies in Becoming fluent with technological tools takes time. Even education. I believe, on the contrary, that we are on the if there were more computers available in school, there is threshold of realizing these dreams. not enough time in the school day Computer technology and net­ to make the required investment. working, and knowledge of how to Now that ubiquitous computing For most teachers today, we can­ use them in education, are only is near, Logo can reemerge to not use time at home for this in­ now sufficiently evolved to have a take the leading position in vestment because we cannot as­ huge impact on improving educa­ sume everyone has access to a tion. education it deserves. computer at home, and to pretend The key barrier to date has been otherwise would put students from that the technology is too expensive to give learners suffi­ poor families at an unacceptable disadvantage. The result is cient exposure for them to master and appropriate these that most students exposed to information technologies gain technological tools for their own use. With the recent emer­ only a very superficial understanding of their capacity, and gence of low-cost computers specifically designed for stu­ teachers cannot rely on student facility with technology to dents, schools can finally redesign their entire educational change instruction in any major ways. Unless schools can offerings on the assumption that every student has continu­ provide computers for home use, home time is unavailable ous, ready access to powerful, networked computers. The for using computers and, as a result, regular tool use in in­ implications of this change are momentous, urgently need struction is almost impossible. to be explored, and can be studied only in a real, function­ This year, the situation changed dramatically with the ing school district devoted to large-scale experimentation introduction of the first rugged, inexpensive, portable, net­ and supported by the best experts available. worked computers designed specifically for education. Two The problem posed by information technology is that its commercial entries, the Apple eMate and the NetSchools best use in education, as it is in business, involves learning StudyPro, represent what could well spark the revolution in and applying tool-like applications such as word processors, education technology that visionaries have been predicting. spreadsheets, programming languages, and other specialized Until this year, computer manufacturers have used the steady tools. For maximum benefit, the user must invest substan­ improvements of the underlying technologies to produce tial time to learn the full set of functions each tool offers ever-faster, larger, more sophisticated computers at approxi­ and then change one's own thinking patterns to exploit the mately the same price. The new class of educational com­ new options the tool creates. For instance, the power of a puters is unique because for the first time adequate perfor-

Winter 1997 LOGO EXCHANGE 5 - mance is made available at a lower cost ability to reach very high levels of mentation has often outweighed con­ in a package designed from the ground student comprehension of mate­ siderations of quality; just because the up for education. Both computers sub­ rial previously mastered by few material is treated with technology stitute flash RAM for hard drives and students. does not guarantee that the learning is depend on networking for extended Level 2. Addition. At this level, better. As illustrated, when there is a memory as well as communication. As technology makes it possible to low level of technology implementa­ a consequence, there is a more rugged achieve new curriculum goals, tion, there is sometimes a negative edu­ computer with no moving parts, longer usually by adding new material to cational impact that can result in less battery life, instant-on convenience, an existing course. For instance, learning. and lower cost. The result is an afford­ the TERC Global Lab project adds Level two is more difficult to imple­ able portable computer that schools can to existing science courses the ment because curricula represent a give to every student. possibility of international col­ zero-sum game: for every topic added, The educational implications of this laboration on environmental in­ something must be dropped. Making new class of computers are enormous, vestigations by creating groups of curriculum changes and justifying because (1) we can now have regular schools linked through telecom­ them to all the concerned educators computer-based home assignments for munications. and parents takes time and effort. This all students, (2) we can use the tech­ Level 3. Disciplinary restructur­ it the level envisioned in the science nology to engage parents and care-giv­ ing. At this level, the capacity of and more-ambitious math standards. ers in their students' learning, (3) we information technologies makes it In the Figure, this level is shown as can assume student fluency in tools, possible to redesign a course or se­ leading to linear gains, because the and ( 4) we can restructure the curricu­ ries of courses within a discipline. educational gain is proportional to the lum to exploit this capacity. For instance, graphing can be in­ amount this strategy is employed. Most Technology alone, no matter how troduced far earlier in the math current efforts to use technology in promising, cannot cause educational sequence, giving students skills to education are considered successful if change. We urgently need models for help speed their understanding of reach this level and actually show some the intelligent implementation of this many concepts that might have a payoff from the technology. We take technology to support curricula, meet graphical interpretation. this level as a starting point and plan standards, and then improve the cur­ Level4. Interdisciplinary restruc­ to use project resources to go further. riculum and set more ambitious stan­ turing. At this level, technology Levels three and four represent the dards for the future. What little re­ supports the redesign search that has been done on of courses across dis- "ubiquitous computing" supports the ciplines. For instance, idea that huge improvements are pos­ if modeling using sys- sible, but it cannot provide guidance for tem dynamics was the environment we can create now, learned in ninth- with networking, portability, software, grade math, then sub­ Oi c and care in implementation not repre­ sequent science .!2 H Low sented in prior research. We must move courses could use this :I quickly to seize the opportunity pre­ capability to address "0w sented by the new technologies and a broader range of sci­ show how it can enable our vision of a ence material at a 1 3 4 vastly improved education for all. deeper level. module addition disciplinary interdisciplinary Information technologies can have replacement change change Level of Implementation four different levels of impacts on the These four levels in- curriculum: volve increasing difficulty Figure: A representation of the potential and educational payoff as educational gains for various levels of use of Level 1. Module replacement. At illustrated in the Figure. information technologies. the first level, information tech­ Clearly, the first level is nologies are used to accomplish simplest to implement, because it is large-scale curriculum changes that are the existing curriculum goals by easy to substitute an improved, tech­ possible only with ubiquitous tech­ doing them better or to a higher nology-based approach to a topic for a nologies. Changes of this nature prom­ level of student comprehension. less effective one. This strategy has ise the greatest rewards, providing stu­ For instance, labs based on probes given rise to tens of thousands of small dents with far deeper understanding connected to computers have the computer programs. The ease of imple- of much more content than is currently

6 LOGO EXCHANGE Vol. 16 I No.2 expected. The gains are represented in LOGO NEWS/ Continued from Page 4 the Figure as non-linear because imple­ mentations at one point in the curricu­ lum have a ripple effect, permitting The workshop modeled a classroom software, and providing encourage­ changes in all future studies. Such in which the teachers acted not as con­ ment. To break up the time, Gary and large-scale changes are difficult to veyors of information but as facilita­ Fred gave short presentations on their implement in a single class or grade, tors of student-driven exploratory work and ideas, and led debates on cur­ because their graduates might not have learning. The students of the workshop rent educational philosophy. the familiar set of knowledge and be­ decided on projects for exploration us­ At the end of the two days, we had cause transfer students will face diffi­ ing multimedia as the platform and learned a great deal about using multi­ culties. As a result, such really large­ formed groups based on a common in­ media and had also experienced a scale changes have not been practical terest. The presenters helped by chal­ learning environment that is ideal for in the past. Now for the first time, it is lenging groups to not limit themselves facilitating the type of learning that possible to dream of the kind of major but to be ambitious. Ideas were gener­ will allow students to make the most education improvements that result ated when participants made a sugges­ of multimedia as a tool in their own from level-four implementations. tion of an area of interest to pursue, learning. A mix of tools will be needed, but ranging among such subjects as "design first and foremost among them should a simulation of a garden growing," be Logo. Because it is a programming Starlogo Models "make a multimedia project about language, Logo is likely to be the tool Available for Download making a multimedia project," or "a with the largest potential payoff across The Tufts University project, Making presentation about gold"-all very the curriculum. Furthermore, there are Sense of Complex Phenomena through broad and open topics. three decades of research and exten­ Building Object-Based Parallel Models, As students, we chose a project, and sive classroom experience on its use. has many StarLogo models available individual focus and enthusiasm were It is frustrating that there is a percep­ for download on their Web page. They generated immediately, as everyone tion in the educational community that encompass a variety of different tradi­ was working on something they found Logo has been tried and rejected. In my tional content domains including interesting. Each group decided on a opinion, it has had a bum rap because mathematics, physics, chemistry, biol­ direction, divided the job into anum­ it was simply too far ahead of its time. ogy, economics, engineering, art, and ber of tasks, and allocated group mem­ Now that ubiquitous computing is the social realm. Many of these mod­ bers to do each of them. We then set near, Logo can reemerge to take the els have been designed to be used in about exploring. We had at our disposal leading position in education it de­ schools as so-called "extensible mod­ video and video-editing software, digi­ serves. We need to prepare for this re­ els"-that is, first used for demos, then tal cameras, microphones, modems and emergence by codifying what has been for exploration, and finally for modifi­ the Internet, keyboards and midi soft­ learned, developing increasingly Web­ cation of the underlying assumptions ware (even a digital guitar), and friendly Logo, and developing the ca­ (and code) of the models. These mod­ Micro Worlds 2.0 to tie it all together. pacity for a massive teacher profes­ els include lots of accompanying ex­ The institute program allowed for sional-development effort. We also plorations and activities. large chunks of time to devote to the desperately need testbed schools will­ This project is closely linked to the task at hand, which was a necessity as ing to provide leadership in implement­ Connected Probability Project. As a most of the learning was through ex­ ing level-four curriculum changes based result, many of the models explore ploration. Groups worked within the on a mix of technology tools where what global effects can be achieved same space, and we were encouraged Logo plays a prominent roll. ® using probabilistic distributions and al­ to help each other solve problems. On gorithms. About the Author three occasions during the two-day The web page is at: Dr. Robert Tinker is the Director of the workshop, we were all gathered to­ Concord Consortium. For many years http://www.tufts.edu/as/ed/cm/ gether to "demo or die," where all index.html he was associated with TERC where groups demonstrated their progress to­ he helped develop the Global Lab, Na­ date and told of their trials and tribu­ tional Geographic KidsN etwork, and lations. the Personal Science Laboratory. Gary and Fred were always on Robert Tinker hand, moving among the groups, offer­ bob@concord. org ing advice and challenges, providing tu­ Send Logo News to http:/fwww.concord.org torials on some of the hardware and [email protected]

Winter 1997 LOGO EXCHANGE 7 - BOOK REVIEW/ CAROLYN DOWLING

The Cyber Self

Life on the Screen: Identity in the and by much of the imagery implicit man" to the vexed but eternally intrigu­ Age of the Internet in the terminology of computing, such ing question of what constitutes "real­ Sherry Turkle as the concept of artificial "intelli­ ity" and, most particular, the "real" self. gence." Small wonder that these arti­ Underpinning the argument of the 1995, Simon & Schuster (New York) facts, apparently possessed of at least book is a rich and subtle understand­ ISBN: 0-68480-353-4 two of the defining characteristics of ing of the extent to which a culture of human beings, could be seen as occu­ simulation is increasingly permeating t is now over a decade since The Sec­ pying an ambiguous and complex posi­ our lives, its practical manifestations I ond Self Computers and the Human tion relative to their users. both encouraged by and giving support Spirit burst into our lives, precipitat­ to various strands of contemporary ing what was for most of us a very dif­ Underpinning the philosophy and theory, in particularly ferent way oflooking at computers and aspects of postmodernism. It is an ex­ at ourselves, both in combination and argument of the book is tremely "personal" book in the most by contrast. Of special interest were a a rich and subtle satisfying sense, in that its insights de­ number of issues, brought into focus understanding of the rive from a unique blend of direct per­ by the presence of computers, relating sonal experience and depth of scholar­ to what it really means to be "alive" extent to which a ship in what many would justifiably and to be "human." culture of simulation is regard as fairly diverse areas. During the intervening period, increasingly permeating The book falls into three fairly dis­ there has been a great deal of change crete but thematically linked sections in the attributes and capabilities of our lives within which individual chapters ad­ computing technology and, conse­ dress in considerable depth the new di­ quently, in the use we make of it. The The computer of the 1990s is a very rections and styles that characterize re­ computer of the 1980s was "personal" different kettle of fish. The relation­ cent developments in computing. While not simply in our striving for indi­ ships currently enjoyed by users are less the first two sections provide a wealth vidual ownership of the hardware, but commonly with the computer as an of fascinating and extremely accessible in the relationship between user and entity in itself than with a range of discussion of a range of concepts and machine. For the most part, interac­ other users, or with information, ac­ practices sometimes regarded as a trifle tions between computer and user were cessed through the computer but physi­ esoteric, it is perhaps predictable that on a one-to-one basis. In many in­ cally remote from the desktop. The once the casual reader (including most of my stances the software interface, which personal, personified machine, its func­ tertiary level students) makes a beeline for the majority of users effectively "is" tionality residing unequivocally within for section three, On the Internet, ar­ the computer, was deliberately personi­ the boundaries of the plastic container guably less "technical" in focus and of fied, adopting a range of tones and atop the individual desk or lap, has been most obvious relevance to their per­ stances according to the purposes of transformed into a conceptually trans­ sonal lives. This section addresses the the software and the imagined charac­ parent conduit or gateway to rich and issue of the special opportunities pro­ teristics of the user. Beyond this level complex environments of interaction. vided by the Internet for a person to of anthropomorphism lay a number of It is these new worlds that provide the construct and enact a multiplicity of inadvertent expectations and reactions context for Turkle's more recent work, identities. While the traditional beliefs to computers shaped by the heavy reli­ in which the focus shifts from the gen­ ance of most interfaces on language eral issue of what it means to be "hu- See BOOK REVIEW (Page 30)

8 LOGO EXCHANGE Vol. 16 I No.2 TEACHER FEATURE

John St. Clair

by JIM MULLER

n 1984, Apple Computer Inc. made teacher in my district, I be­ I a bold move to advance the use of came the sysop (systems op­ computers in California schools. They erator) of the local FrEdMail gave an Apple lie and Apple Logo to BBS. I pushed for a Logo each public school in the state. This is newsgroup topic on how John St. Clair was introduced to FrEdMail so that I could get Logo. As he describes it, "it motivated in touch with other teachers me to learn more about computers." who used Logo. Through this Logo fan(atic)s around the world group, I did several are certainly glad John became moti­ LogoWriter project ex­ vated. He has become an active Logo changes with teachers from spokesperson serving on the Board of Nebraska and Pennsylvania. Directors of the Global SchoolNet When FrEdMail incorpo­ Foundation and moderator of Schl-sig­ rated as a non-profit founda­ logo and Logo-L listserv. In his "spare What did or do you see in tion in 1991, I became a founding time," he is technology teacher and Logo? What got you so member of the Board of Directors. It is mentor at Vina Danks Middle School, interested? now known as the Global SchoolNet Ontario, California. There are two things I like about Logo. Foundation (GSN). When Michael Students with low academic abilities Tempel, President of the Logo Foun­ How did you are able to be successful using Logo and dation, and Al Rogers, Executive Di­ get started using Logo? students with high academic abilities rector of Global SchoolNet Foundation, I started using Apple Logo with my kin­ are challenged to be independent learn­ asked me to be a co-moderator with dergarten students in 1984 because that ers. I now work with all levels of stu­ Michael of the Logo-L listserv, I was was the only software that was deliv­ dents including limited English- speak­ delighted. There are now close to 300 ered with the free computer from Apple. ing students and those learning Logo subscribers worldwide, including I was amazed at how creative my kin­ disabled students who can't read. It is those from the Logo newsgroup. I dergarten students were at drawing geo­ very gratifying to see "wanna-be" gang handle technical difficulties, read and metric designs using a single-key Logo members get excited about making the cross-post messages from comp.lang.logo procedure that I wrote for them. turtle draw a car or a truck, to see them (the Logo Usenet newsgroup). To join truly earn an "A" grade in my class. I Logo-l send subscribe logo-l in the body of What did others always hope that some of those stu­ an e-mail message to [email protected] in your school think? dents will remember what it was like Actually, I was the only teacher in my to succeed in my class and give that What happened to your school district who was enthusiastic same effort towards making a better Logo work as you developed about using Logo. I enjoyed reading life for themselves. this electronic network? Logo Exchange articles to get ideas and In 1992, I moved from teaching at a K- support for what I was doing. To get What have you done to 1 school to teaching at a middle school more people interested, I used more get others involved? with sixth- to eighth-grade students. I user-friendly versions of Logo, as they Out of necessity, I have become a great currently spend all day in a computer became available such as Apple Logo believer in on-line communication. II and Logo Writer. After I became a technology mentor- See ST. CLAIR (Page 30)

Winter 1997 LOGO EXCHANGE 9 STARTING WITH STARLOGO I ALAN EPSTEIN

Self-Organizing Behavior

tarLogo is used primarily for mod­ of these in the "Windows" menu if Procedures window. Find that window Seling systems that have no leaders. they are not visible. We'll start by us­ and type: Some examples of these leaderless, or ing the Command Center. to setup self-organizing, systems in our every­ The first thing we need to do is cre­ crt 100 day world are bird flocks, traffic jams, ate some "turtles," which we will call fd 10 and termite and ant colonies. StarLogo termites. (We'll call them turtles, too, end provides a useful means for students because that's what StarLogo calls and researchers (and we are all re­ them). Remember that the word "to" begins searchers of one sort or the other!) to An easy way to create turtles is to every procedure. Unlike commands study and manipulate models of these use the create command: crt 100, typed in the Command Center, proce­ systems to understand their dynamics. which will create 100 turtles on our dures typed into the Procedures window To help familiarize yourselves with screen. Type crt 100 into the Com­ are reusable until changed or deleted. the modeling power of StarLogo, we'll mand Center window, followed by a Let's try out our first procedure. create a program step by step to model Return (or Enter). First type ca into the Command Cen­ a colony of termites. The intent is to You might be asking, "Where are all ter to clear all. Now type setup, and introduce some turtle and patch com­ the turtles?" because there is now only watch our turtles appear. Typing setup mands, as well as an understanding of one spot in the center of the Graphics caused the setup procedure to run. programming, in StarLogo. You will window. Well, they're actually stacked But what if you don't want to have also learn to make simple changes to up on top of each other. Also, they to type ca every time before starting StarLogo programs. won't really look like turtles, they will over? Incorporate that into the setup look like colored spots. [In future col­ procedure, too: Tutorial umns, I'll describe a way to use turtles Before we go on, be sure to obtain with unlimited shapes.] to setup StarLogo and install it on your com­ Trytypingfd 10 (with Return) into ca puter. [At the time of this writing, only the Command Center. And there they crt 100 Macintosh computers are supported.] are! Because they all have a slightly dif­ fd 10 See the end of the column for ways to ferent compass heading, their moving end obtain StarLogo. forward creates a circle. Now our screen will be automati­ As we go along this tutorial, we will Also notice that you typed fd 10 cally cleared each time we type setup. ask you to type some things on the only once, and all100 turtles moved at Try it. computer. These will be in Bold let­ the same time! Each command you To make this even easier, let's cre­ ters, so it will be easy to figure out type is used by all the turtles. ate a setup button. Then, when we when and what to type. Let's put these first few commands press the button, it will do the proce­ Start up the StarLogo program, and into a setup procedure, which is a col­ dure setup without our having to type select the "New" menu command from lection of instructions, such as the ones anything in the Command Center. the "File" menu (File/New) to start a you have typed in the Command Cen­ Click on the Interface window (or new model. ter, with a name attached. To use a use the Windows/Interface menu We'll be doing some of our work in procedure, all you have to do is type its item), and choose the blue button icon the Command Center and some in the name. in the palette. Now click in the empty Procedures window. You can find each All procedures are entered in the Interface window to make a button.

10 LOGO EXCHANGE Vol. 16/ No. 2 When a dialog window pops up, type square brackets. The other 80 % of the The two semicolons mean: Ignore setup in the box where it says logo in­ time, do nothing and leave the patch everything after the semicolons on this struction. Then click OK. black. Unlike setc, which is used for line. We use them because we haven't Now you have a setup button that turtles, setpc sets the color of the patch. yet written these three procedures, and when pressed will perform your StarLogo understands that because StarLogo will complain until they ex­ StarLogo procedure called setup, which setpc is a patch command, that this ist. Later, when the procedures are will create 100 turtles and move them entry applies to all the patches instead written, we'll remove the semicolons. forward. Try pushing the button. of the turtles. As with the turtles, each [Semicolons are also very useful for Now that we have 100 turtles (or patch executes this command line in embedding comments and notes in a termites), let's give them something to turn. program.] do. Why don't we create objects called Add this command to the setup proce­ Let's write the procedure called search­ woodchips. Then we can give the ter­ dure, which now looks like this: for-chip. In search-for-chip, we want the mites certain rules about what to do termites to first find a woodchip. How about to setup with the woodchips. this: If the termite moves over a yellow ca Let's make all of our termites red woodchip, then it removes it from the patch. crt 100 and our woodchips yellow so we can To do this we type this in the Proce­ setc red tell them apart. fd 10 dures window after the go procedure: To do that we say: setc red to set the if (random 100) < 20 [setpc color of the termites to be red. Type to search-for-chip yellow] setc red in the Command Center. if pc = yellow [stamp black end Now add that to your setup procedure: jump 20 stop] end to setup Now when we press the setup button, ca we see red termites and yellow woodchips. What this means is that every termite crt 100 We've completed the setup procedure checks whether the patch it is on is yel­ setc red for our program and learned something low, and if it is, turn it to black, jump far fd 10 about making a lot to termites, coloring away, and stop executing this procedure. end things, and using procedures. So far, we have search-for-chip chang­ So now let's make our termites inter­ ing yellow woodchips to black to indicate We're now ready to create the act with the woodchips. To do this, we that they have been picked up and are no woodchips. Let's use yellow-colored need to make them move around and do longer on the ground. patches for the woodchips to contrast something. But what if the termite isn't on a patch them visually from the termites. This Let's have the termites search for with a woodchip? We don't want those ter­ will be only a little trickier than creat­ woodchips and place them into piles. mites just standing around doing nothing! ing turtles. There are three rules that each termite (What would Hemy Ford say?) Let's get What we want is one out of every five needs to follow to successfully do this: the termites to move while they search. (20%) patches to have a woodchip. We'll First, we'll write a simple moving­ use a random number to do this. A ran­ • If you see a wood chip, pick it up around procedure. We'll call it wiggle: dom number is one that the computer • Search for another woodchip (pre­ picks, kind of like out of a hat. We're go­ sumably in a pile of at least one) to wiggle ing to ask the computer to pick a number • Find an empty space near that pile fd 1 between one and 100. If the number is be­ and put this woodchip down rt random 50 low 20, then we'll drop a yellow lt random 50 woodchip; otherwise, the patch will stay We'll start with a go procedure that will end black indicating that it is empty. call these three rules. Type the following This procedure just moves the termite So, let's put these ideas together to cre­ into the Procedures window, after the setup forward one unit and then wiggles by turn­ ate the woodchips. Type this in the Com­ procedure (for clarity, leave a blank line ing randomly a little to the left and to the mand Center: between the procedures): right. if (random 100) < 20 [setpc to go Let's also change our search-for-chip yellow] ;;search-for-chip procedure to do the wiggle before ;;find-new-pile checking for a woodchip, and to keep This says that for each patch, if the ;;find-empty-patch going as long as it hasn't found one. number you get from "random 100" is end Find the search-for-chip procedure in less than 20, do what is inside the

Winter 1997 LOGO EXCHANGE 11 the Procedures window and change it wiggle Let's write a simple get-away pro­ to look like this: if pc = yellow [stop] cedure to accomplish this: find-new-pile to search-for-chip to get-away end wig seth random 360 if pc = yellow [stamp black All we had to do for find-new-pile jump 20 jump 20 stop] was tell the termite to wiggle and, if it if pc = black search-for-chip sees a yellow woodchip, to stop execut­ [stop] end ing this procedure. Otherwise, keep get-away looking (do find-new-pile again). end Now click on the Interface window. Test our latest procedure by typing WHOOPS! I'm sorry. I made you make find-new-pile in the Command Center. Seth random 360 sets the heading an error, and a pop-up box shows you The termites will move around look­ of the termite to be some random com­ what it is: StarLogo doesn't know any­ ing for another yellow woodchip and pass direction from zero to 360 degrees. thing about a procedure called wig. then stop. jump 20 is similar to fd 20, but much Sometimes errors will occur during Good, we've written the second of faster, more like teleporting. If a ter­ programming, and a pop-up box will our three rules, so we can remove the mite lands on a black patch, stop ex­ help you figure out what went wrong. semicolons from the find-new-pile call ecuting the procedure. Otherwise, keep Click OK in the pop-up box, and of the go procedure. It should now look jumping to get away. change wig to wiggle in the search-for­ like this: Add get-away after it puts the chip procedure. That should fix the bug woodchip down in our find-empty­ in our program. to go patch procedure: Before, when we made the go pro­ search-for-chip cedure, we put semicolons in front of find-new-pile to find-empty-patch the procedures until we wrote them. ;;find-empty-patch wiggle Well, now we've written the search-for­ end if pc = black chip procedure, and we can remove the [stamp yellow Now, we're ready for the last step: semicolons from in front of it. The go get-away finding an empty patch to place the procedure should now look like this: stop] woodchip. find-empty-patch to go We know a patch is empty if it's end search-for-chip color is black; that is, if pc = black. ;;find-new-pile To drop the woodchip, we make the Test our last rule by typing find­ ;;find-empty-patch black patch turn yellow by stamping it empty-patch in the Command Center. end yellow. Here's the last rule: The termites will move around look­ ing for a patch to drop their yellow Test our go procedure by typing go to find-empty-patch wood chips and jump away. in the Command Center. This will re­ wiggle We also must change the go procedure sult in the termites moving around and if pc = black because all the rules are now written: turning many of the yellow woodchip [stamp yellow patches to black. Of course, the red ter­ stop] to go mites will be covering the black find-empty-patch search-for-chip patches, so you won't be able to see end find-new-pile find-empty-patch them yet. Here we tell the termite to wiggle, and So far, so good. Save our work up to end if it finds an empty (black) patch, stamp this point. Use the File/Save As menu, the patch yellow (the same as dropping Now all our procedures are com­ and type your name as the file to save. a yellow woodchip) and stop. If not, keep plete and tested! Click OK. It's a good idea to save your searching for an empty patch. Unfortunately, our go procedure work regularly, even as you are work­ After they've found an empty patch tells each one of our 100 termites to ing. and dropped the woodchip, we want move a woodchip to another pile, but Now get the woodchip-carrying ter­ them to get-away and look for more only one time. What we need is a but­ mites to keep searching for other woodchips. If we don't do this, the ter­ ton to run the go procedure over and woodchips. This procedure will look a mite will likely pick up the same over again. little like search-for-chip: wood chip and start all over again in the to find-new-pile next round. See STARTING WITH STARLOGO (Page 32}

12 LOGO EXCHANGE Vol. 16 I No. 2 FOR BEGINNERS MicroWorlds for Munchkins

by GARY STAGER

ince the 1960s, Logo was intended Creating multiple pages to have no threshold and no ceil­ S Choose Pages-New Page ing. It derives its magic from how little Choose the button tool and kids and graduate students find the same click it on the screen in environment challenging, exciting and the position where you expressive. Although a variety of forces wish the button to ap­ have conspired to make Micro Worlds pear use most common in fourth through sev­ Type the name of the page enth grades, little kids can use it in quite you wish to turn to in creative ways. Much has been written the Instruction: line about how Micro Worlds can be used to Select Once enhance the learning of secondary school concepts. This column makes the Painting a picture ... case for using Micro Worlds in the lower Click on the drawing centre to open If you don't like the appearance of primary grades. the paint tools MicroWorlds buttons, hatch a turtle, Paint your picture dress it in a great costume and make A Great Value Hatch a turtle by clicking on the eye its instruction the name of the page you · Schools that own Micro Worlds site-li­ tool wish to turn to. censes already have a "free" multime­ Open the shapes centre to choose a dia paint, animation, music and web­ "stamp" Put a transition on a page page creation software appropriate for Click once on the shape of your Choose Pages-Transition ... young learners. There are many entry­ choice or double-click on a shape Select the transition you wish to use points through which children may to edit it Click OK enter the world of Micro Worlds. Click on the turtle to change its shape The transition will appear when­ Painting the Picture Choose the magnifying glass ( + or -) ever this page loads. At its simplest level, Micro Worlds is a from the tool menu and then terrific paint program for little kids. It click on the turtle to change the Getting Moving has everything but 100 different ways size of the turtle Why should little kids be limited to to erase your creation. Kids can paint Choose the stamp icon from the tool mindless drill or painting pictures? with the paint tools, stamp pre-defined menu and then click on the turtle Even early readers can program shapes or create their own shapes to to leave its fossil on the screen Micro Worlds to perform simple anima­ stamp. Make a new page, add a button Drag the turtle to another position tions. Write or print the names of to go to that page and create the next and stamp it again (or change its simple turtle graphics commands (FD, picture. Add a text box to the page and shape) BK, RT, LT, SETSH) with sample in­ an illustrated story, poem or report is Remember that there is still a "live" puts on index cards next to the com­ born. All of the techniques associated turtle on the screen so be sure to puter. Names of the standard turtle with process writing can be applied to cut it with the scissors tool or shapes next to their pictures may also the experience. hide it with HT be placed on reference cards.

Winter 1997 LOGO EXCHANGE 13 add a command program motion and interactivity. This such as, SETSH process is quite similar to when pre­ [bird 1 bird2] FD writers dictate a story to an older stu­ 5, in the Instruc­ dent or adult. The advantage of Micro­ tion: line of the Worlds is that projects require the use turtle. These in­ of mathematical processes, different structions may sense, and action. be written on student refer­ The success of early-childhood ence cards. Micro Worlds .projects is dependent on You can find three factors: Baby animation out the name of turtle shapes by open­ Hatch a turtle ing the shapes centre and holding the • sufficient computer access Turn it in the desired direction by mouse over the shape (in Windows 95) • adult support clicking and dragging its nose or double-clicking on the shape • a great open-ended tool (Micro­ Open the shapes center and select (Macintosh). Worlds) the shape you wish for the turtle to wear Making Magic After little kids spend a few years Click on the turtle Five year-old John Richardson uses "messing-about" with Micro Worlds Click the eye tool on the turtle to MicroWorlds to tell stories, create in­ they will have the fluency required to edit its instruction sect reports and even design copies of tackle more complex problem solving Type the command, FD 5, in the his favorite commercial software prod­ in specific school subjects. These chil­ Instruction: line ucts like The Logical journey of the dren will appreciate the intellectual Select Many Times Zoombinis. Making software is not be­ satisfaction and joy associated with Click on the turtle to make it go and yond the imagination of young kids. teaching the computer to do something repeat the process for additional Why not make your LEGO rocket fly it may never have done before. ® turtles on the computer screen? In the past it was impossible for pre-readers to pro­ About the author Encourage kids to change the dis­ gram computers. Gary Stager is the Editor-in-Chief of tance (number) by which the turtle goes Kids like John can hatch turtles, The Logo Exchange and an Adjunct forward and observe what happens. design turtle costumes, paint back­ Professor at the Pepperdine University Kids can even program colors to grounds, create multiple pages, com­ Graduate School of Education and Psy­ make a turtle reverse when it hits the pose music and record narration and chology. brown mountain (see the Micro Worlds sound effects without assistance. They online help or users guide to learn how). can even create simple animations by typing the commands prepared on Gary Stager Toddler animation teacher-made reference cards. [email protected] or (flipbook animation) After John creates all of his desired http:/jmoon.pepperdine.edu/ Follow the same steps as above, but objects, he directs his Dad in how to -gstager/home.htm l

Graphics by John Richardson, Clifton Hill, Australia

14 LOGO EXCHANGE Vol. 16 / No. 2 Look;ng at Technology Through School-Colored Spectacles by SEYMOUR PAPERT Illustrated by Peter Reynolds

Presented at the MIT Media Lab, june jecting technology into an otherwise However, somebody got a brilliant 4, 1996, at an event sponsored by The unchanged school system and then idea, "We'll make a tiny little jet en­ American Prospect Magazine. coming to the conclusion that is not gine. And we will put that on the stage­ going to change school very much. coach, and it won't shatter it to pieces. ,d like to give an overview of some Now, some people of course think Besides, its price is affordable. In fact, I direction of writing that I've been that it is a good thing that it is not go­ very careful statistics managed to show trying to develop and I've been engaged ing to change school very much, it will that this did have a minor affect on the in over the last year and has engaged just make it work better. They think it performance of the horses. I hate to say me in a lot more talking than I usually is a good thing and that's OK. That's it, but I do think that this is a very ac­ like to-listening too. And that is the one position. But then there are the curate portrayal of not only what is be­ kind of discourse going on about tech­ others who think that it is a bad thing. ing done with computers in schools, nology in education. That is, a slightly That school ought which wouldn't be different slant on it. I usually jump in to be changed - so bad. In fact, it's and I know what I want to say and I that they don't not an accurate know what will happen and I have a see technology as portrayal of what particular thing to position in those de­ the potential is being done, be­ bates. But I thought recently that it agent for chang­ cause here and might be a very interesting thing to ing it. Then of there, there are stand back and look at the nature of course there are scattered attempts the debate, what is going on and what the people; those to do (more), scat­ kind of positions people are taking and are really the two tered people are most important, what positions are camps. doing much better people not taking. If this little talk has Way back in with the computer a title it's something like "Looking at Mindstorms I used a little parable that than that (parable) would imply. But Technology through School-colored I find useful for guiding thinking. The overall on the average its what is being Spectacles." Basically my thesis is that parable is about a brilliant engineer done. What I find very serious is that the idea of school in many of its fea­ around 1800 who invented the jet en­ in the talk about computers in schools, tures is so deeply ingrained in people's gine. Since he was dedicated to improv­ the stagecoach model fits exactly. thinking that when they look at tech­ ing transportation, he took his inven­ Namely, what is exact about the nology to discuss it in relation to com­ tion to the people most involved with stagecoach model is that these people puters, they see it in a particular and transportation, namely the makers of have a certain idea about transporta­ very narrow way dominated by the stagecoaches. He said, "Look I've got tion, namely you have this wooden box nature of school as they've known it. this thing. Find out how to use it." So and you put people in it and you have And so, it is not surprising that the dis­ the makers of stagecoaches looked at horses that pull it and it runs on wheels cussion and not only the discussion but it and they said, "Well, let's tie it on to and so on. Within that concept of the serious research and the large a stagecoach and see if it helps the transportation they did the best thing amounts of money and people's time horses." So they tied the jet engine on with the jet engine that anyone could being expended on technology in edu­ the stagecoach and of course it shat­ probably do, which was to get rid of it, cation really consists on taking sides tered the stagecoach to pieces. So that I suppose. about an enterprise that consists of in- wasn't any good. And I think if your concept of

Winter 1997 LOGO EXCHANGE 15 ------·->•• .... school is what school is as you've seen For example, should we teach frac­ about when sometimes people have it in the past, well what else would you tions? Should we teach them at all? proposed abolishing it, there is a little do with the computer except put it in Some people say yes, you need to know bit of discussion about the reasons the there? But why is there no discussion that a half is two quarters. OK, well people gave for abolishing it. For ex­ about whether school could be very this is stuff that I've noticed that my ample, there was a big movement in the different, and how different it could six-year old grandson knows. He likes late '30s to abolish fractions on the be? Now, very different can mean very playing in the kitchen and he has grounds that people had done statisti­ different things to very different learned a few things about halves and cal studies of how much people ever people, to everybody. quarters and thirds. I have no doubt used the fraction stuff they learned in So, I'd like to run through a few of that is very good stuff. But that is only school. And they came up with the the features of school which I think a tiny sliver of what they do in school. obvious result that you all know, no­ very clearly, or at least plausibly There is all this other stuff, like know­ body ever uses them. Not even math­ enough, to warrant serious discussion ing how to add 17/18 and whatever ematicians. Nobody ever uses things are technologically deter­ like dividing one fraction mined. In particular, they are by another. so it was said, technologically determined "Let's throw it out of by the previous epoch of in­ school." so the other people formation technology where said, "Well, people do use print and standing up and it occasionally." You can writing on a chalkboard and find an occasional use here all the rest of the stuff we and there. But anyway know, when that was the that's not the basis on only way we had of dissemi­ which we should settle nating knowledge. And this. You can judge if the when the need in the society knowledge is good knowl­ for knowledge was the way edge on the basis of it was, certain ways of doing whether you actually use "education" took form. I it, because knowledge can would like to say that almost serve all sorts of other pur­ everything you can think of poses and this seems to about school is a product or have quelled that move­ reflection of that epoch. And ment. Obviously because so it is oximoronic not to everybody wanted it mention just plain moronic, quelled anyway because it to think that the role of the is just too hard to contem­ computer is to get in there plate the idea of eliminat­ and improve the way that a ing these things. system which only exists be- Now what this other cause the computer doesn't exist, and knowing how to divide fractions. thing that learning factions is supposed comes from a previous epoch (that) Well what reason could there possibly to do to you is not very clear. It's never was what it was. be for teaching this? been spelled out. It's rather like the old Let's take some examples. I'm going Now, I am not advocating the aboli­ argument that learning Latin was good to pick on one little corner of school, tion of fractions. I am drawing atten­ for developing the mind. And you namely mathematics. I am a mathema­ tion to the fact that here is a human might say that learning fractions is tician; it is easier to talk about it be­ activity on which billions of dollars are good for developing the mind. Some cause it exemplifies to a higher degree spent, countless hours, incredible psy­ people say that learning fractions is all the crazy things about school. But chological harm is done by people who good because you need it to do the more what I have said applies to everything. don't succeed in doing it and therefore, advanced mathematics. Well, why do Now, in mathematics the first dominat­ classify themselves and are classified you need it to do the more advanced ing feature is the content of the math­ by others as whatever they are classi­ mathematics? ematics. I recently did a little research fied as. And there is no discussion OK, you can prove that to me be­ on what discussion there is in the whatsoever about why this is a good cause you can find an advanced math­ world about real change about the con­ thing to do. ematics book that will use an example tent of school mathematics. There is a little bit of discussion that presupposes that the reader knows

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16 LOGO EXCHANGE Vol. 16 I No.2 about fractions. Of course, why jar areas of knowledge. In fact, I don't this an exciting thing (to do) because shouldn't the writer of the book use know how many people know this, but video games are important things in that example since everybody has been if you want to know where the word their world. Besides, it is very challeng­ through this experience? But that mathematics comes from the stem, ing to make a video game. It leads you doesn't prove that you needed that ex­ math, comes from Greek mathein to reflect about yourself and interact perience. If you take it all together, my which is the word to learn. In fact, all with others. It has got all sorts of personal view is that this is just harm­ the words in math in ancient Greek wonderful advantages that kids are ful stuff to teach. In any case, there is didn't mean what we mean by them, sensitive to. But if you are going to no rational discussion about why it they meant learning. And somehow in make a serious video game you are very should be taught. So there is room for the course of intervening centuries, my likely to run into mathematical prob­ making theories about why it is taught sort of intellectual ancestors, talking lems. Like if you take a jump, how do and I think there are a couple of theo­ now as a mathematician, somehow you describe the trajectory? I ries. managed to con the world into think­ One (theory) was that it was actu­ ing the only good learning was this ... this is what's ally closer to what people needed back kind of learning. And so the word before there were calculators. So a lot slipped over without hardly a trace of happened to computers of school math was useful once upon a its original meaning. in schools. They're being time, but we now have calculators and Well there are some, like the word used in ways that have so we don't need it. But people say that polymath, is one of them. Polymath is surely we don't want to be dependent not a person who knows a lot of math. nothing to do with the on the calculator. To which I say, It is a person who has learned a lot of potential of the "Look at this thing, these eyeglasses, different things. But that word has computer to allow the that make a dramatic difference to my been thoroughly appropriated by math­ life and the life of everybody who reads ematics and so this is ensconced there possibility of a radically or looks at any fine detail. Once upon as a piece that is by definition the gram­ different way of a time we would have been crippled, mar of what knowledge is, includes severely handicapped. Now we've got doing some mathematics. Actually, I learning. these and we don't need to go through would agree except I don't think that all that suffering. So we are dependent fractions is really mathematics. And I Well, how do you describe it? You on this little thing. do think that if we think about what need a mathematical concept for de­ mathematics means to me as a math­ scribing it. Well, actually it is a pa­ ematician, its got nothing to do with rabola. And how do you find that out? things like those formal operations that Well, these same computers that give you do in fractions and its got espe­ children the occasion to want to find cially nothing to do with the way you it out are also for the means. We can do it in school. And so if we are going have all kind of search procedures. You to (prescribe) mathematics for children can get at all sorts of kinds of knowl­ we need to do something very differ­ edge embedded in the computer system ent from that. somewhere. Now, this something very different You can also get at people. Michelle isn't very hard to imagine, although it Evard here (at the MIT Media Lab), will need a lot of work to develop. And one of our graduate students, is work­ that is one reason why it isn't done. It ing on a project in which children mak­ Well, so what? There is nothing is not hard to imagine in the context ing video games use a kind of mail sys­ wrong with being dependent on a little of having modern technology. We have tem/newsgroup system to ask thing that everybody can have lots of. developed lots of examples to show questions and pose problems to others It doesn't even cost much. So, that is how with computers there can be a who have had similar experiences be­ no argument. But I think historically radically different relationship be­ fore. So all those children who have that was a factor. I think the other im­ tween children and learning - all sorts done something like that before get mo­ portant factor was for various reasons of things, including mathematics. bilized as consultants and teachers people thought we ought to teach some­ My favorite example recently has from which they learn as much or more thing called mathematics because since been having kids learn enough pro­ than they learn from doing it in the the days of the Greeks mathematics gramming so that they can make their first place. So there are other ways was ensconced there as one of the rna- own video games. Almost all kids find through this computer system that

Winter 1997 LOGO EXCHANGE 17 have opened up that enable somebody the content, we've thrown out the idea be what the debate is about. About to get knowledge when you need it. of curriculum, and we might as well whether there are ways in which we Now this leads not only to a radically now throw out the idea of grade level. can envisage different different kinds different idea about what kind of The very idea of having first grade, sec­ of learning environments that are not knowledge it is, because there is noth­ ond grade, third grade has no sense ex­ colored by the school spectacles that ing numerical and nothing about frac- cept that we are going to chop up make you see things in terms of cur­ knowledge into little riculum, fractions, grammar, periods pieces and dish them THE CLASSROOM. If you pick up the out in some sort of sys­ books they are all about how can com­ tematic order; for which puters be used in THE CLASSROOM we need to organize to teach THE CURRICULUM for THE people in a way that we SUBJECT but presupposing before you can know that we are even start the answer - namely that getting this piece this school is going to be like it is, and so it year and this piece this is not going to change. I think that they year and this piece this are serious difficulties and I do think year and this piece this that we have learned that you can't just year, and so on. come along and design a new social sys­ But if knowledge is tem, like school, and impose it. It won't going to come by other work, that kind of social engineering tions in the description of the parabola roots there's no sense in dividing doesn't work. But I think we can draw that we give them. But this is also radi­ people up by ages. Now of course we from the experience of how things have cally opposite to the idea of the cur­ have developed a whole discourse of riculum, where you learn a piece of about why there are advantages, why mathematics because it's the 17th of it's terrible to have people mixed with May and your third-grade year and so people of other ages ... well you are. If I it's inscribed somewhere that on this insisted here that people separate into day you are going to learn this. tables according to their age, well you are grownups not children, but what ... so it is oximoronic not about children, before they to school, or at home in the family, where excel­ to mention just plain lent learning and psychological devel­ moronic, to think that opment happens, people are in all sorts the role of the computer of mixtures of all sorts of ages and it worked better when it was an extended is to get in there and family with great grandparents and improve the way that a little siblings all living together and system which only exists learning from one another. In fact, it is quite absurd to think that there's any because the computer social or psychological advantage in doesn't exist, comes segregating children by ages. All that from a previous epoch is merely the consequence of techno­ logical epoch that has gone by but by (that) was what it was. now it is there, it is dug in and it is hard to change. That's the only reason That's no way to learn, not if there's why it's there. an alternative and the alternative is So, standing back then ... if we happened and how things haven't hap­ you get into situations where you need want to discuss what computers mean pened..... A number oflessons that we it. The problem of the education inno­ for education, we might come to the at least could digest and at least talk vators to create those situations where conclusion that all there things are so about, which is all I am appealing for. you need it, and to create means so that hard to change that we'll never change Talk about them. you can find the knowledge when you them. It's just impossible. Well, ok, so First of all, something that is very need it for your purpose; but this is be it if that is the truth, but let there be clear form the outset is that the cat­ going a long way. We have thrown out talk. Let there be discussion. Let this egories of subject matters have become

18 LOGO EXCHANGE Vol. 16 I No. 2 deeply ingrained. I see Howard engine inventor. I think that an incred­ done, at the same time they came about Gardner here, and so I am going to take ibly mischievous thing is being done a professionalization of people who express a little admiration and also a by Al Gore and Clinton, but especially were teachers of this little itty bittypiece little quarrel. I think he has heroically by everybody who is propagating the of computer knowledge. That knowl­ fought against the idea of a sort of idea that these NetDays, in putting one edge is their thing now. They have their single intelligence that all people are computer in every classroom con­ professional associations and their jour­ the same and for this there is nothing nected to the Internet, that this is a nals, and their masters' degrees on how but applause and it's totally in the line to do that, and once it's build in you of the kind of enterprise I am suggest­ have a devil of a job ever changing it to ing. I think there is something not in­ 1<;4 fix Co. take the next step. tended perhaps but essentially mischie­ Now So the incremental change can be vous in the idea in the idea that there self-defeating; it's not a step on the way are several kind of intelligence; maybe to the big change. A silly example: sup­ seven of which one is mathematical be­ pose that the inventor of the refrigera­ cause I do not believe that. Of course tor found that the only way to persuade there is empirical evidence that some people to buy them would be to make kids can and some kids can't do that a refrigerator that could drop the tem­ stuff that you call math at school but perature just one degree. Now that that's not math in any sense that I un­ thing would be no use as a refrigera­ derstand it as a mathematician. To call tor, it would be a kind of step towards the ability to do that, even if this is in­ good thing. Now of course, it's a good a real refrigerator. If you distributed nate in some people, which I doubt, but thing ... there's no question that it is a these around people would develop even if it is, to call that mathematics good thing but if this is allowed to get ways of using them, they'd use them and to recognize it as a kind of intelli­ confused with the idea of using tech­ as storage boxes, they'd use them for gence is as if people who don't like to nology to change education and to all sorts of things because people are or don't want to that sort of stuff are open new vistas for children, it is a very ingenious beings and they try to use missing something, even if they have bad thing. what they've got. So, there'd come something else that is very great, I It's a bad thing for a number of rea­ about a refrigerator-culture of how to think is something we need to through sons. One of them being that incremen­ use refrigerators for purposes that had radically out of our minds. It's a very tal change, if you've looked at any sys- nothing to do with what we know re­ hard job to throw out of our culture frigerators are good for.... this is what's the idea that there is a thing called Making Little steps is a happened to computers in schools. mathematics and it consists of the stuff dangerous sort of thing. If They're being used to ways that have you did in school and that some people nothing to do with the potential of the are good at it and most of us aren't and you bring in a Little bit of computer to allow the possibility of a all the rest. change people adapt to it radically different way of learning. So There are a lot of deeply ingrained when you do these, it gets built-in. cultural assumptions that need to be and then it gets Since time is running out I'd like to faced at least. I don't know how to get professionalized. just mention one more which I've men­ ride of them but I think they need to tioned over and over again. It's amaz­ be recognized. Somebody who wants tern, has a particular way of breeding ing, you can write it down ... There's a to at least probe the possibility of immune reactions and resisting further proof about the artificial nature of the change has to feel the resistance of try­ change. If you bring in a little bit of way people have learned arithmetic in ing to change these things. So we need change people adapt to it and then it gets school that keeps on cropping up again to recognize the need for deep professionalized. For example, in the that people who have gone through reconceptualizations of how people early 80's it was terribly exciting. The school, in fact the people who are run­ think about themselves, about learn­ only times you saw microcomputers in ning schools, think that computers are ing, about their children. I am not try­ schools is when visionary teachers had expensive. Now, ok, in some sense they ing to minimize, I am trying to say it is brought them there. But when schools are expensive. I can feel it in my bud­ hard but lets recognize it as hard. started having computer labs and put­ get when I go and buy one. If you re­ Now, if we are going to do that we've ting the computers in them and giving ally went out and bought 50 million got to see that making little steps is a them an hour a day and having a com­ computers you'd be in debt for the rest dangerous sort of thing. I think that an­ puter literacy curriculum ... although of your life, or worse. On the other other metaphor is useful; like my jet some wonderful things continued to be hand, we shouldn't ask questions like,

Winter 1997 LOGO EXCHANGE 19 or get the videotape from C-Span) the following reasons what I was saying was not only absurd but also irrespon­ sible, to give congress that idea that in­ expensively they could give kids com­ puters. First of all, industry practice says that computers that have to be changed not every 10 years, but on av­ erage last they last thirty months be­ fore you replace them. So, what kind of argument is that? Why does indus­ try replace them after thirty months? WeB, we don't know, we don't think about why, it's not the custom in this kind of discussion, that's a fact. Well is it expensive or not? We should quan­ when they were kids, hopelessly ab­ the reason why they change them is be­ tify it and relate it to other amounts. stract and inflexible; but also in terms cause there is this crazy dance going Now, the piece of arithmetic I want to of how schools make decisions, and on between the computer makers and do is the following: suppose we want what's expensive for schools, and what the software maker.... the computer to give every child, about 50 million of can change and what can't change. If makers make a more powerful com­ them, a computer. So we say how much you take a more flexible approach at puter and the software makers make a will that computer cost? Well I say $500 least you see that wherever the diffi­ thing that needs that more power and or less, actually we could go buy a culties might be in putting together that so it goes. Ultimately, the argument pretty good computer for $1000, but if money, it is not that it is too expensive that we have to abolish, retire this com­ you really went out and bought 50 mil­ that we can't afford it. puter after thirty months because it is lion of them I bet that industry could no longer the latest thing sounds like beat the price down to $500 or less. There is nothing taking an awful attitude to children. Let's say it's $500. That computer Certainly they deserve the latest thing, would be good for 10 years. I know lots wrong with being but what it boils down to is that un­ of schools where they are using Apple dependent on a Little less we can give them a Cadillac that lis from the 80's. So that's $50 a year. thing that everybody they should walk barefoot. Now $50 a year, well how much are you So, that was just one of the argu­ spending per child, five, six, seven thou­ can have Lots of. ments. The next argument was- main­ sand and going up. So it's like 1%. It tenance was expensive. He said it cost would increase by % 1 the cost of edu­ I want to end on a few examples of cation if we gave every child a com­ the kind of discourse we get about that. puter. Last year I attended, and for the same OK now, why do people think it's reason I am here, during the last past expensive? They do not know enough, year I have reversed a long-standing they are not comfortable dealing with policy of not taking part in policy dis­ numbers to realize that this is just an cussions because they don't get any­ accountant's trick. If the computer has where, but I thought I'd better find out to be bought out of the same budget how people are talking. So for a while that's there for buying pencils, of I accepted all invitations, and wow course it's outrageously expensive. But wasn't it dizzying. Well, one of them if it's going to be bought out of the same was for congressional hearings. They $70 an hour to pay a maintenance guy budget that's used for building build­ had congressional hearings about tech­ to fix the computer. Actually last time ings, it's a different story all together. nology in education. I did this arith­ Thad one, I got a bill for $160 an hour. It's amazing that it's so hard to break metic and at that meeting a certain I can't believe it. I am just going to use down this wa11, and it's because they're gentleman, who is the chairman, I this as my last example, because it re­ looking at he whole problem through couldn't believe this, of a committee ally points to something about assum­ all sorts of school-colored glasses. created at the White House to study ing school is always gong to be what it School-colored glasses, are the way technology in education. He said (and is. I would imagine that if we really are they learned to think about numbers you can read the Congressional Record having a sensible policy of a computer

20 LOGO EXCHANGE Vol. 16 I No. 2 for every kid that also every kid should and if we want to spend more money HARD FUN f Continued from Page 2 become so proficient and competent on it then we should have forces of and deeply understanding of comput­ people who are watching what's grow­ chaotic schools ... hard, but not im­ ers that if they break you don't pay $70 ing and amplifying and improving and possible. an hour to get some guy to come in. nurturing a better model. ... A horti­ Whenever you find yourself frus­ The kids fix them. cultural model is maybe the best one. trated or tired ofbattling the curricu­ There's nothing that those people These things will grow. We'll nur­ lum police, spend some time in a class­ getting $70 or $160 an hour are doing ture the growth. We'll favor certain room where kids are using Logo, tackle that a fifth grader couldn't be doing af­ mutations and adaptations. I think that programming project you have ter a few years of experience or a third that's saying that you could conceive put-off for so long or find inspiration grader. Maybe very occasionally you of social policies that are very differ­ in the work of colleagues around the may need a 12-year-old but the fact is ent from the ones that admittedly have world. Until next issue, go out and have that this could be a self-sufficient en­ not worked when you try to superim­ some hard fun. You and your students terprise of the kids in the school repair­ pose from top down a predigested, certainly deserve it! ing their computers, making their soft­ preplanned, prestructured solution to 1Shepherdson, Nancy. (1997) "lntelln­ ware even, developing the uses for it. an important social problem. side" in Continental In-Flight Maga­ But, this is outrageous, because we are I think this image of planting the zine. October 1997. pp 47-49. exploiting kids I suppose, it's making seeds for it to grow everywhere is al­ kids work. And so I will just end on ready happening. In fact, of the more Enjoy! that. It's one of those other hangovers interesting educational acts that I've that we have laws about kids working, seen recently many more have been in because once upon a time, kids in homes where kids have computers sweatshops and other places where than in schools. In fact, I think that made to do destructive work that was the locus of innovation in thinking Gary bad for them. about learning is moving rapidly out Today, with this exciting new tech­ of the school into the home. Maybe the Gary Stager nology a lot of the stuff that you could force for change that will really be ef­ [email protected] call technological and vocational is the fective in the end is that the kids who work with the deepest intellectual con­ have had something better at home tent of anything in our culture and our won't stand it anymore. Kid power will society. Making kids do that is so far force school to change or go out of ex- from exploiting them that it's almost istence. the opposite. Not allowing them to do NEXT ISSUE that is, I suppose, exploiting them in I the name of our conservatism of main­ The luternat.ional rs!fue taining a system that is only there be­ cause it's always been there and there's 1 1 no justification for it. Well, maybe Fred D Ignazio s Logo things that are sufficiently deeply Adventure Down Under rooted can't change, I doubt that's true, but if it's true lets face it and acknowl­ .Articles. from Australia~ edge that that's the reason. New Zealand, Personally, I think that if we adopt a Saudia Arabia, different way of thinking and ask, I \ ' and Russia "what interventions can we make that About the author would create fertile ground for an evo­ Music and Logo lution of change?" I think giving every­ Dr. Seymour Paper is widely considered body a computer is an example. Don't The Father of Logo. He is the LEGO tell them what to do with it. Give ev­ Professor of Learning at MIT's Episte­ Logo Math Projects erybody a computer. Then here and mology and Learning Group and author there and there and there, more and of Mindstorms, The Children's Machine Exciting Surprises more people will find interesting things and The Connected Family. You may to do with those computers. The new send you comments to ideas will grow and spontaneously grow [email protected]

Winter 1997 LOGO EXCHANGE 21 Logo and Thinking Writing: Part II

by LESLIE F. THYBERG

Establishing a thinking tial strategies to adopt that can become ing is to fill as much of the page as pos­ writing classroom ongoing procedures throughout the sible. It is strictly a quantity model. (Where is Square One?) course of the year are free writing, This kind of informal writing fosters Invariably one of the first questions in learning logs, and writing prompts. independent thinking because it re­ response to getting an approach like Freewriting is writing rapidly for a minds students that learning and this started is, "How can I get them to short and fixed period of time. Toby thinking are active, not passive. write anything?!" To begin one of the Fulwiler describes freewriting as a If you are familiar with silent sus­ best techniques is a surprisingly short, good technique for dumping ideas out tained reading, sometimes referred to risk-free assignment, in close keeping quickly. Peter Elbow describes it at as DEAR (Drop Everything and Read), with Piagetian thinking. Having stu­ length in his book Writing without then you know that one of the cardi­ dents write about what they know best Teachers. Ask your students to freewrite nal rules is that the teacher must model (themselves) is generally a very effec­ for three to five minutes at the begin­ what is being asked of the students. It tive starting point. For example, at the ning of the period about anything that is important to try to join the students beginning of class, ask students to do occurs to them (or about the subject of while they write. It is even better if you one of the following: a new unit). This writing encourages are willing to share your journal en­ them to let their thoughts flow freely, tries with the class. • Describe what we did in class (yes­ to raise questions, and to discover what Many teachers of mathematics or terday, last session, just now, etc.) they already know about topics. You science courses find that having stu­ • Explain what went wrong (in pro­ may elect to have your student do this dents keep an informal learning log is cedure x, in subprocedurey, etc.) using Logo Writer, any other word-pro­ a good place to start. Basically, it is a • Discuss the most difficult problem cessing package, or separately at their notebook that serves as a personal you have encountered so far seats with paper and pencil. record of what is transpiring in the • Explore the relative merits of two It has been my experience that stu­ class. You may choose to focus it how­ different procedures dents are surprised by how easy it is to ever you like. A five- to 10-minute ses­ • Write a letter to an absent class­ start. In fact, some become frustrated sion at the end of the week is a good mate about the new (command, by the rush of topics that emerge. They time for students to assess and synthe­ project super/subprocedure, etc.) complain that their pens or fingers on size their understanding and progress the keyboard cannot keep up with their with a new topic or an ongoing project. Why do this? Countryman states, thoughts. It is equally true that some Use the learning log to encourage "Instead of waiting for the teacher, or will need to be prodded. If a student students to: another student, to do, explain, dis­ can't think of anything to write, it is cuss, summarize, or evaluate, each stu­ appropriate to prompt them by suggest­ • write comments about the mate­ dent is engaged in the learning pro­ ing that they simply start with, "I have rial cess." (pg. 13) This gives students an nothing to write." Some students may • write comments about their own active role. This is simply a springboard do so repeatedly, but eventually bore­ work to what can and should become a rou­ dom takes over, and they do discover • write comments about their tine part of your use of Logo. that they have something about which progress There are many kinds of writing to they can write. In fact, it's okay to do • write comments about the class in employ in developing a thinking writ­ so repeatedly until something else general ing classroom environment. A few ini- comes out. The intention of freewrit-

22 LOGO EXCHANGE Vol. 16/ No. 2 Once you have begun using the pre- classroom. Their implementation Fulwiler's assumptions are: ceding strategies, other writing activi- paves the way for the more intensive ties to use are autobiographies, journals, use of journals within the classroom 1. When people articulate connec- word problems, and formal writing in all curricular areas, but in particu- tions between new information (such as research papers). Everyone has lar as a way of "thinking writing" us- and what they already know, an autobiography that can be tailored ing Logo. they learn and understand that to any content area or experience. Some new information better (Bruner, possible starting points are: Journals Towards a theory of instruction, ,, In recent years, teachers in elementary 1966, Harvard Univ. Press) • Write about your triumphs/disas- and secondary schools as well as in 2. When people think and figure ters (with Logo, computers, etc.) college have been asking students to things out, they do so in symbol • Go back as far as you can remem- keep personal notebooks most com- systems commonly called Ian- ber. What is your first experience monly called journals. These informal guages, most often verbal, but with (Logo, etc.)? notebooks serve a range of educational also mathematical, musical, vi- • What do you like about learning purposes, from practice in self-expres- sual, and so on (Vygotsky, Logo? math? science? etc. sion to figuring out problems in basals/ Thought and language, MIT Press • What do you not like? texts, etc. Sometimes students write in 1962) about whatever they want. Other times 3. When people learn things, they Asking students to write a Logo topics are carefully specified. For a use all of the language modes to autobiography at the beginning of the writer, a journal is a crucial ingredi- do so-reading, writing, speak- school year gives them permission to ent in focusing the author's thoughts. ing, and listening; each mode talk about themselves. It gives them the So, too, having students maintain Logo helps people learn in a unique freedom to express their thoughts and journals or Turtle notebooks can be an way (Emig, Writing as a mode of feelings in a more private and comfort- invaluable learning tool for learning learning, 1977) able manner. It also helps students fo- with Logo (or more aptly, learning 4. When people write about new in- cus on their own learning styles and about learning if appropriately uti- formation and ideas, in addition think about what does and does not lized). Whatever students deem valu- to reading, talking, and listening, work for them. Writing enables many able can be stored inside. Theories, pat- they learn and understand them students to take more responsibility for terns, new ideas, designs, and bug better (Britton, The development what goes on in class. Best of all, shar- collections can be kept "for reflection, of writing abilities, 1975 by ing their experiences builds commu- remembering, and refinement" (Watt, Macmillan) nity; students are often surprised to 1986, p. 74). 5. When people care about what discover that others feel the same way A journal is a good place for they write and see connections they do. This is a great invitation for freewriting, as well as an appropriate to their own lives, they both learn students to see themselves as empow- place for asking questions, experiment- and write better (Moffett, Teach- ered learners. ing, and making strong statements, but ing the universe ofdiscourse,1968). Teachers who ask their students to not an appropriate place to censor (Fulwiler, pg. 5) write their Logo histories early in the grammar, spelling, or punctuation. The year will end up knowing considerably teacher should not evaluate or criticize One of the best uses for journals is more about their students much ear- student writing in a journal. Toby written conversation. When journals lier than they would using a more tra- Fulwiler wrote a document for the are part of the writing environment, ditional approach. An additional ad- NCTE Commission on Composition children use them to write about any- vantage is that the autobiographies set (1986) suggesting that there are strong thing they please. From doodles to com- .. the tone for year-long conversations pedagogical reasons for asking students ments to poems to letters, they form a between the teacher and the students to keep journals. His article is one of mechanism for written conversations ~ about their interests, their learning many in a magnificent resource titled between child and teacher, and child styles, and their performances. Self-as- The journal Book. It is a collection of and child. The advantage of a teacher sessment can be surprisingly accurate. various authors' perspectives on the reading a Logo journal is that the en- Reading Logo histories helps teachers uses of journals in English, the Arts tries will tell him or her what students see their students as individual learn- and Humanities, and the Quantitative grasp and what they do not under- ers. Confidence and self-esteem also Disciplines. In an introductory over- stand, as well as what they like and dis- can be addressed. view, Fulwiler proposes that journals like. Students may write anything they The preceding suggestions lay the are predicated on five assumptions like, as long as they are willing to let groundwork for a thinking writing about language and learning. you read it.

Winter 1997 LOGO EXCHANGE 23

------~------"· ·--- What are the kinds of (even more appropriate is to use a sharing, puppetry, dress-up, book journals-how might they Logo procedure that randomly gen­ talks, mobiles, movies, newsreels, be applied to Logo? erates partners names). To maintain and debates. interest, change buddies periodi­ 1. Dialogue journals allow the student cally. A buddy journal is a context Journals provide the teacher with a and teacher to enter into a personal for conversing about anything that "window into the student's mind." A relationship through the vehicle of matters. This can enhance socializa­ student's writing sheds light on what the journal writing. This has been tion because it allows students a fo­ he or she is doing and thinking. The documented by Gambrell in 1985 in rum for learning about each other. Watts state: "The journal should be a the Reading Teacher in an article 3. Double entry journals have their safe place to record process in a style titled "Dialogue journals: Reading­ pages divided into two parts. On the useful to the student. They should not writing interactions." A teacher's left two-thirds of each page, students be graded and never corrected" (Watt, response to children's entries may make notes, list predictions, and 1986, p. 74). Even in my former pri­ include comments, questions, and draw diagrams before and during mary level classroom, I found students invitations to children to express reading. On the right side, they were more than willing to maintain themselves. Gambrell suggests some write a response to their reading. journals. I had a second grader who guidelines: These journals have been recom­ went so far as to persistently doodle mended for use with all students, on his dinner napkin or paper a. write daily (It is better to make including at-risk learners. This may placemats with "Logo ideas" he had. the journal a frequent short rou­ or may not be read by the teacher It always delighted me to see him bring tine than one that is random and or peers. It simply allows students his "stained notes" in, file them, and long.) a chance to jot ideas down before try them. b. focus on communication (Like and during their work on one side most whole language advocates, and give reactions to their work Thinking Writing he stresses that one should not after reading on the other. Let's return to the original proposition correct entries, but instead, 4. Learning logs are daily records of of this paper. "Writing to learn is dif­ model the correct form in the re­ what students have learned. These ferent from writing to show that you sponse.) may be treated as dialogue or re­ have learned what the teacher or the c. respond in a way that encourages sponse journals. text has set for you to learn" (Coun­ written expression (Such feed­ 5. Diaries are private records of per­ tryman, pg. 88). It was my proposition back as "tell me more about, de­ sonal observations and thoughts. that despite Logo's word-processing ca­ scribe... " will elicit more from the These are not read by anyone un­ pabilities, most applications we wit­ student. In Logo terms, it be­ less the student requests accordingly. ness of Logo Writer are not using writ­ comes a recursive procedure. 6. Response journal/literature logs or ing to learn more about Logo or even d. dialogue journals are private. Un­ reading journals are places to record more about learning. Another way of like some form of writing which reactions, questions, and reflections stating this would be to say that "as­ are intended for a broader audi­ about what has been read or done. signing writing is not teaching writing" ence, dialogue journals are pri­ Sometimes they are just a personal (Olson, pg. 11). I also suggested that vate between teacher and stu­ record, but occasionally they are our belief systems and perspectives dent. They may share entries if read by the teacher. A typical writ­ affect the way in which even the prac­ they wish, but this is always to ing prompt might be: What sur­ tice of writing (Logo, etc.) takes place. be a voluntary thing. prised you about the section you To ensure a process-oriented, whole read/worked on/edited today? How language approach to learning with 2. Buddy journals encourage written does this change affect what might Logo, learning about one's learning, conversation between children us­ happen next in the story/procedure/ and thinking while composing with ing a journal format, as the name project? What startling, unusual, or Logo (be that graphic or text composi­ implies. Before beginning buddy effective words/ phrases/ expres­ tions), it is necessary to maintain the journals, children should be famil­ sions/error messages did you come "big picture." As Logo teachers, we are iar with the use of journals as a tool across today that you would like to like reading teachers, now emerging for writing and be comfortable with have explained or clarified? The into a culture that seems to support dialoguing with a teacher. Simply di­ kinds of response options or entries technology. The question is where we vide students into pairs. They may can include story mapping, rewrit­ fall on the continuum. Are we skills­ choose a buddy, or the teacher can ing, retelling, and illustrating. I have based (phonic teachers) who approach select randomly by drawing names also had students write scripts for learning in a parts-to-whole progression?

24 LOGO EXCHANGE Vol. 16/ No. 2 Are we whole language/language ex­ ing .... [The UCI project examines the Conclusion perience-based in our approach to Logo following domains: sensory/descrip­ The Carnegie Task Force on Teaching and language learning, where we take tive; imaginative/narrative; practical/ as a Profession stated that: a whole-to-parts progression? While I informative and analytical/ expos­ An economy based upon people have clear biases about the preferred itory] ... Each domain of writing has methodology and philosophy, I believe its purpose; no domain has more value who think for a living requires schools dedicated to the creation of that if we approach Logo and its capa­ than the others. bilities with an informed perspective, environments in which students be­ come very adept at thinking for we will be better teachers and our stu­ • The formal study of grammar in dents will profit. itself has no significant correla­ themselves, places where they master I have found the tenets of the UCI tion to the improvement of writ­ the art of learning and acquire a Writing Project to be equally applicable ing skills. strong taste for it (Carnegie Task Force, 1986, p. 45). to a theoretical framework for "whole • Teachers of writing should write; Logo" learning. By keeping these as a good teachers are themselves Based on personal experience as part of one's "big picture," it has been learners (Olson, pp. 11-12). well as the observations of others, I my experience that significant changes believe I have devised a direct and will come about both in the process and This brings us back full circle to Dan simple means for teaching children to product. The most notable tenets are: Watt's (1984) premise of a computer control their learning situations. Em­ culture. The most direct and relevant powering students to perceive them­ • Writing is a tool for learning that way to demonstrate to a child the selves as learners and writers, and to fosters critical thinking. power of reading is to read to the child. be able to act on the perception, is a • Writing as a learning tool should The most direct and relevant way to large part of what I believe our role as be used across the curriculum. demonstrate to a child the power of educators should be. Applying such • Interaction of the literacy skills writing is to write with the child. If we whole language models as the Graves' (listening, speaking, reading, and view Logo as a communication skill, process approach, UCI's thinking writ­ writing) is essential to a writing then it follows that the most direct and ing project, Cambourne's conditions, program. relevant way to demonstrate to a child and Bransford's IDEAL problem-solv­ • The teacher is a facilitator of the the power of Logo is to do Logo with ing model to Logo are steps toward learning process who creates an the child. This shifts the emphasis from helping kids "master the art of learn­ environment conducive to learn­ Logo as a separate subject (yet one ing and acquiring a strong taste for it." ing, and who demonstrates by en­ more thing to be tackled during the It is my hope that if you follow these couragement and example what day) to something that is embedded in guidelines and apply your own creative it means to ask challenging ques­ the whole language curriculum. Cam­ processes to them, you will not only tions and to take intellectual risks. bourne's model (1988) for successful see your students become IDEAL, pro­ • The composing process-pre­ literacy learners describes that there cess-oriented problem solvers and lan­ writing, precomposing, writing, are very specific conditions for learn­ guage lovers, but you will be joyfully sharing, revising, editing, and ing to occur: immersion, demonstra­ immersed in and engaged in the pro­ evaluation-involves all levels of tion, expectation, responsibility, use, cess of learning as well. critical thinking and is a recursive approximation, response, and engage­ process (students must go back to ment. "Cambourne's conditions ... are References go forward). necessary conditions for all effective Barell,]ohn. (1991). TeachingjorThought­ • Students should write for audi­ language learning" (Routman, pg. 12). fulness: Classroom Strategies to Enhance ences other than the teacher-as­ The progression might work, much Intellectual Development. White Plains: assessor. A proposed order is self, like a typical whole language class­ Longman. peers, trusted adult, teacher-as­ room-from shared reading and writ­ Bransford,]. and Stein, B. S. (1984). The collaborator, teacher-as-assessor, ing, to guided reading and writing, to IDEAL problem solver. New York: W.H. Freedman and Co. and unknown audiences. independent reading and writing-all Cambourne, Brian. (1988). The Whole • Peer sharing groups validate writ­ with the understanding that one is Story: Natural Learning and the Acqui­ ing; group members function as reading and writing to learn. Imagine sition of Literacy in the Classroom. Rich­ supportive listeners, constructive a Logo learning environment where mond Hill, Ontario, Canada: Scholastic­ critics, and editors. the day is filled with Cambourne's con­ TAB Publications Ltd. ditions: students immersed in Logo­ Writing in different domains should thinking, reading, writing. The possi­ be emphasized at every level of learn- bilities are limitless! See THINKING WRITING (Page 32)

Winter 1997 LOGO EXCHANGE 25 LOGO: SEARCH AND RESEARCH This Much We Know: Part II, Mathematics

BY DOUGLAS H. CLEMENTS AND JULIE SARAMA

This part of our "What do we know?" duced stronger effects than computer amples of how the skills used I research review features higher-or­ programming in other languages. could be applied in other contexts der thinking, creativity, language arts, Logo develops "metacognitive" abili­ 4. providing tailored feedback re­ and social-emotional development. ties. Research shows that most students garding students' problemsolving (We featured mathematics in the pre­ do not monitor their own problem solv­ efforts vious column.) We finish by asking, ing, from early childhood to the college 5. promoting both student-teacher "Where do we go from here?'' level. After they begin working on a and student-student interaction problem, they rarely pause to see if the 6. discussing errors and common Higher-Order Thinking procedures they are using will actually misunderstandings Logo can develop higher-order thinking help them solve it. They do not check 7. facilitating students' use and skills. Why "can," rather than "does?" their work for mistakes, and they be­ awareness of problem-solving As with mathematics, mere exposure lieve they can learn little from such processes to Logo does not lead to positive effects errors. In computer programming, (Bruggeman, 1986; LeWinter, 1986). however, errors are unavoidable. Feed­ Creativity With mediation, however, Logo does back from the computer makes any Logo drawing helps students create pic­ facilitate higher-order thinking. For errors or misconceptions salient tures that are more elaborate than those example, several studies in which such (Hoyles, Healy, & Sutherland, 1991). that theg can create bg hand. Theg trans­ mediation was present reported an in­ Thus, the act of debugging Logo pro­ fer new ideas to art work on paper crease in mathematical problem-solv­ grams that do not quite do what was (Vaidya & McKeeby, 1984). ing abilities for elementary students intended provides students with valu­ Logo can increase children's figural using Logo (Billings, 1986; Reed, able experience in using their monitor­ and verbal creativity, even on "trans­ Palumbo, & Stolar, 1988; Wiburg, ing skills. As a result, Logo students fer tests" (Clements, 1991; Clements & 1989). Comprehensive reviews also were more likely to find and fix the Gullo, 1984; Clements & Nastasi, 1992; have concluded that there is evidence errors in programming, reading, and Horton & Ryba, 1986; Reimer, 1985; of a substantial and homogeneous ef­ problem solving (Clements, 1990; Roblyer et al., 1988; Wiburg, 1987). fect for Logo in developing problem­ Lehrer & Randle, 1986; Miller & Originality, in contrast to fluency or solving skills (Clements & Meredith, Emihovich, 1986; Poulin-Dubois, flexibility, was most often enhanced. 1993; Roblyer, Castine, & King, 1988). McGilly, &Shultz, 1989).Eachofthese The most positive results have involved studies employed mediation; further, • A theory of creative thinking pro­ teacher mediation based on a well-de­ the teachers based their teaching, or cesses veloped theoretical foundation (Clem­ "mediation," on a specific theory. Me­ • The role of Logo ents, 1990; De Corte & Verschaffel, diation included the following: • Assessing across domains 1989; Delclos & Burns, 1993; Lehrer, Guckenberg, & Lee, 1988; Lehrer, 1. providing metacognitive prompts Language Arts Harckham, Archer, & Pruzek, 1986; and asking higher-order ques­ Logo engenders language rich with emo­ Littlefield et al., 1988). Overall, 84% tions tion, humor, and imagination in goung of studies favored computer program­ 2. ensuring that students are explic­ children (Genishi, McCollum, & ming over comparison groups for de­ itly aware of the strategies and Strand, 1985; Yelland, 1994). veloping higher-order thinking (Liao & processes they are learning Working with Logo in a narrative Bright, 1989). Logo programming pro- 3. discussing and providing ex- context (a) enhances language-impaired

26 LOGO EXCHANGE Vol. 16 I No. 2 preschool students' perceptual-language feet of destabilizing inappropriate solu­ Summary skills (Lehrer & deBernard, 1987); (b) tions before students formed incorrect The claim that Logo's most beneficial increases kindergartners' readiness generalizations. This helped students effect may be in the area of social and scores on visual discrimination, visual keep "on track" (Hayles et al., 1991). emotional development may not have motor skills, and visual memory These conflicts, and the social interac­ been exaggerated. Research supports (Reimer, 1985); and (c) increases first tion at the computer, have been identi­ this optimistic position and suggests graders' scores on assessments of visual fied as leading to positive gains in learn­ that educators build classroom cultures motor development, vocabulary, and lis­ ing (Healy, Pozzi, & Hayles, 1995). that encourage students to take respon­ tening comprehension (Robinson, Students working with Logo are more sibility for their own learning; to en­ Gilley, & Uhlig, 1988; Robinson & likely to resolve these conflicts (Clements gage in tasks that are challenging, but Uhlig, 1988). & Nastasi, 1985), especially conflicts not too difficult; and to work coopera­ The talk students weave around their about ideas. Opportunities to experi­ tively, asking each other questions Logo is impressively task-related, other­ ence and resolve conflicts are necessary (King, 1989), engaging in cognitive con­ directed, cooperative, and nonplayful for the development of problem-solving flicts, and always working to resolve (Genishi, 1988). competencies. So, Logo contexts may them through discussion of ideas and Logo work also enhances reading enhance the development of social and negotiation (Clements & Nastasi, 1988; skills. Emersion in a Logo culture can cognitive problem-solving skills. Hayles et al., 1991). This should not be lead to increases in language mechan­ Logo may also promote social sensi­ taken to mean that children should al­ ics and reading comprehension, even tivity. Students working with Logo ways work together, however; a balance without direct instruction (Studyvin & help and teach each other more than of cooperative and individual work may Moninger, 1986). those working in CAl drill environ­ be ideal. Indeed, teachers who specifi­ ments (Clements & Nastasi, 1985). cally plan for "cooperative" work SociaL-EmotionaL Elementary students working with should recognize that such arrange­ Development Logo learn to listen, be critical in a con­ ments are benefiical only if certain con­ Students exposed to Logo programming structive fashion, and appreciate the ditions are met, including appropriate are more likely to interact with their work of others (Carmichael et al., tasks, students who can manage both peers. They engage in group problem 1985). Overall, there is consistent evi­ themselves and the task, and students solving, sharing, and acknowledging ex­ dence that Logo can contribute to so­ who are not antagonistic. A combina­ pertise and creative thinking. Social iso­ cial growth. tion of structured interdependence and lates benefit the most (Carmichael, Students working with Logo show an individual autonomy, with a high-sta­ Burnett, Higginson, Moore, & Pollard, increase in self-esteem and confidence. tus student coordinator, may be best 1985; St. Paul Public Schools, 1985). This may occur only if their teacher (Hayles, Healy, & Pozzi, 1994). Students working in Logo also exhibit gives them greater autonomy over their more learning-oriented interactions learning and fosters social interaction References than do those in non-Logo classrooms (Carmichael et al., 1985; Fire Dog, Billings, L.]., Jr. (1986). Development of (Kinzer, Littlefield, Delclos, & 1985; Kull, 1986). mathematical task persistence and Bransford, 1985). They are eager to Logo can provide special needs stu­ problemsolving ability in fifth and sixth cooperate and share what they have dents with prestige and respect from their grade students through the use of Logo learned with others (Genishi, 1988). peers, enhancing their selFesteem and heuristic methodologies. Disserta­ tion Abstracts International, 4 7._2433A. Students who have the ability to use (Michayluk, Saklofske, & Yackulic, Bruggeman,]. G. (1986). The effects of 1984). problem-solving skills in real-life situa­ modeling and inspection methods upon Students working in Logo environ­ tions can better work and play coopera­ problem solving in a computer program­ tively. Students learn to solve social ments engage in more self-directed explo­ ming course. Dissertation Abstracts In­ problems cooperatively and flexibly in rations and show more pleasure at dis­ ternational, 47, 1821A. (University Mi­ Logo classrooms (Carmichael et al., covery (Clements & Nastasi, 1985; crofilms No. DA8619363) 1985). Students work cooperatively Clements & Nastasi, 1988). Burns, B., & Hagerman, A. (1989). Com­ more often on computers with either Similarly, Logo can increase mastery­ puter experience, self-concept and prob­ Logo or CAl drill than off (Clements oriented thinking and a belief that one lem-solving: The effects of Logo. on & Nastasi, 1985). can work to become more intelligent children's ideas of themselves as learn­ Students get into more conflicts. Stu­ (Burns & Hagerman, 1989). We need ers. journal of Educational Computing Research, 5, 199-212. dents working in Logo, compared to additional long-term studies, but Logo Carmichael, H. W., Burnett, ]. D., those working in spreadsheet and pa­ may have the power to enhance stu­ Higginson, W. C., Moore, B. G., & Pol­ dents self-esteem and attitudes toward per-and-pencil environments, experi­ lard, P. ]. (1985). Computers, children enced more conflicts, which had the ef- school. and classrooms: A mul tisite evaluation of

Winter 1997 LOGO EXCHANGE 27 the creative use of microcomputers by el­ Making sense of groups, computers, and puter programming and problem solv­ ementary school children. Toronto, mathematics. Cognition and Instruction, ing abilities: A meta-analysis. In W. C. Ontario, Canada: Ministry of Education. 13(4), 505-523. Ryan (Ed.), Proceedings of the National Clements, D. H. (1990). Metacomponential Horton,]., & Ryba, K. (1986). Assessing Educational Computing Conference (pp. development in a Logo programming en­ learning with Logo: A pilot study. The 10-17). Eugene, OR: International vironment.]ournal of Educational Psy­ Computing Teacher, 14(1), 24-28. Council on Computers for Education. chology, 82, 141-149. Hayles, C., Healy, L., & Pozzi, S. (1994). Littlefield, J., Delclos, V. R., Lever, S., Clements, D. H. (1991). Enhancement of Groupwork with computers: An over­ Clayton, K. N., Bransford, J. D., & creativity in computer environments. view of findings. journal of Computer Franks, J. J. (1988). Learning Logo: American Educational Research]ournal, Assisted Learning, 10, 202-215. Method of teaching, transfer of general 28, 173-187. Hayles, C., Healy, L., & Sutherland, R. skills, and attitudes toward school and Clements, D. H., & Gullo, D. F. (1984). (1991). Patterns of discussion between computers. In R. Mayer (Ed.), Teach­ Effects of computer programming on pupil pairs in computer and non-com­ ing and learning computer programming: young children's cognition. journal of puter environments. journal of Com­ Multiple research perspectives (pp. ll1- Educational Psychology, 76, 1051-1058. puter Assisted Learning, 7, 210-228. 135). Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum. Clements, D. H., & Meredith,]. S. (1993). King, A. (1989). Verbal interaction and Michayluk, J. 0., Saklofske, D. H., & Research on Logo: Effects and efficacy. problem-solving within computer-as­ Yackulic, R. A. (1984, June). Logo. Pa­ journal ofComputing in Childhood Edu­ sisted cooperative learning groups. jour­ per presented at the meeting of the CAP cation, 4, 263-290. nal ofEducational Computing Research, Convention, Ottawa, Ontario. Clements, D. H., & Nastasi, B. K. (1985). 5, 1-15. Miller, G. E., & Emihovich, C. (1986). The Effects of computer environments on Kinzer, C., Littlefield,]., Delclos, V. R., & effects of mediated programming in­ social-emotional development: Logo and Bransford,]. D. (1985). Different Logo struction on preschool children's computer-assisted instruction. Comput­ learning environments and mastery: selfmonitoring. .Journal of Educational ers in the Schools, 2(2-3), 11-31. Relationships between engagement and Computing Research, 2(3), 283-297. Clements, D. H., & Nastasi, B. K. (1988). learning. Computers in the Schools, 2(2- Poulin-Dubois, D., McGi11y, C. A., & Social and cognitive interactions in edu­ 3), 33-43. Shultz, T. R. (1989). Psychology of com­ cational computer environments. Kull,]. A. (1986). Learning and Logo. In puter use. The effect of learning Logo American Educational Research journal, P. F. Campbell & G. G. Fein (Ed.), Young on children's problem-solving skills. 25, 87-106. children and microcomputers (pp. 103- Psychological Reports, 64, 1327-133 7. Clements, D. H., & Nastasi, B. K. (1992). 130). Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice­ Reed, W. M., Palumbo, D. B., & Stolar, A. Computers and early childhood educa­ Hall. L. (1988). The comparative effects of tion. In M. Gettinger, S. N. Elliott, & T. Lehrer, R., & deBernard, A. (1987). Lan­ BASIC and Logo instruction on prob­ R. Kratochwill (Ed.),Advancesinschool guage oflearning and language of com­ lem-solving skills. Computers in the psychology: Preschool and early child­ puting: The perceptual-language model. Schools, 4, 105-118. hood treatment directions (pp. 187-246). journal of Educational Psychology, 79, Reimer, G. (1985). Effects of a Logo com­ Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Asso­ 41-48. puter programming experience on ciates. Lehrer, R., Guckenberg, T., & Lee, 0. readiness fur first grade, creativity, and De Corte, E., & Verschaffel, L. (1989). (1988). Comparative study of the cog­ self concept. "A pilot study in kinder­ Logo: A vehicle for thinking. In B. Greer nitive consequences of inquiry-based garten." AEDS Monitor, 23(7-8), 8-12. & G. Mulhern (Ed.), New directions in Logo instruction.]ournal ofEducational Robinson, M.A., Gilley, W. F., & Uhlig, G. mathematics education (pp. 63-81). Lon­ Psychology, 80, 543-553. E. (1988). The effects of guided discov­ don/New York: Routledge. Lehrer, R., Harckham, L. D., Archer, P., & ery Logo on SAT performance of first Delclos, V. R., & Burns, S. (1993). Media­ Pruzek, R. M. (1986). Microcomputer­ grade students. Education, 109, 226-230. tional elements in computer program­ based instruction in special education. Robinson, M. A., & Uhlig, G. E. (1988). ming instruction: An exploratory study. journal of Educational Computing Re­ The effects of guided discovery Logo Journal ofComputing in Childhood Edu­ search, 2, 337355. instruction on mathematical readiness cation, 4, 137-152. Lehrer, R., & Randle, L. (1986). Problem and visual motor development in first Fire Dog, P. (1985). Exciting effects of Logo solving, meta cognition and composition: grade students. Journal of Human Be­ in an urban public school system. Edu­ The effects of interactive software for havior and Learning, 5, 1-13. cational Leadership, 43, 45-47. first-grade children. journal of Educa­ Roblyer, M. D., Castine, W. H., & King, E Genishi, C. (1988). Kindergartners and tional Computing Research, 3, 409-427. .J. (1988). Assessing the impact of com­ computers: A case study of six children. LeWinter, B. W. (1986). A study of the in­ puter-based instmction: A review ofrecent The Elementary School]ournal, 89, 184- fluence of Logo on locus of control, at­ research. New York: Haworth Press. 201. titudes toward mathematics, and St. Paul Public Schools. (1985). Logo Stud­ Genishi, C., McCollum, P., & Strand, E. B. problemsolving ability in children in ies. St. Paul, MN: Author. (1985). Research currents: The inter­ grades 4, 5, 6. Dissertation Abstracts In­ Studyvin, D., & Moninger, M. (1986,July). actional richness of children's computer ternational, 47, 1640A. (University Mi­ Logo as an enhancement to critical think­ use. Language Arts, 62(5), 526-532. crofilms No. DA8616959) ing. Paper presented at the meeting of Healy, L., Pozzi, S., & Hayles, C. (1995). Liao, Y.-K., & Bright, G. W. (1989). Com- the Logo 86 Conference, Cambridge, MA.

28 LOGO EXCHANGE Vol. 16 I No. 2 Vaidya, S., & McKeeby,]. (1984, Septem­ opinions, findings, and conclusions or One, Turtle Math, is currently available ber). Computer turtle graphics: Do they recommendations expressed in this from LCSI. affect children's thought processes? publication are those of the authors Dr. Julie Sarama is an Assistant Pro­ Educational Technology, 24, 46-47. and do not necessarily reflect the views fessor at Wayne State University. She Wiburg, K. M. (1987). The effect of differ­ of the National Science Foundation. previously taught secondary math­ ent computer-based learning environ­ ematics and computer science, gifted ments on fourth grade students' cognitive About the Authors abilities. Unpublished doctoral disserta­ math at the middle school level, and tion, United States International Uni­ Dr. Douglas H. Clements, Professor at mathematics methods courses. She is versity. the State University of New York at coauthor of several investigations units Wiburg, K. M. (1989). Does programming Buffalo, has studied the use of Logo en­ and of Turtle Math and is currently de­ deserve a place in the school curricu­ vironments in developing children's signing and programming new ver­ lum? The Computing Teacher, 17(2), 8- creative, mathematics, metacognitive, sions of Logo and other computer 11. problem-solving, and social abilities. microworlds. Yelland, N. (1994). A case study of six chil­ Through a National Science Founda­ dren learning with Logo. Gender and tion (NSF) grant, he developed a K-6 Douglas H. Clements Education, 6, 19-33. elementary geometry curriculum, Logo SUNY at Buffalo Geometry (published by Silver Burdett Dept. of Learning and Instruction & Ginn, 1991). With colleagues, he is 593 Baldy Hall, Acknowledgment working on the previously mentioned Buffalo, NV 14260 Time to prepare this material was par­ NSF research grant and finishing a sec­ [email protected] tially provided by a National Science ond NSF-funded project, "Investiga­ Foundation Research Grant, "An Inves­ tions in Number, Data, and Space," to Julie Sarama tigation of the Development of Elemen­ develop a full K-5 mathematics cur­ Wayne State University tary Children's Geometric Thinking in riculum featuring Logo. With Sarama, Teacher Education Division, Computer and Noncomputer Environ­ he is coauthoring new versions of Logo Detroit, MI 48202 ments," NSF MDR-8954664. Any for learning elementary mathematics. [email protected]

STARTING WITH STARLOGO / Continued from Page 12

Let's create a go button. On the In­ ments provided with StarLogo is the For those without internet access, terface palette, press the button icon StarLogo Reference. It requires an the program can also be ordered at a again. Click in the Interface Window Adobe Acrobat Reader (which can be cost of $20 plus $5 shipping, from: and make a new button. In the pop-up obtained free on the Wide World Web) Logo Foundation window, type go as its logo instruction, and provides a complete list of StarLogo 250 West 85th St and click the box that says forever but­ commands organized into consistent New York, NY, 10024 USA ton to make the procedure go continu­ use groups. Users ofStarLogo would be 212-5 79-8028 ously. Finally, click OK. well advised to print this document for 212-579-8013 (fax) Now, press setup, then press go, and use while writing programs. watch the termites walk around col­ Be sure to specify PowerPC or 68k lecting woodchips into piles. What's Next? (older) Macintosh format. ~ If this is your first StarLogo pro­ In next issue's column, we will inves­ gram, congratulations! Feel free to tigate bird flocking behavior. make any changes to the program you About the Author like, such as changing the termite's References and Alan Epstein has been developing soft­ color while it is carrying a woodchip, Further Reading ware since 1975, and most recently has been studying ways that computer or the distance each turtle will jump This article is based on a simple technology can be effectively used in when it finds a woodchip. Can you StarLogo tutorial, originally created by schools. He is most interested in robots, predict how the latter change will af­ the StarLogo development team, MIT especially for children. fect making the piles? [Don't forget to Media Lab, 1997. save your models to a file.] The StarLogo program can be down­ loaded from: Learning Starlogo http:! /lcs.www.media.mit.edu/ Commands groups/ el/Projects/ starlogo Alan Epstein One of the most useful of the docu- alan@ metasoft.com

Winter 1997 LOGO EXCHANGE 29

----':_~ ST. CLAIR I Continued from Page 9 BOOK REVIEW I Continued from Page 8

lab at Vina Danks Middle School, teach­ ogy requirement for a Califomia teach­ of a number of schools of psychologi­ ing seventh- and eighth-grade students ing credential. The teachers spend 12 cal thought suggest potential dangers using MicroWorlds, StarLogo, and class hours using Micro Worlds to do in such deliberate fragmentation of the Logo Writer. The students create geo­ turtle geometry and animation self, Turkle points to other theoretical metric designs during a unit on turtle projects. It amazes me how many positions that might support the harm­ geometry, as well as create animation teachers haven't heard of Logo and are lessness of such activity, and even its projects, music, games, and stories. impressed with the examples of stu­ potential for assisting in the resolution I also teach an after school class using dent work that I show to them. of certain types of personal difficulty LEGO Dacta TC, Control System, and or conflict. Control Lab materials. Students build With all your experience For me, the final pages of the book Lego machines that are programmed with with Logo and the computer, are the least compelling. I find the so­ a computer using Logo. Some of my stu­ what is it that you want bering note of caution regarding the dents' projects can be seen at: most at this point? possible "dark side" of simulation and http://www.cyberg8t.com/jstclair/ I want software that allows the student virtuality to be at odds with the lively vina_danks/logo.html to be actively in control of her or his engagement of the preceding chapters. learning environment without too At the same time, its position at the end As a Technology Mentor, I have also steep a learning curve. However, this of the book gives this section perhaps taught Logo and LEGO Logo classes for environment must challenge the stu­ an undue emphasis. teachers in my district. I teach a com­ dent who is motivated to try more ad­ What is the special significance of puter class, every quarter through the vanced projects. I also want software this book to educators? Apart from a University of Califomia at Riverside certain narcissistic fascination in com­ Extension, which satisfies the technol- See ST. CLAIR (Page 32) paring one's own experiences with those of others, these are the comput­ Statement of Ownership, Management, and Circulation (Required by 39 U.S.C. 3685). 1. Publication Title: Logo Exchange. 2. Publication No.: 0888-6970. 3. Filing Date: September 18, ing environments and the issues that 1997. 4. Issue Frequency: Quarterly. 5. No. of Issues Published Annually: 4. 6. Annual are increasingly a part of the experi­ Subscription Price: $34.00. 7. Complete Mailing Address of Known Office of Publication: ISTE, ences of our students both at home and 1787 Agate St., Eugene, Lane, OR 97403-1923. 8. Complete Mailing Address of the Head­ quarters or General Business Offices of the Publisher (Not Printer): ISTE, 1787 Agate St., at school. The book provides a won­ Eugene, OR 97403-1923. 9. Full Names and Complete Mailing Addresses of the Publisher, derful opportunity to explore and re­ Editor, and Managing Editor: Publisher-International Society for Technology in Education, flect on some of the less obvious impli­ 1787 Agate St., Eugene, OR 97403-1923; Editor-Gary S. Stager, 21825 Barbara St., Torrance, CA 90503; Managing Editor-David Moursund; 1787 Agate St., Eugene, OR 97403- cations of current directions in 1923. 10. Owner: International Society for Technology in Education, 1787 Agate St., Eugene, computing theory and practice. And OR 97 403-1923. 11 . Known Bondholders, Mortgages, and Other Security Holders Owning or for Logophiles? This is a book about Holding 1 Percent or More of Total Amount of Bondholders, Mortgages, and Other Securities: construction-the construction of en­ None. 12. The purpose, function, and nonprofit status of this organization and the exempt status for federal income tax purposes: Has Not Changed During Preceding 12 Months. 13. vironments, of "life," of communities Publication Name: Logo Exchange. 14. Issue Date for Circulation Data Below: Winter 1997-98 of interaction, and ultimately about the (Volume 16, No. 2). 15. Extent and Nature of Circulation. Average No. Copies Each Issue construction of the self. What more During Preceding 12 Months. 15a. Total No. Copies (Net Press Run): 645. Paid and/or Requested Circulation. (1) Sales Through Dealers and Carriers, Street Vendors and Counter could one ask? Sales: none. (2) Paid or Requested Mail Subscriptions: 601. 15c. Total Paid and/or Requested Circulation (Sum of 15b(1) and 15b(2)): 601. 15d. Free Distribution by Mail (Samples, About the Author Complimentary, and Other Free: 20. 15e. Free Distribution Outside the mail (Carriers or Other Means): 45. 15f. Total Free Distribution (Sum of 15d and 15e), 65. 15g. Total Distribution (Sum Dr. Carolyn Dowling is an Associate of 15c and 15f): 666. 15h. Copies Not Distributed. (1) Office Use, Leftovers, Spoiled: 268. (2) Professor and Head of the School of Returns from News Agents: none.15i. Total (Sum of 15g, 15h(1 ), and 15h(2)): 934. Percent Arts and Sciences at the Australian Paid and/or Requested Circulation: 90%. 15. Extent and Nature of Circulation. Actual No. Catholic University. She is the author Copies of Single Issue Published Nearest to Filing Date. 15a. Total No. Copies (Net Press Run): 864. 15b. Paid and/or Requested Circulation. (1) Sales Through Dealers and Carriers, of Logo books and numerous articles Street Vendors and Counter Sales: none. (2) Paid or Requested Mail Subscriptions: 599. 15c. on technology and leaming. Total Paid and/or Requested Circulation (Sum of 15b(1) and 15b(2)): 599. 15d. Free Distribu­ tion by Mail (Samples, Complimentary, and Other Free: 25. 15e. Free Distribution Outside the mail (Carriers or Other Means): 40. 15f. Total Free Distribution (Sum of 15d and 15e): 65. 15g. Carolyn Dowling Total Distribution (Sum of 15c and 15f): 664. 15h. Copies Not Distributed. (1) Office Use, Australian Catholic University Leftovers, Spoiled: 200. (2) Returns from News Agents: none. 15i. Total (Sum of 15g, 15h(1 ), and 15h(2)): 864. Percent Paid and/or Requested Circulation: 90%. 16. This Statement of 412 Mt Alexander Rd Ownership will be printed in Volume 16, No. 2 issue. 17. I certify that the statements made by Ascot Vale, Victoria 3032 me above are correct and complete. Christiane L. Williams, Distribution/Circulation Manager, AUSTRALIA September 18, 1997. [email protected]

30 LOGO EXCHANGE VoL 16/ No. 2 THE LAST WORD: COMMENTARY I DANIEL E. KINNAMAN Storytelling and Situated Cognition

everal years ago, while perusing the Learners want to pass the test, and thus a recent conversation with Dr. Michael Sgraduate course offerings in educa­ they learn the content in that context. F. Young, associate professor of educa­ tional psychology at a major university, It should, therefore, be no surprise that tional psychology at the University of a course titled Instructional Technol­ after the test is taken and passed, the Connecticut, I asked him for the es­ ogy and Situated Cognition caught my learner discards the learning because sence of what makes a good learning eye. It caught my eye because I was a it has achieved its purpose; it has situation. His response: A good story veteran technology using educator, yet served its utility. generally makes for a good situation for I was unfamiliar with the term situated If we are to overcome the common learning [that lasts]. cognition. (I thought maybe they teacher's lament of "we taught them, I like that. Good storytelling makes needed to come up with such fancy, but they didn't stay taught," we must for a great learning context (nothing esoteric titles to justify the high and teach toward a utility for the learner new under the sun there). Even more growing tuition rates.) that goes beyond test preparation. important, significant learning can oc­ I asked the professor teaching the That, I believe, was the reasoning be­ cur, not only through hearing a good course what the term situated cognition hind Alfred North Whitehead's proc­ story, but through telling one as well. meant. His response: Basically, it lamation some 70 years ago that we The challenge is to bring good story­ means· that all learning is situated. shouldn't teach too many subjects, and telling materials to the classroom, and With that insight, I went away still that what we teach we should teach therein lies one of the great strengths wondering about the meaning of situ­ thoroughly. His admonition was to cre­ of Logo. It provides a powerful vehicle ated cognition. ate a utility for the learner that tran­ to engage students in the art of As it turns out, one of the main ten­ scends the artificial and contrived en­ storytelling by providing them with the ants of the theory of situated cognition vironment of the typical classroom. A capacity and opportunity to construct is that the context in which learning learning grounded in real-world appli­ and tell their own stories using mul­ occurs and the activities through cation or at least in a context that has tiple media. which it occurs-not just the content meaning to the learner outside of test Think on this for a moment. In a very -have a direct and significant impact preparation accomplishes this. real sense, Logo provides users with a on what is learned and on its utility to Researchers at Vanderbilt University blank slate and a set of tools. Unlike an the learner. In other words, all learn­ and the UniversityofConnecticuthave electronic book (e.g., Broderbund's ing occurs through some kind of situa­ done pioneering work in using technol­ Stellaluna) in which the story line is pre­ tion, but not every situation provides ogy-based resources to affect the util­ defined (which isn't bad if all you want equal learning value or power. ity of learning to the learner. The pri­ to do is be on the receiving end of the My experience in making this claim mary focus of this work has been on story), Logo invites the user to be the to fellow educators is that as they di­ using video-based story lines to create author of the story. Combining the gest its meaning, they nod in agree­ instructional anchors for learners. An power oflanguage and mathematics into ment at its sensibility. Yet, if it is to instructional anchor serves as a real­ the same media-enhanced programming inform our curriculum decisions be­ world situation (or context) for learn­ environment, Logo affords users an elec­ yond mere cognitive acquiescence, we ing, and gives students and teachers a tronic easel of sorts for constructing and must examine its meaning closely. basis for pursuing understanding in manipulating ideas. One of the key concepts here is the multiple disciplines as they seek to for­ When young authors are encour­ phrase utility for the learner. Typical mulate and solve problems. aged to combine Logo's various pro­ classroom learning is certainly authen­ In fact, creating an instructional an­ gramming resources to create coherent tic in that it has a defined purpose (i.e., choris at the heart of the theory of situ­ stories (i.e., to unify the media in a way preparation for an upcoming test). ated cognition or situated learning. In that focuses the reader on the content

Winter 1997 LOGO EXCHANGE 31 of the story), they are working in an THINKING WRITING I Continued from Page 23 environment that by nature has them acquiring knowledge in the context of Carnegie Task Force on Teaching as a Pro­ Proceedings, Logo 84. Cambridge, MA: applying it. This requires a different fession. (1986, May 21). A nation pre­ M.I.T. kind of understanding of the content, pared: Teacher for the 21st Century. Watt, D. (1983). Learning with Logo. New and it certainly provides a utility to the Chronicle of Higher Education, 1-45. York: Byte Books/McGraw-Hill. learner that goes far beyond prepara­ Cooper,]. David. (1993) Literacy: Helping Watt, D. and Watt, M. Teaching with Logo: tion for the traditional test. Children Construct Meaning. Boston: Building Blocks for Learning. Menlo Park, A great example of this was pro­ Houghton Mifflin Co. CA: Addison-Wesley Publishing Co. vided by Seymour Papert when he de­ Countryman,Joan. (1992). Writing to Learn Wuertenberg, Jacque. (1976). Helping chil­ scribed a "microworld" created by sev­ Mathematics: Strategies That Work, K-12. dren write ... from basic composition to eral students based on their interest in Portsmouth, NH: Heineman. creative writing. Englewood: Educational video games (here microworld can be Elbow, Peter (1973). Writing without teach­ Consulting Associates. ers. New York: Oxford University Press. Wuertenberg, Jacque. (1977, Mar.). Teaching used interchangeably with terms like Fulwiler, Toby (ed). (1987) The journal writing. Paper presented at the Holiday instructional anchor, situation, or Book. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann. Inn, Rosemont, Illinois for the Bensenville story line). In essence, their micro­ Gebhardt, Richard. (1977, Sept.). The School District, under the sponsorship of world was a math and physics land in timely teetertotter: Balancing discipline Educational Consulting Associates of which these disciplines could be stud­ and creativity in writing classes. Lan­ Englewood, CO. l9 ied and applied in the context of de­ guage Arts, 676. About the Author veloping a video arcade game. In de­ Goldenberg, E. and Feurzeig, W. (1987). Dr. Leslie Thyberg is a teacher and veloping the video game, these students Exploring language with Logo. Cam­ university professor from Pittsburgh, struggled with the problem of how to bridge: M.I. T. Press. Pennsylvania. make an on-screen character jump in Goodman, Ken. (1986). What's Whole in Whole Language? Portsmouth, NH: a realistic way. Eventually this led to a Leslie Thyberg Heinemann. concrete experience with, and an in­ [email protected] Graves, Donald. (ed. R.D. Washe) (1981). troductory understanding of, the im­ Donald Graves in Australia-children ST. CLAIR I Continued from Page 30 portant but generally abstract concept want to write. Australia: Primary En­ of the decomposition of velocities. The glish Teaching Association. that allows the student to produce a great thing about learning this way is Grinols, Anne Bradstreet. (1988) Critical product that can be related to many that the learning is reinforced every Thinking: Reading and Writing Across the subject areas in the school curriculum. time the situation is revisited (i.e., ev­ Curriculum. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth. I use Micro Worlds because it is easy to ery time the story is retold). Murray, D. (1968). A writer teaches writ­ get started on many projects that can Schooling through storytelling is a ing. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co. be related to many subjects. I especially simple idea, but educationally power­ Newkirk, Thomas. (1985, winter). Writing and like how Micro Worlds produces very ful enough for a big-league academic programming: Two modes of composing. Computers, Reading and Language Arts, nice looking animated stories. label. 19 2 (29), 40-43. I would love to see the 3-D features and About the Author Olson, Carol. (1992). Thinking/Writing: Fos­ animated GIFS of MSW Logo added to Daniel E. Kinnaman, a contributing tering Critical Thinking Through Writing. MicroWorlds. When you spend so much editor to Logo Exchange, has more than NY: Harper Collins. time working with technology, you always IS years' experience as a classroom Papert, S. (1980). Mindstorms. New York: Ba­ want more. From the student's point of sic Books. teacher and district-wide director of view, Micro Worlds already has plenty of Routman, Regie. (1991)./nvitations: chang­ education technology. He also has features to keep them busy. taught graduate teacher education ing as teachers and learners K-12. Ports­ mouth, NH: Heinemann. courses in conjunction with colleges Sager, C. (1977, Oct.). Improving the quality and universities nationwide. He is ex­ of written composition in the middle About the Author ecutive editor of Curriculum Adminis­ grades. Language Arts, 760. Jim Muller is a engineer and Logo pio­ trator magazine and serves as a con­ Soppeland, M. and friends. (1980). Words. Los neer. In the early 1980s,Jim founded the sultant to Compaq Computer Corp., Altos, CA.: William Kaufmann, Inc. Young People's Logo Association. Since Safari Technologies, and school dis­ Thy berg, Leslie. (1988) A Descriptive Analy­ then he has written several Logo books tricts and education service centers sis of Student Behaviors and Attitudes Us­ and acted as the long-time Moderator of throughout the United States. ing Logo Programming as a Vehicle in the the Compuserve Logoforum. Writing Process. Doctoral dissertation. Daniel Kinnaman University of Pittsburgh. Jim Muller kinnaman @uconnvm.uconn.edu Watt, Daniel. ( 1984 ). Creating Logo Cultures. [email protected]

32 LOGO EXCHANGE Vol. 16/ No. 2 No Hype. No Hoopla.

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