Learning and XO - a.k.a. the $100 computer

Steve Jobs of Apple, Inc. was once quoted as saying, “We think basically you watch television to turn your brain off, and you work on your computer when you want to turn your brain on.” Unlike pre-Internet media consumers, today’s generation of media consumers are also publishers. They are blogging, producing their own videos and podcasting. They are chatting about the TV they watch, while watching them. It is a far cry from a world that flopped itself on a couch to be mesmerized by the evening’s lineup of electrons.

Yet this is still not as engaging as writing a computer program. Whether the program is a game, a simulation, or a tool, the programmer needs to understand the world that is being modeled. For example, if you want to write a game where a cannonball is shot out of a cannon, you have to understand quite a bit about gravity and momentum. Programming is much more engaging and rewarding than just shooting the aliens. I have expanded on this theme in my article Learning by Interactive Programming (L.I.P.).

What does this have to do with the XO - a.k.a. the $100 computer? XO comes with a number of very advanced programming environments. The most exciting of these for education are Squeak (a version of SmallTalk), eToys (built in Squeak), and LOGO, of turtle-graphics fame. These languages are student and teacher-friendly. Given what I regard as the inevitable success of the XO, this is exciting news.

It will mean millions of students potentially learning how to turn their brains on! In future postings I hope to explore for you how these languages work and how they can be used educationally.

Playing To Learn

What is play? It is an activity that does not have real life consequences. Play is often regarded as being just for amusement but in reality play is a simulation of life, except that it does not hold the dire consequences of life. For example, a shooting game does not kill real people. A financial game does not lose real money.

This is not to say that playing is not important. In fact, it is essential for learning. Play is a safe place to try out new skills and to explore new ideas. It is how animals learn how to hunt without getting eaten in the process, and it is how children develop ways in which to interact with their peers through role play.

The careful selection of games is important to teach people new skills. Parents and teachers should consider games carefully as a way to develop skills. Business trainers should consider games as the means to develop business skills and as a way to brainstorm for new ideas.

In order for play to work, particularly with adults, the atmosphere must be one of acceptance. The user must feel free to allow his or her imagination to roam free and to be immersed in the game. Judgement must be suspended because, as important it is for the game player to be free of physical consequences, the user must also be free of limiting peer pressure. In such an environment, games can truly be vehicles for learning new skills and as catalysts for new ideas.