A
Letter to Parents from Dale
I learned about
LOGO by reading Seymour Papert’s
books “Mindstorms” and “The Children’s Machine.”
Papert, from MIT, was associated with the development
of LOGO. His latest book “The Connected Family” was
written for families with children. His public remarks
and name listing as a resource in at least one
homeschooling magazine indicates that he recognizes the
advantages of self-directed learning. Read his interesting essay at a recent Game
Developers Conference and comments from others.
Notes from the three round table discussions at the
Computer Game Developer Conference are included in this essay.
Children and
their parents can enjoy programming LOGO “turtles” to do
interesting graphics on the computer. Almost everything
you can imagine with colors and sounds and random
commands can be created including fractals,
and even chaos if you are very
clever. Almost everyone
starts by “teaching” the turtle/turtles to do “tricks”
but Logo can do more than graphics. Brian Harvey’s
books are the best reference for other than graphics
though there are others such as “Exploring Language
with Logo,” E. Paul Goldenberg and Wallace Feurzeig,
1987.
Most of the time I
use the free MSWLogo from Softronix. I also have the
newest MicroWorlds Pro and all the versions of StarLogo
for the PC that I am aware of. I also use the software
(available for both PCs and Apples) from
Terrapin. It comes with lots of helpful printed
literature.
Some of you may
find the code described
here to be interesting for your family. I have
Toontalk installed on my computer.
(For more information
click
here).
I heartily endorse
the L3 “not Logo” programming code
that allows you to
publish your results on the web (L3 does not run on Apple computers). The software comes
with instruction manuals in Adobe format. L3 models run
much faster than Logo models and is in some ways easier
to program.
You and your
children will enjoy using these programming languages
to sharpen your thinking skills. It is what some people
(both young and old) call “hard fun.”
Below is a
collection of some more of my LOGO bookmarks. Be sure
to e-mail me if you want more information or help. I am
still a Logo beginner (I spend too much time
participating in discussion lists), but I am learning,
and it is lots of fun. Don’t forget to look in your
local public library for LOGO instruction books.
I also have a
Math1.doc file if you want some tips for encouraging
mathematical thinking in your children.
~~Dale
R. Reed~~
|
Lots of LOGO Links
The
Logo Foundation: Logo Discussion Group,
Newsletter, papers, software books, software on
discount, and links to other LOGO information.
The
Logo list is hosted by The Logo Foundation, in
cooperation with the Global SchoolNet Foundation,
moderates this Logo
discussion group, available to anybody on the
Internet.
The objectives of this forum are to:
-
Promote
active sharing of ideas among Logo users and Logo
using educators.
-
Provide
a forum for questions to be asked about using
Logo in the classroom and at home. This could be
of service to both experienced and novice Logo
educators.
-
Provide
a meeting place for Logo users and educators
interested in collaborating on telecomputing
projects involving the sharing of Logo creations.
-
Provide
a forum for discussion of educational philosophy
on the use of technology in education and how
Logo fits into that philosophy.
Archive
of the old Logo-L listserv with lots of information
Home
of George Mills and the free
MSWLogo for Windows computers only. This is the
version of Logo that most (more than a few use
MicroWorlds) of the posters (including me) to the
LogoForum use most of the time.
"The
Great Logo Adventure" by Jim Muller for
MSWLogo and more Logo links. I have seen Jim’s
must-have book in cyber used bookstores. Jim’s site
also has Logo history and other interesting information
from a fellow that has been actively involved in Logo
from the beginning.
Click
here for hundreds more links
on LOGO
Thinking skills
and ToonTalk
ToonTalk
- Making programming child's play
ToonTalk is a
fertile and playful environment for children (of all
ages) to learn the following critical thinking skills:
Problem
decomposition. When a child tries to build anything
beyond the simplest program in ToonTalk, they are
immediately faced with the task of breaking the problem
down into "robot-sized" (or more ideally
"mind-sized") pieces. When done well, it is
then easy to build or program each piece. This is a
very general design skill that applies throughout
science, engineering, and the arts as well. For larger
problems, there is a hierarchical structure to this
activity, where problems are broken into pieces and the
pieces are in turn broken into smaller pieces.
Component composition. This is the second half or dual
to problem decomposition. Just because one has pieces
that work in isolation does not mean that it is trivial
to compose them. There are usually interactions between
the parts that need to be dealt with. Often components
can be composed in different ways, only a few of which
work. Again this is a very broad design and
problem-solving skill. Difficulties composing parts
often leads to redesign of the problem decomposition.
Some argue that this is a special case of the more
general "debugging" skills one acquires while
programming.
Explicit representation. Software that models
something, whether it be a bouncing ball, an ant
colony, city traffic, or an ecology, needs to have data
structures that represent something else. For the ball,
the child may create a structure that holds the ball's
position, speed and direction of motion. For an ant it
may be the ant's level of hunger, energy, and a
representation of the state of various sensors. The
ability to design a good representation for a model is
critical in doing good science and engineering.
Abstraction. This is related to "explicit
representation". Software can be very specific or
very general. Consider for example the sample program
in ToonTalk which swaps two numbers when they the first
is bigger than the second. When first constructed the
program only works when the first number is 2 and the
second one is 1. It is then abstracted to work for any
two numbers where the first is larger than the second.
It could have been abstracted so that it would work for
words as well as numbers. If a word is alphabetically
after another, then the robot would swap them. The
ability to abstract when needed is a crucial thinking
skill. ToonTalk is special in that it encourages
children to work through concrete examples and then
abstract the results.
Thinking about thinking. Seymour Papert has written
extensively about how the right programming environment
can facilitate children thinking explicitly about how
they solve problems. (See his books Mindstorms,
Children's Machine, and The Connected Family.) If, for
example, a child is trying to build a program to play
tic-tac-toe, they are faced with questions of how the
computer is going to decide which move to make. They
need to think explicitly about how they make such
decisions in order to program the computer to do so.
Papert claims that one becomes a better learner and a
better designer and a better problem-solver if one is
able to explicitly reflect upon one's own thought
processes. And this reflection is much more effective
if one has some model of thinking skills like the list
presented here.
The argument for ToonTalk isn't that it, or even
computer programming in general, is unique in providing
an environment for learning these thinking skills.
(Proponents of Logo make similar claims, for example.)
But it is a very rich environment where these kinds of
thinking skills are "exercised" frequently in
a natural context. And it is an environment in which
there are fewer hurdles to overcome (like a programming
language syntax or learning to play a musical
instrument and to read music) before one begins to be
productive and learn. And it is a fun and appealing
environment that maintains a child's motivation very
well.
I’ve found Logo to tie in with math,
logical thinking, language arts, art, social
studies and computer science. As a
teacher trained in a child-centered,
constructivist philosophy of education, Logo
was (and still is) a natural fit. By
experimentation, trial and error, and having
many different approaches to a specific
solution, the child learns to control the
computer environment. It is the perfect
educational tool that can be used to enable
my students to become independent thinkers,
which is, to my mind, what school should be
all about. ~~Rena~~
|
Read
What Others Have to Say About Logo:
For Grades 1-8 the finest programming environment is
MicroWorlds. Its easy graphical user interface and
ability to EASILY create animations and games using
multimedia is very captivating for the students. It
also has a full Logo instruction set and this enables
you to draw the students into the world of programming
once they are hooked on the environment (like the Pied
Piper). Further it is easy to publish to the Web. I
have examined a number of "programming
environments" for elementary/middle school and am
convinced that MicroWorlds is by far the best. This is
from hundreds of hours working with kids in these
environments. Ray (October 28, 1999 post to the Logo-L
List)
Mally’s
request for feedback concerning Logo’s use in schools
is almost overwhelming for me (as in, “How do I love
thee, Let me count the ways”). I’ve been using it
in one form or another for almost 17 years. We used a
beta version, written for the Apple, with our then
2-year old son. My husband simplified things so Pablo
just had to press the F key to make the turtle move
forward 15 steps, R to have the turtle turn 15 degrees,
etc. He loved to draw line designs, filling up the
screen. His favorite was pressing the C key to clear
the screen. What power! Not too long after, I convinced
my principal to buy some TI 90’s in order to run a
terrific version of Logo that had independently-moving
Sprites. At that time, I was the music teacher, but we
put the computers in the library and I ran a children’s
after school Logo group.
As a teacher trained in a child-centered,
constructivist philosophy of education, Logo was (and
still is) a natural fit. By experimentation, trial and
error, having many different approaches to a specific
solution, the child learns to control the computer
environment. I am now the computer lab teacher in a
public elementary school and use MicroWorlds 2.03. I
love to watch my students making decisions about how
fast the turtle should go and whether to change the
number of turtle steps or the amount of “wait”
time,
or which heading to use for a specific diagonal line,
how to control a squadron of planes so they’ll all go
in the same direction and the same speed. I also
encourage the kids to write out what it is they want
the turtle to do and then check on which commands they’ll
need.
I’ve found Logo to tie in with math, logical
thinking, language arts, art, social studies and
computer science. MicroWorlds also is useful in
teaching children about the various types of computer
files. It is the perfect educational tool that can be
used to enable my students to become independent
thinkers, which is, to my mind, what school should be
all about. Rena (November 10, 1998
post to the Logo-L List)
As to
"understanding," I don't know how many times
I have walked out of interviews believing that "I
understand." However, when I try to put that
alleged understanding down on paper, the fingers just
go numb. I may have gained some knowledge but obviously
I did not learn to apply it. So it's back to the
drawing board...to get some more
"understanding."
Which explains why
I remain hooked on Logo, kids, and computers. When
training adults, or developing training programs for
them, I find that many believe they understand because
they can follow instructions for completing a detailed
example. However, challenge them to create their own
example or solve a problem, and they're lost. They have
gained knowledge but not the where-with-all to apply
it.
On the other hand,
I have seen any number of youngsters become totally
frustrated by detailed step-by-step examples. Yet let
them alone with a challenge, and they'll sit at the
computer for hours until they come up with their own
solution. Therein lies the magic of learning...the
great "Ah-ha!" that Logo teachers have
described over the years. Regards...Jim (November 22, 1999
post to the Logo-L List).
Rena
Schklowsky often posts to the Logo-L list. The
Webwriters have lots of fun.
LOGO
by Papy Logo Olivier Schmidt-Chevalier. I like the
Rosaces & Fractales Logo.
Simone
Rudge instructs the cybercourse Introductory
Programming Using
Logo at Yukon College, Yukon Territories, Canada.
Computer Studies 052 introduces students to the
principles of programming using Logo. Emphasis will be
given to higher order thinking skills and understanding
via concrete examples, visual representation and
abstraction. A problem solving approach is used
throughout. This course will provide the necessary
background for students entering a first-year
university-level programming course such as Yukon
College's CPSC 114.
Logo provides a
way for us to enter a two dimensional world and explore
moving an object about. Because it is new to us we must
formalize in our minds what we have accomplished
intuitively before. Children thinking about forward,
right, back, distances and angles are formalizing their
own experience. The adult who wants to examine how an
animal finds food must make certain guesses and
formalize what he or she thinks is happening. The
result is a clearer understanding of the activity
explored. It is a natural approach to learning building
on the things our brain is designed to do and it's
connection to the real physical world.
This area of Logo appears to be relatively unexplored
as far as scientific research goes, although I think
most users sense it to some degree. I could carry on
about this forever (and usually do) but this is a
nutshell answer. Let me know if you would like to have
further discussion. Stay tuned, also. Undoubtedly there
will be those on the list who will comment on my reply. From: "Gary
McCallister"
You can write to
Dale R. Reed
in
Seattle,
Washington USA.
