Scratch is written in Smalltalk (not a java app)<br><br>Squeak is a more modern Smalltalk - it came out circa 1996 - ie. to program in Squeak is the same as programming in Smalltalk<br><br>Etoys is a visual drag and drop dynamic programming interface which is built on top of Squeak / Smalltalk
<br><br>Morphic is a superior GUI, a subset of classes within the the Squeak / Smalltalk programming language<br><a href="http://billkerr2.blogspot.com/2007/09/morphic-etoys-is-superior-graphical.html">http://billkerr2.blogspot.com/2007/09/morphic-etoys-is-superior-graphical.html
</a><br><br>More information about squeak at <a href="http://www.squeak.org/">http://www.squeak.org/</a> <br><br>Notable uses include OLPC, Etoys, Seaside (web design), Croquet (collaborative 3D multiuser), Sophie (multimedia presentation), Scratch (programmable toolkit) and Dabble (on line data base)
<br><br>cheers,<br>- Bill<br>-- <br>Bill Kerr<br><a href="http://billkerr2.blogspot.com/">http://billkerr2.blogspot.com/</a><br><br><br><div><span class="gmail_quote">On 10/3/07, <b class="gmail_sendername">Costello, Rob R
</b> <<a href="mailto:Costello.Rob.R@edumail.vic.gov.au">Costello.Rob.R@edumail.vic.gov.au</a>> wrote:</span><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="border-left: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); margin: 0pt 0pt 0pt 0.8ex; padding-left: 1ex;">
<br><br>> Thanks for making the effort to read a 300+ page dissertation Rob :-)<br><br>Turned out to be good timing - start of the hols, had to travel so lots<br>of travelling & reading time<br><br>I'm doing further study - and taken a somewhat parallel path - so all
<br>comes together<br><br>once I got into it also very compelling reading -<br><br>what are the powerful ideas that computer literacy opens for us?<br><br>I like his notion that powerful ideas are the ones with the most<br>
connection, the most networked into various areas<br><br>systems thinking and simulation as the powerful ideas - good case for<br>that here<br><br>Maxwell says it better<br>" The kinds of powerful ideas emergent in the digital age - simulations,
<br>systems dynamics, multimedia, collaborative works, and so on-mean one<br>must become conversant with the genres and methods of elaborating such<br>constructs, and to be able to create and manipulate them oneself (see<br>
Lemke 2001). Are these not the special province of<br>education? Is not the ideal of public education, mass education, that<br>these ideas be accessible to all, and that the very structure and health<br>of democratic society depends upon their reasonably widespread fluency
<br>(Dewey 1916; Kellner 2006)? And furthermore, as my emphasis on the<br>ability of the literate to themselves construct and actively participate<br>in each of these forms hopefully suggests, is it not the responsibility
<br>of education to nurture not the givenness of these ideas, but our own<br>role in their ongoing construction and definition Is this not what<br>democractic citizenship-as framed by Dewey-is all about? "<br><br>I'd never heard of Squeak until a few weeks ago
<br>(although I've seen Scratch - which I take it is a java app somehow<br>built on squeak - at least on the web version)<br><br>I do know of SmallTalk - but I had no idea it was conceived to give<br>children an authentic entry into the world of computing - part of the
<br>Dynabook vision<br><br>given that squeak / e-toys is built on smalltalk - I have that right? -<br>and its going onto the "hundred dollar laptop" / one laptop per child<br>(<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/XO-1_(laptop)">
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/XO-1_(laptop)</a><br><br>then maybe it will all change<br><br>reminds me the world doesn't have to look like web pages and office apps<br>- the "given-ness" is much more up for grabs than it seems - just needs
<br>people fluent in both IT and education in the right places<br><br>cheers<br><br>rob<br> ------------------------------------------------<br>>For those with less time but are still interested then I'd recommend<br>
starting with Ch 4 (38pp) which provides a high level overview of alan<br>kay's<br>educational vision<br><a href="http://thinkubator.ccsp.sfu.ca/Dynabook/dissertation">http://thinkubator.ccsp.sfu.ca/Dynabook/dissertation
</a><br><br>Reading up on some of the history of computing / educational computing<br>has<br>altered my views of what we could / should be trying to achieve<br>substantially<br><br>I've read a lot of Papert's material years ago but the alan kay material
<br>adds a whole new dimension to it IMO. Why? One possibility is that with<br>commercialization of computers the original educational potential became<br>terribly distorted - certainly Maxwell explores this theme<br>comprehensively.
<br><br>Although alan kay was strongly influenced by Papert - Kay was involved<br>at a<br>more fundamental level - ie. directly involved in the invention of the<br>PC<br>and the first OOPs language, Smalltalk<br><br>Etoys / squeak is a modern software synthesis of some of the best
<br>educational computing ideas from the past 30 years - although not a<br>final<br>end product.<br><br>I've compiled some rough notes, brief history and an annotated reference<br>list of some of alan kay's best articles and video presentations here:
<br><a href="http://learningevolves.wikispaces.com/alanKay+talk">http://learningevolves.wikispaces.com/alanKay+talk</a><br><br>cheers,<br>- Bill<br>--<br>Bill Kerr<br><a href="http://billkerr2.blogspot.com/">http://billkerr2.blogspot.com/
</a><br><br><br><br>On 10/3/07, Costello, Rob R <<a href="mailto:Costello.Rob.R@edumail.vic.gov.au">Costello.Rob.R@edumail.vic.gov.au</a>> wrote:<br>><br>> Thanks Bill<br>><br>> Read Maxwells phd thesis<br>
> (<a href="http://thinkubator.ccsp.sfu.ca/Dynabook/dissertation">http://thinkubator.ccsp.sfu.ca/Dynabook/dissertation</a>)<br>> on Alan Kay and his vision of computing - the vision of the dynabook<br>><br>> Pretty amazing document, documentation of little known history - at
<br>> least to me -<br>><br>> even though his vision of real computing as childs play hasn't been<br>> fulfilled, he has still had a huge influence on current software<br>> principles etc<br>><br>> Catalysing a deep change of thinking on technology directions
<br>><br>> Be nice if the ultranet people read something like this<br>><br>> Thanks<br>> Rob<br>><br>***************************************<br><br>Important - This email and any attachments may be confidential. If received in error, please contact us and delete all copies. Before opening or using attachments check them for viruses and defects. Regardless of any loss, damage or consequence, whether caused by the negligence of the sender or not, resulting directly or indirectly from the use of any attached files our liability is limited to resupplying any affected attachments. Any representations or opinions expressed are those of the individual sender, and not necessarily those of the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development.
<br><br>_______________________________________________<br><a href="http://www.edulists.com.au">http://www.edulists.com.au</a> - FAQ, resources, subscribe, unsubscribe<br>Year 7 - 10 IT Mailing List kindly supported by<br>
<a href="http://www.vcaa.vic.edu.au">http://www.vcaa.vic.edu.au</a> - Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority and<br><a href="http://www.vitta.org.au">http://www.vitta.org.au</a> - VITTA Victorian Information Technology Teachers Association Inc
<br></blockquote></div><br><br clear="all"><br><br>