<html xmlns:v="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:vml" xmlns:o="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" xmlns:w="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:word" xmlns:st1="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40"
xmlns:ns0="http://schemas.microsoft.com/office/2004/12/omml">
<head>
<META HTTP-EQUIV="Content-Type" CONTENT="text/html; charset=us-ascii">
<meta name=Generator content="Microsoft Word 11 (filtered medium)">
<!--[if !mso]>
<style>
v\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);}
o\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);}
w\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);}
.shape {behavior:url(#default#VML);}
</style>
<![endif]--><o:SmartTagType
namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="City"/>
<o:SmartTagType namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags"
name="country-region"/>
<o:SmartTagType namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags"
name="PlaceType"/>
<o:SmartTagType namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags"
name="PlaceName"/>
<o:SmartTagType namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags"
name="place"/>
<!--[if !mso]>
<style>
st1\:*{behavior:url(#default#ieooui) }
</style>
<![endif]-->
<style>
<!--a:link
{mso-style-priority:99;}
span.MSOHYPERLINK
{mso-style-priority:99;}
a:visited
{mso-style-priority:99;}
span.MSOHYPERLINKFOLLOWED
{mso-style-priority:99;}
p
{mso-style-priority:99;}
/* Font Definitions */
@font-face
{font-family:Wingdings;
panose-1:5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0;}
@font-face
{font-family:Tahoma;
panose-1:2 11 6 4 3 5 4 4 2 4;}
@font-face
{font-family:Calibri;}
@font-face
{font-family:StoneSerif;}
@font-face
{font-family:StoneSerif-Italic;}
@font-face
{font-family:TimesNewRoman;
panose-1:0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0;}
@font-face
{font-family:"TimesNewRoman\,Italic";
panose-1:0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0;}
/* Style Definitions */
p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal
{margin:0cm;
margin-bottom:.0001pt;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman";}
a:link, span.MsoHyperlink
{color:blue;
text-decoration:underline;}
a:visited, span.MsoHyperlinkFollowed
{color:purple;
text-decoration:underline;}
p
{mso-margin-top-alt:auto;
margin-right:0cm;
mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;
margin-left:0cm;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman";}
p.favStyle, li.favStyle, div.favStyle
{margin:0cm;
margin-bottom:.0001pt;
line-height:150%;
font-size:18.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman";
color:#33CCCC;
font-weight:bold;
font-style:italic;
text-decoration:underline;}
span.EmailStyle19
{mso-style-type:personal;
font-family:Calibri;
color:#1F497D;}
span.EmailStyle21
{mso-style-type:personal-reply;
font-family:Arial;
color:navy;}
@page Section1
{size:612.0pt 792.0pt;
margin:72.0pt 72.0pt 72.0pt 72.0pt;}
div.Section1
{page:Section1;}
/* List Definitions */
@list l0
{mso-list-id:1033699763;
mso-list-type:hybrid;
mso-list-template-ids:970112736 -2101606560 201916419 201916421 201916417 201916419 201916421 201916417 201916419 201916421;}
@list l0:level1
{mso-level-start-at:0;
mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:\2013;
mso-level-tab-stop:36.0pt;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-18.0pt;
font-family:Calibri;
mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";}
ol
{margin-bottom:0cm;}
ul
{margin-bottom:0cm;}
-->
</style>
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:shapedefaults v:ext="edit" spidmax="1026" />
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:shapelayout v:ext="edit">
<o:idmap v:ext="edit" data="1" />
</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]-->
</head>
<body lang=EN-AU link=blue vlink=purple>
<div class=Section1>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'>Hi Sarah <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'>Thanks for the links <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'>That is an interesting paper on Scratch
and kindergarten play approaches <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'>I’m started playing with Scratch with
year 9s as have many people – often at younger year levels – on this
list <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'>That paper you sent says : <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='text-autospace:none'><font size=2 face=TimesNewRoman><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:TimesNewRoman'>“Most electronic toys
are not in the spirit of Froebel’s Gifts, since they do not provide
children with<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='text-autospace:none'><font size=2 face=TimesNewRoman><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:TimesNewRoman'>opportunities to design or
create. Most of today’s electronic toys are pre-programmed by the toy
company. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'>…. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='text-autospace:none'><font size=2 face=TimesNewRoman><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:TimesNewRoman'>“Even in today’s
participatory culture, very few people are creating and sharing </span></font><i><font
size=2 face="TimesNewRoman,Italic"><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:
"TimesNewRoman\,Italic";font-style:italic'>programmable </span></font></i><font
size=2 face=TimesNewRoman><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:TimesNewRoman'>media
(such<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='text-autospace:none'><font size=2 face=TimesNewRoman><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:TimesNewRoman'>interactive characters and
interactive games).<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'>Couldn’t agree more … <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'>> </span></font><font size=2
color="#1f497d" face=Calibri><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Calibri;
color:#1F497D'>It’s fantastic to see discussion on girls and computing.
We are few and far between, that is for sure! <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color="#1f497d" face=Calibri><span
style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Calibri;color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color="#1f497d" face=Calibri><span
style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Calibri;color:#1F497D'>Its interesting - one
observation I’ve noticed is that the ratio of women in ICT curriculum and
policy positions often seems quite high … eg scanning the names in the Victorian
elearning unit suggests it might be as high as 13:1. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color="#1f497d" face=Calibri><span
style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Calibri;color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color="#1f497d" face=Calibri><span
style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Calibri;color:#1F497D'>the general pattern of
gender and numbers in courses at school and uni level is often the other way …
don’t know why … just interesting <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color="#1f497d" face=Calibri><span
style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Calibri;color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color="#1f497d" face=Calibri><span
style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Calibri;color:#1F497D'>Does STAP do any
work with Latrobe in <st1:City w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Bendigo</st1:place></st1:City>?
<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color="#1f497d" face=Calibri><span
style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Calibri;color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color="#1f497d" face=Calibri><span
style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Calibri;color:#1F497D'>I’m looking
for ways to attempt some maths teaching with programming technology and am not
sure of the best platform <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color="#1f497d" face=Calibri><span
style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Calibri;color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:18.0pt'><font size=2 color="#1f497d"
face=Calibri><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Calibri;color:#1F497D'>Eg
programming the graphics calc, or logo, logo-lego, picax, <st1:City w:st="on"><st1:place
w:st="on">Alice</st1:place></st1:City>, Scratch – maybe these cricket
things <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:18.0pt'><font size=2 color="#1f497d"
face=Calibri><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Calibri;color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:18.0pt'><font size=2 color="#1f497d"
face=Calibri><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Calibri;color:#1F497D'>We
use picax in the traditional systems technology subject so that might be viable
<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color="#1f497d" face=Calibri><span
style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Calibri;color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color="#1f497d" face=Calibri><span
style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Calibri;color:#1F497D'>Feels a little odd
that is no established body of practice – at least that I can find - here
<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color="#1f497d" face=Calibri><span
style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Calibri;color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color="#1f497d" face=Calibri><span
style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Calibri;color:#1F497D'>Seems to be
re-inventing it all over again – as though digital computers haven’t
sat along side maths in schools for 30 years already <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color="#1f497d" face=Calibri><span
style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Calibri;color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color="#1f497d" face=Calibri><span
style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Calibri;color:#1F497D'>Eg that paper you
sent also says of Logo – which should be the mother of all educational
programming in maths, that <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color="#1f497d" face=Calibri><span
style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Calibri;color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='text-autospace:none'><font size=2 face=TimesNewRoman><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:TimesNewRoman'>In a critique of the Logo
programming language, for example, Marvin Minsky [10] noted that Logo has a
great grammar<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='text-autospace:none'><font size=2 face=TimesNewRoman><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:TimesNewRoman'>but not much literature.
Whereas young writers are often inspired by the great works of literature that
they read,<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='text-autospace:none'><font size=2 face=TimesNewRoman><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:TimesNewRoman'>there is no analogous
library of great Logo projects to inspire young programmers – and no
outlets where young<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='text-autospace:none'><font size=2 face=TimesNewRoman><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:TimesNewRoman'>programmers can share their
Logo projects with others.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color="#1f497d" face=Calibri><span
style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Calibri;color:#1F497D'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color="#1f497d" face=Calibri><span
style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Calibri;color:#1F497D'>So we’re back
to “scratch” ! <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color="#1f497d" face=Calibri><span
style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Calibri;color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color="#1f497d" face=Calibri><span
style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Calibri;color:#1F497D'>Really seems hard
work to me - no wonder its so hard to change maths teaching – if even
Logo doesn’t have exciting “literature” to match its grammar
(that comment was 1986 though) <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color="#1f497d" face=Calibri><span
style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Calibri;color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color="#1f497d" face=Calibri><span
style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Calibri;color:#1F497D'>Rob <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<div style='border:none;border-left:solid blue 1.5pt;padding:0cm 0cm 0cm 4.0pt'>
<div>
<div class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'><font size=3
face="Times New Roman"><span lang=EN-US style='font-size:12.0pt'>
<hr size=2 width="100%" align=center tabindex=-1>
</span></font></div>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=2 face=Tahoma><span lang=EN-US
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Tahoma;font-weight:bold'>From:</span></font></b><font
size=2 face=Tahoma><span lang=EN-US style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Tahoma'>
yr7-10it-bounces@edulists.com.au [mailto:yr7-10it-bounces@edulists.com.au] <b><span
style='font-weight:bold'>On Behalf Of </span></b>Sarah Pulis<br>
<b><span style='font-weight:bold'>Sent:</span></b> Tuesday, 1 April 2008 10:30
AM<br>
<b><span style='font-weight:bold'>To:</span></b> Year 7 - 10 Information
Technology Teachers' Mailing List<br>
<b><span style='font-weight:bold'>Subject:</span></b> RE: [Yr7-10it] girls, IT,
computer literacy</span></font><span lang=EN-US><o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color="#1f497d" face=Calibri><span
style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Calibri;color:#1F497D'>Hi Kent and others,<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color="#1f497d" face=Calibri><span
style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Calibri;color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color="#1f497d" face=Calibri><span
style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Calibri;color:#1F497D'>It’s fantastic
to see discussion on girls and computing. We are few and far between, that is
for sure!<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color="#1f497d" face=Calibri><span
style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Calibri;color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color="#1f497d" face=Calibri><span
style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Calibri;color:#1F497D'>Another tool that
you may consider which combines simple programming concepts and the ‘making
something pretty’ aspect is Scratch [1]. Scratch has been mentioned
before on this list. It’s really intuitive and easy for kids to pick up
and is very versatile. Lots of projects online to give kids inspiration –
you can make games, plays, animate your name in as many different ways as you
can think off… and big kids can waste hours playing with it too (can you
tell that is me?). And [2] is an interesting article about creative thinking
and learning.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color="#1f497d" face=Calibri><span
style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Calibri;color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color="#1f497d" face=Calibri><span
style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Calibri;color:#1F497D'>Just for your
interesting, I am piloting an online mentoring program this year with a small
number of schools that aims to encourage girls in secondary school to consider
careers in Information Communication Technology (ICT). We hope that through the
eMentoring program, students will be provided with insights into careers in ICT
through interactions with graduates and current students. We hope the program
will encourage students, particularly female students, to consider undertaking
ICT at senior secondary and tertiary level.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color="#1f497d" face=Calibri><span
style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Calibri;color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color="#1f497d" face=Calibri><span
style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Calibri;color:#1F497D'>Regards, Sarah.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color="#1f497d" face=Calibri><span
style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Calibri;color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color="#1f497d" face=Calibri><span
style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Calibri;color:#1F497D'>[1] <a
href="http://scratch.mit.edu/">http://scratch.mit.edu/</a> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color="#1f497d" face=Calibri><span
style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Calibri;color:#1F497D'>[2] <a
href="http://www.media.mit.edu/~mres/papers/kindergarten-learning-approach.pdf">http://www.media.mit.edu/~mres/papers/kindergarten-learning-approach.pdf</a>
<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color="#1f497d" face=Calibri><span
style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Calibri;color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color="#1f497d" face=Calibri><span
style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Calibri;color:#1F497D'>--<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color="#1f497d" face=Calibri><span
style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Calibri;color:#1F497D'>Sarah Pulis<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color="#1f497d" face=Calibri><span
style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Calibri;color:#1F497D'>Program Coordinator<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color="#1f497d" face=Calibri><span
style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Calibri;color:#1F497D'>Science Teachers'
Assistance Program<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color="#1f497d" face=Calibri><span
style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Calibri;color:#1F497D'>Faculty of Science,
Technology and Engineering<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color="#1f497d" face=Calibri><span
style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Calibri;color:#1F497D'>La <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:PlaceName
w:st="on">Trobe</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType w:st="on">University</st1:PlaceType></st1:place><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color="#1f497d" face=Calibri><span
style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Calibri;color:#1F497D'>Ph: 9479 1283<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color="#1f497d" face=Calibri><span
style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Calibri;color:#1F497D'>Fax: 9479 3060<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color="#1f497d" face=Calibri><span
style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Calibri;color:#1F497D'><a
href="http://www.latrobe.edu.au/scitecheng/stap">www.latrobe.edu.au/scitecheng/stap</a><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color="#1f497d" face=Calibri><span
style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Calibri;color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color="#1f497d" face=Calibri><span
style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Calibri;color:#1F497D'>--<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color="#1f497d" face=Calibri><span
style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Calibri;color:#1F497D'>If you would like to
stay informed of new developments within STAP and be notified of upcoming
education program and professional development opportunities, please subscribe
to the <a href="http://www.latrobe.edu.au/scitecheng/stap/mailing-list.php">STAP
mailing list</a>.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color="#1f497d" face=Calibri><span
style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Calibri;color:#1F497D'>--<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color="#1f497d" face=Calibri><span
style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Calibri;color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color="#1f497d" face=Calibri><span
style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Calibri;color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<div>
<div style='border:none;border-top:solid #B5C4DF 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 0cm 0cm 0cm'>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=2 face=Tahoma><span lang=EN-US
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Tahoma;font-weight:bold'>From:</span></font></b><font
size=2 face=Tahoma><span lang=EN-US style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Tahoma'>
yr7-10it-bounces@edulists.com.au [mailto:yr7-10it-bounces@edulists.com.au] <b><span
style='font-weight:bold'>On Behalf Of </span></b>Kent Beveridge<br>
<b><span style='font-weight:bold'>Sent:</span></b> Tuesday, 25 March 2008 3:37
PM<br>
<b><span style='font-weight:bold'>To:</span></b> Year 7 - 10 Information
Technology Teachers' Mailing List<br>
<b><span style='font-weight:bold'>Subject:</span></b> RE: [Yr7-10it] girls, IT,
computer literacy<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</div>
</div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<div id=idOWAReplyText60718>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=black face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:black'>Hey folks, it seems we are getting in a
few meters deeper than I originally planned. I am not writing a thesis on girls
in computing, just after some basic ideas on typical things that some 7/8/9/10
year level girls might like to do to increase their participation rate in the
subject of IT. </span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>Keep in mind here, that it is still a separate subject here
and not integrated a la VELS into other disciplines. Also, my classes are all
mixed sex so I dont have the luxury of all girls (or all boys) classes, the numbers
just cant justify that yet.</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>Its nice to hear that lots of research has been done etc
etc..but, the bottom line (and we all love a nice bottom line!) is, what will
enthuse teenage girls into IT that can be started with a simple single session
one lunchtime per week with basic software programs, the
internet(filtered) and no PhD?</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on"><font
size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial'>Kent</span></font></st1:place></st1:country-region><font
size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial'>.</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</div>
</div>
<div id=idSignature27399>
<div>
<div style='margin-left:42.55pt'>
<p class=MsoNormal><strong><b><i><font size=3 color=blue face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;color:blue;font-style:italic'>Kent Beveridge</span></font></i></b></strong><i><font
color=blue><span style='color:blue;font-style:italic'>,</span></font></i><font
size=2 color=black face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;
color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</div>
<div style='margin-left:42.55pt'>
<p class=MsoNormal><i><font size=3 color=blue face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;color:blue;font-style:italic'>I.T. co-ordinator</span></font></i><font
size=2 color=black face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;
color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</div>
<div style='margin-left:42.55pt'>
<p class=MsoNormal><i><font size=3 color=blue face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;color:blue;font-style:italic'>St. Brigids Catholic Sec.
College</span></font></i><font size=2 color=black face=Arial><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</div>
<div style='margin-left:42.55pt'>
<p class=MsoNormal><i><font size=3 color=blue face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;color:blue;font-style:italic'>Horsham</span></font></i><font
size=2 color=black face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;
color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</div>
<div style='margin-left:42.55pt'>
<p class=MsoNormal><i><font size=3 color=black face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black;font-style:italic'>email.. <a
href="mailto:kbeveridge@stbc.vic.edu.au">kbeveridge@stbc.vic.edu.au</a></span></font></i><font
size=2 color=black face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;
color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</div>
<div style='margin-left:42.55pt'>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=black face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:black'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</div>
<div style='margin-left:42.55pt'>
<p class=MsoNormal><strong><b><font size=3 color=black face=Arial><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:black'>|<3|\|7
b3\/3r1D93 ? ;-)</span></font></b></strong><font size=2
color=black face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;
color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</div>
<div style='margin-left:42.55pt'>
<p class=MsoNormal><i><font size=3 color=black face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black;font-style:italic'>Wishes and Eggs, one you
make and one you break! A bit like promises.....</span></font></i><font
size=2 color=black face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;
color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</div>
<div style='margin-left:42.55pt'>
<p class=MsoNormal><i><font size=3 color=purple face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;color:purple;font-style:italic'>“This email and
any attachments may be confidential. You must not disclose or use the
information in this email if you are not the intended recipient. If you
have received this email in error, please notify us immediately and delete the
email and all copies. The School does not guarantee that this email is
virus or error free. The attached files are provided and my only be used
on the basis that the user assumes all responsibility for any loss, damage or
consequence resulting directly or indirectly from the use of the attached
files, whether caused by the negligence of the sender or not. The content
and opinions in this email are not necessarily those of the School.”</span></font></i><font
size=2 color=black face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;
color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<div class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'><font size=3
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>
<hr size=2 width="100%" align=center>
</span></font></div>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:12.0pt'><b><font size=2 face=Tahoma><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Tahoma;font-weight:bold'>From:</span></font></b><font
size=2 face=Tahoma><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Tahoma'>
yr7-10it-bounces@edulists.com.au on behalf of Bill Kerr<br>
<b><span style='font-weight:bold'>Sent:</span></b> Tue 3/25/2008 2:59 PM<br>
<b><span style='font-weight:bold'>To:</span></b> Year 7 - 10 Information
Technology Teachers' Mailing List<br>
<b><span style='font-weight:bold'>Subject:</span></b> Re: [Yr7-10it] girls, IT,
computer literacy</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:12.0pt'><font size=3
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>great resources - thanks
rob<br>
<br>
yes, I want to be part of this discussion group, when and if it is set up :-)<br>
<br>
alan kay's material complements the turkle quote - she focuses on social
relations being embedded in simulations; he focuses on how they are embedded in
the user interface<br>
<br>
insofar as we conceptualise computers as "mere tools" then they will
continue to be used poorly in schools IMO - better to see them as interactive
medium which either molds the user in its image (eg. an application or a GUI)
or the user molds the machine, expresses themselves through the medium,
including the ability to modify and develop aspects of the medium <br>
<br>
-- <br>
Bill Kerr<br>
<a href="http://billkerr2.blogspot.com/">http://billkerr2.blogspot.com/</a><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'>On Tue, Mar 25, 2008 at 12:00 PM, Costello, Rob R <<a
href="mailto:Costello.Rob.R@edumail.vic.gov.au">Costello.Rob.R@edumail.vic.gov.au</a>>
wrote:<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<div>
<div>
<p><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial'>I
sent something through yesterday re <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place
w:st="on">Kent</st1:place></st1:country-region>'s questions about girls in IT.
</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial'>It
hasn't appeared maybe because I added a largish attachment </span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial'>Anyway,
here's another link I found yesterday that might be of interest - </span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial'>paper
is sub titled : "Using the Storytelling Alice programming
environment to create computer-animated movies inspires middle school girls'
interest in learning to program computers." </span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial'><a
href="http://www.thinkingcurriculum.com/alice.pdf" target="_blank">www.thinkingcurriculum.com/alice.pdf</a></span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial'>(having
a student login at a uni opens up amazing journal resources over the web
seems nearly all journals have been digitised back issues and all </span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial'>Be
worth schools having an account) </span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial'>it
talks about the overlap between animation and programming and the appeal in
this approach appeals to me as well ! </span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial'>also
a copy and paste of whats I sent yesterday : </span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><font size=3 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:
Arial;color:navy'>Sherry Turkle did some pioneering work on computer cultures,
gender, etc </span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><font size=3 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:
Arial;color:navy'>I think it would be fair to describe her as a feminist
orientated scholar; </span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><font size=3 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:
Arial;color:navy'>She has some powerful arguments in favour of programming; and
critiques of its general removal from school curriculum over the last 20 years</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><font size=3 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:
Arial;color:navy'>Here's an excerpt from the 20<sup>th</sup> anniversary
edition of the "Second Self : Computers and the human spirit"</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><font size=3 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:
Arial;color:navy'>(in other work with Papert, they looked at how gender
interacted with programming style and knowledge construction </span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><font size=3 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:
Arial;color:navy'>I worked in a girls school for quite a while and agree with
Rachel's observations about preferred activities</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><font size=3 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:
Arial;color:navy'>But seems pretty crucial to me that we offer programming in
accessible forms and styles as well</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><font size=3 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:
Arial;color:navy'>(while I'm on that here's a review of introductory programming
languages -</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p><font size=3 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:
Arial;color:navy'>"Lowering the Barriers to Programming: A Taxonomy of
Programming Environments and Languages for Novice Programmers" </span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><font size=3 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:
Arial;color:navy'>looks at about 200 of them </span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p><font size=3 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:
Arial;color:navy'><a href="http://www.thinkingcurriculum.com/lowerbarrier.pdf"
target="_blank">http://www.thinkingcurriculum.com/lowerbarrier.pdf</a> </span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><font size=3 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:
Arial;color:navy'>Turkle : </span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><font size=3 face=StoneSerif><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:StoneSerif'>In
</span></font><i><font face=StoneSerif-Italic><span style='font-family:StoneSerif-Italic;
font-style:italic'>The Second Self </span></font></i><font face=StoneSerif><span
style='font-family:StoneSerif'>I report on my studies of children learning
Logo. Their</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p><font size=3 face=StoneSerif><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:StoneSerif'>styles
of programming were varied and revealing. The computer, as I have</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p><font size=3 face=StoneSerif><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:StoneSerif'>said,
served as a Rorschach, and programming was one of the most powerful</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p><font size=3 face=StoneSerif><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:StoneSerif'>manifestations
of its projective power. Twenty years later, programming</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p><font size=3 face=StoneSerif><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:StoneSerif'>is
no longer taught much in standard classrooms, relegated for the</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p><font size=3 face=StoneSerif><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:StoneSerif'>most
part to special after-school computer clubs. These days, educators</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p><font size=3 face=StoneSerif><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:StoneSerif'>most
often think of computer literacy as the ability to use the computer</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p><font size=3 face=StoneSerif><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:StoneSerif'>as
an information appliance for such purposes as word processing, running</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p><font size=3 face=StoneSerif><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:StoneSerif'>simulations,
accessing educational CD-ROMs, navigating the Internet, and</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p><font size=3 face=StoneSerif><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:StoneSerif'>using
presentation software such as PowerPoint. But the question remains</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p><font size=3 face=StoneSerif><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:StoneSerif'>whether
mastery of these skills should be the goal of computer education.</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p><font size=3 face=StoneSerif><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:StoneSerif'>Do
they constitute computer literacy?</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><font size=3 face=StoneSerif><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:StoneSerif'>One
unhappy seventh-grade teacher concurred,</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p><font size=3 face=StoneSerif><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:StoneSerif'>"It's
not my job to instruct children in the use of an appliance and then</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p><font size=3 face=StoneSerif><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:StoneSerif'>to
leave it at that." These teachers were struggling toward an argument for</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p><font size=3 face=StoneSerif><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:StoneSerif'>a
certain kind of "computational exceptionalism." It takes as a given
that</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p><font size=3 face=StoneSerif><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:StoneSerif'>people
once knew how their cars, televisions, or telephones worked and</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p><font size=3 face=StoneSerif><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:StoneSerif'>don't
know this any more, but that in the case of mechanical technology,</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p><font size=3 face=StoneSerif><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:StoneSerif'>such
losses are acceptable. It insists, however, that ignorance about the
fundamentals</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p><font size=3 face=StoneSerif><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:StoneSerif'>of
computation comes at too high a price. One teacher put it</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p><font size=3 face=StoneSerif><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:StoneSerif'>this
way: "Children know that the telephone is a mechanism and that they</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p><font size=3 face=StoneSerif><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:StoneSerif'>control
it. But it's not enough to have that kind of understanding about</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p><font size=3 face=StoneSerif><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:StoneSerif'>the
computer. You have to know how a simulation works. You have to</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p><font size=3 face=StoneSerif><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:StoneSerif'>know
what an algorithm is."</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><font size=3 face=StoneSerif><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:StoneSerif'>In
the nearly ten years since I recorded these conversations, educational</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p><font size=3 face=StoneSerif><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:StoneSerif'>advocates
for computational transparency have, in large measure, lost their</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p><font size=3 face=StoneSerif><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:StoneSerif'>battle.
Educators who want to demystify the computer face a new generation</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p><font size=3 face=StoneSerif><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:StoneSerif'>of
children that no longer finds enough mystery in the machine to</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p><font size=3 face=StoneSerif><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:StoneSerif'>care
what an algorithm is. It is a generation that has made a transition</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p><font size=3 face=StoneSerif><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:StoneSerif'>from
the transparency of algorithm to the opacity of simulation. This generation</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p><font size=3 face=StoneSerif><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:StoneSerif'>takes
overland journeys along a simulated <st1:place w:st="on">Oregon Trail</st1:place>
and when</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p><font size=3 face=StoneSerif><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:StoneSerif'>it
plays </span></font><i><font face=StoneSerif-Italic><span style='font-family:
StoneSerif-Italic;font-style:italic'>The Sims </span></font></i><font
face=StoneSerif><span style='font-family:StoneSerif'>or </span></font><i><font
face=StoneSerif-Italic><span style='font-family:StoneSerif-Italic;font-style:
italic'>The Sims Online</span></font></i><font face=StoneSerif><span
style='font-family:StoneSerif'>, it designs houses, personal histories,</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p><font size=3 face=StoneSerif><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:StoneSerif'>and
social engagements for the virtual citizenry. In </span></font><i><font
face=StoneSerif-Italic><span style='font-family:StoneSerif-Italic;font-style:
italic'>The Second Self</span></font></i><font face=StoneSerif><span
style='font-family:StoneSerif'>, when</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p><font size=3 face=StoneSerif><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:StoneSerif'>I
wrote of the "computer as Rorschach," it was programming that served</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p><font size=3 face=StoneSerif><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:StoneSerif'>as
the projective screen for personal and cultural differences. These days,</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p><font size=3 face=StoneSerif><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:StoneSerif'>computation
offers far more immediate projective media: one can create</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p><font size=3 face=StoneSerif><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:StoneSerif'>multiple
avatars in online communities and play with relationships, quite</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p><font size=3 face=StoneSerif><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:StoneSerif'>literally
using one's "second (or third, or fourth, of fifth) self."</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><font size=3 face=StoneSerif><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:StoneSerif'>I
have suggested, in talking about Deborah, that on the level of the individual</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p><font size=3 face=StoneSerif><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:StoneSerif'>child,
something interesting has been lost in the move away from</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p><font size=3 face=StoneSerif><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:StoneSerif'>authorship
of the programs that underlie one's own game. On a societal</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p><font size=3 face=StoneSerif><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:StoneSerif'>level,
there is an analogous loss. The aesthetic of transparency (common</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p><font size=3 face=StoneSerif><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:StoneSerif'>to
the Logo movement and the early generations of personal computer</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p><font size=3 face=StoneSerif><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:StoneSerif'>hobbyists)
carried with it a political aesthetic that was tied both to authorship</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p><font size=3 face=StoneSerif><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:StoneSerif'>and
to knowing how things worked on a level of considerable detail.</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p><font size=3 face=StoneSerif><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:StoneSerif'>This
is a kind of understanding that is not communicated by playing</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p><font size=3 face=StoneSerif><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:StoneSerif'>off-the-shelf
simulations.</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><font size=3 face=StoneSerif><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:StoneSerif'>On
one level, high school sophomores playing </span></font><i><font
face=StoneSerif-Italic><span style='font-family:StoneSerif-Italic;font-style:
italic'>SimCity </span></font></i><font face=StoneSerif><span style='font-family:
StoneSerif'>for two hours</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p><font size=3 face=StoneSerif><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:StoneSerif'>may
learn more about urban planning than they would from a textbook,</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p><font size=3 face=StoneSerif><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:StoneSerif'>but
on another level, they may not know how to think about what they</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p><font size=3 face=StoneSerif><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:StoneSerif'>are
doing. They "play" simulations but don't have a clear way to
discriminate</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p><font size=3 face=StoneSerif><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:StoneSerif'>between
the rules of the game and those that operate in a real city.</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p><font size=3 face=StoneSerif><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:StoneSerif'>Most
have never programmed a computer or constructed their own simulations.</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p><font size=3 face=StoneSerif><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:StoneSerif'>They
do not have a language for talking about how one might</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p><font size=3 face=StoneSerif><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:StoneSerif'>rewrite
the rules of their games. So, for example, </span></font><i><font
face=StoneSerif-Italic><span style='font-family:StoneSerif-Italic;font-style:
italic'>SimCity </span></font></i><font face=StoneSerif><span style='font-family:
StoneSerif'>often gives players</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p><font size=3 face=StoneSerif><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:StoneSerif'>the
impression that raising taxes will lead to riots. But, of course, there is</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p><font size=3 face=StoneSerif><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:StoneSerif'>a
way to write the game so that increased taxes lead to an increase in health</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p><font size=3 face=StoneSerif><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:StoneSerif'>services,
productivity, and social harmony. In my view, citizenship in a</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p><font size=3 face=StoneSerif><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:StoneSerif'>culture
of simulation requires that you know how to rewrite the rules. You</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p><font size=3 face=StoneSerif><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:StoneSerif'>need
tools to measure, criticize, and judge every simulation. Today's</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p><font size=3 face=StoneSerif><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:StoneSerif'>teenagers
are comfortable as inhabitants of simulated worlds, but most</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p><font size=3 face=StoneSerif><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:StoneSerif'>often,
they are there as consumers rather than as citizens. To achieve full</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p><font size=3 face=StoneSerif><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:StoneSerif'>citizenship,
our children need to work with simulations that teach about</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p><font size=3 face=StoneSerif><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:StoneSerif'>the
nature of simulation itself.</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><font size=3 face=StoneSerif><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:StoneSerif'>Tim,
who did not know how to program, worked in a complex system built by</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p><font size=3 face=StoneSerif><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:StoneSerif'>others.
Tim played his simulation software as though it were a video game,</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p><font size=3 face=StoneSerif><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:StoneSerif'>moment
to moment, with no understanding of the rules. Deborah was</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p><font size=3 face=StoneSerif><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:StoneSerif'>nurtured
by transparency; Tim's skill set was centered on the artful navigation</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p><font size=3 face=StoneSerif><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:StoneSerif'>of
opacity. His philosophy of play: "Don't let it bother you if you</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p><font size=3 face=StoneSerif><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:StoneSerif'>don't
understand. I just say to myself that I probably won't be able to</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p><font size=3 face=StoneSerif><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:StoneSerif'>understand
the whole game any time soon. So I just play it."6</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p><font size=3 face=StoneSerif><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:StoneSerif'>Tim's
method enabled him to accomplish a great deal in simulation</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p><font size=3 face=StoneSerif><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:StoneSerif'>space.
His comfort in his virtual world might serve him (not well, but adequately)</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p><font size=3 face=StoneSerif><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:StoneSerif'>in
the many possible careers that lay before him, careers in architecture,</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p><font size=3 face=StoneSerif><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:StoneSerif'>law,
business, medicine, or history. In all of these fields, dealing</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p><font size=3 face=StoneSerif><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:StoneSerif'>with
information increasingly entails the navigation of simulations of</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p><font size=3 face=StoneSerif><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:StoneSerif'>other
people's creation. However, as I meet professionals in all of these</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p><font size=3 face=StoneSerif><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:StoneSerif'>fields
who move easily within their computational systems and yet feel</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p><font size=3 face=StoneSerif><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:StoneSerif'>constrained
by them, trapped by their systems' unseen limitations and</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p><font size=3 face=StoneSerif><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:StoneSerif'>unknown
assumptions, I feel continued concern. Are the new generations</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p><font size=3 face=StoneSerif><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:StoneSerif'>of
simulation consumers reminiscent of people who can pronounce the</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p><font size=3 face=StoneSerif><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:StoneSerif'>words
in a book but don't understand what they mean? We come to</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p><font size=3 face=StoneSerif><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:StoneSerif'>written
text with centuries-long habits of readership. At the very least, we</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p><font size=3 face=StoneSerif><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:StoneSerif'>have
learned to begin with the journalist's traditional questions: Who,</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p><font size=3 face=StoneSerif><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:StoneSerif'>what,
when, where, why, and how? Who wrote these words, what is their</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p><font size=3 face=StoneSerif><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:StoneSerif'>message,
why were they written, and how are they situated in time and</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p><font size=3 face=StoneSerif><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:StoneSerif'>place,
politically and socially? The dramatic changes in computer education</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p><font size=3 face=StoneSerif><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:StoneSerif'>over
the past decades leave us with serious questions about how we</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p><font size=3 face=StoneSerif><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:StoneSerif'>can
teach our children to interrogate simulations in much the same spirit.</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p><font size=3 face=StoneSerif><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:StoneSerif'>The
specific questions may be different, but the intent needs to be the</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p><font size=3 face=StoneSerif><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:StoneSerif'>same:
to develop habits of readership appropriate to a culture of simulation.</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p><font size=3 face=StoneSerif><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:StoneSerif'>These
habits of readership are central </span></font><font size=1 face=StoneSerif><span
style='font-size:9.0pt;font-family:StoneSerif'>to computer literacy and social</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p><font size=1 face=StoneSerif><span style='font-size:9.0pt;font-family:StoneSerif'>responsibility
in the twenty-first century.</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial'><a
href="http://mitpress.mit.edu/catalog/item/default.asp?ttype=2&tid=10515&mode=toc"
target="_blank">http://mitpress.mit.edu/catalog/item/default.asp?ttype=2&tid=10515&mode=toc</a></span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial'>(I've
uploaded a few of these files sharing illustrate the amazing resources
which are hidden from google just a little sample sharing of what's out there
with journals and electronic access to a uni library - but I guess I will take
them pretty soon ) </span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial'>More
Turkle / Papert </span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial'><a
href="http://www.thinkingcurriculum.com/turklePapert.pdf" target="_blank">http://www.thinkingcurriculum.com/turklePapert.pdf</a></span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial'>(no
copyright here I would think there are various versions of this paper
online in fact Paperts classic book MindStorms can be downloaded for free
here </span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial'><a
href="http://portal.acm.org/toc.cfm?id=SERIES11430&type=series&coll=ACM&dl=ACM"
target="_blank">http://portal.acm.org/toc.cfm?id=SERIES11430&type=series&coll=ACM&dl=ACM</a></span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial'>needs
a free web registration but then gives you the whole book ) </span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial'>I'm
in the middle of researching stuff this is the tip of the iceberg of
whats out there </span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial'>Cheers
</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><i><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;
font-style:italic'>Rob </span></font></i><o:p></o:p></p>
<p><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</div>
<p><b><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;
font-weight:bold'>Important - </span></font></b>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.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'>_______________________________________________ <br>
<a href="http://www.edulists.com.au/" target="_blank">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/" target="_blank">http://www.vcaa.vic.edu.au
</a>- Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority and <br>
<a href="http://www.vitta.org.au/" target="_blank">http://www.vitta.org.au </a>-
VITTA Victorian Information Technology Teachers Association Inc<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</div>
</div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'><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<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'>_______________________________________________ <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<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</div>
</div>
<p></p><p><b>Important - </b>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.</p>
</body>
</html>