On Mon, May 19, 2008 at 3:59 AM, Walter Bender <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
>> So, what do field experiments with kids reveal about "View Source"? > > There are no such experiments to date that I am aware of, Although we have no experiments on this View Source button, there is plenty of literature on the value of other ways to view source code, particularly in Smalltalk. I can also cite studies and books on the use of LISP/Scheme, Logo, and APL in elementary school. The general plan with the use of conventional text programming is that children can be introduced to games on the computer even before first grade, and then, probably in third grade, can be given a look inside specific pieces of code where they can change something simple, such as the value of a variable, and look at the results when they run the code again. Step by step as they are ready, teachers can show them how to make more complex modifications to program logic, and then structure. By sixth greade. they are writing simple programs of their own. However, we have also seen tile-based programming systems used at an even earlier age, because they eliminate the need for accurate typing. I have heard that icon-based tiles can be used to teach programming logic to preschoolers. View source in this context is quite different from the text programming context. Also, View Source should not be the only tool we offer. Why not a PyDoc button? Why not any of the other tools for understanding programs, APIs, and the rest? Somebody said that program source should be displayed in Write. I agree with that only if Write is the text editor for the complete Python IDE, with full integration, so that the functions on the tabs are augmented in code mode with appropriate tools. > but there is > some anecdotal evidence, such as the children in Galadima creating > their own Igbo spelling dictionary. They didn't need to modify the > source code, but they--I believe--looked at how he English spelling > dictionary was structured and mimicked it. It was a real moment of > empowerment. Somebody should document it. As in filming interviews, and producing both a documentary and a written history and analysis. Also the XO hospital, the Nepal teacher training, the Peru teacher training...Something along the lines of the PBS documentary miniseries Rx for Survival, which had Brad Pitt narrating. Who has contacts at PBS or National Geographic or anywhere else suitable? > -walter > _______________________________________________ > Devel mailing list > Devel@lists.laptop.org > http://lists.laptop.org/listinfo/devel > -- Edward Cherlin End Poverty at a Profit by teaching children business http://www.EarthTreasury.org/ "The best way to predict the future is to invent it."--Alan Kay _______________________________________________ Devel mailing list Devel@lists.laptop.org http://lists.laptop.org/listinfo/devel