On Tue, May 19, 2009 at 8:14 AM, Sarah Allen <[email protected]> wrote: > Why Shoes? > > To quote a Railsbrige comment ( > http://groups.google.com/group/railsbridge/msg/2c41610f8cc570b4?hl=en ) > Kids want to learn something that is: > > A. Fun > B. Easy > > Ok, maybe Ruby isn't so easy, but relative to a lot of modern programming > languages it is pretty good. There is very little "boilerplate." Programs > are fairly concise and to the point. I wouldn't touch Javascript for kids > since the implementations are so inconsistent. Kids can deal with rules > (they get that a lot) as long as they are clearly explained and consistent. > > Also, Ruby is a "real" programming language that real-world programmers use > for practical purposes. It is effective to teach kids skills that adults > use. When I did research for establishing the curriculum goals for our > elementary school, I read a lot about "21st century learning skills" where > kids learn to use computers and other tech as tools, in the similar manner > to how adults use those tools (beyond using "educational software" for > teaching specific subjects). I find from personal experience that kids are > very motivated when they are learning something that could have application > outside of the classroom.
Thanks for your perspective as a teacher. :) I think the "real" reason is a very important one, too. -- Seth Thomas Rasmussen http://greatseth.com
