Andy’s New Media Blog

Although I’ve had a computer in my house for as long as I can remember and have been playing games on them (and other game consoles) for nearly as long.  That said, I don’t think computers were ever a major part of my formal education.  With the exception of a basic programming course I took in high school, my only other use of computers in school came in an hour long twice a week block of “computer class” that my fifth grade class went to.  I don’t remember much from those classes, except that by far the hardest part of it was when we had to learn to use LOGO.  In his article, Papert talks about the potential for teachers to use LOGO in the wrong way.  I can definitively say that my teachers used the program in a way that he would have fundamentally disagreed with.

I specifically remember our teacher giving us some very vague instructions on how to use the program then handed each of us a thick photocopied instruction manual, along with a check list of different things our program had to do in order to pass (have animation, different colors, curved lines etc.)  Luckily I had a more computer savvy friend sitting next to me that helped me out, but I definitely didn’t learn anything about computer programing or gain any “formal” knowledge from the experience.  My main concern at the time was finishing as early as possible so I could resume my game of Oregon Trail and maybe get a little bit of Math Munchers in before lunch.

I’m going to take a stand and say that this wasn’t completely my teacher’s fault.  One of the main problems is that the school system was obviously implementing computer education in an extremely half-assed way.  In order for the kind of education that Papert talks about to work, it must be fully committed to, not scheduled in as another part of an already over scheduled school day.  Another fundamental roadblock to Papert’s ideas ever coming to fruition is just the fact that LOGO seems incredibly boring compared to the computer entertainment that children already have access to.  Even over ten years ago when I last used the program, it seemed very basic and not nearly as fun as something like Mario Paint for Super Nintendo.  I can only imagine how dry and boring it must seem to kids now, who have access to even more complex electronics.  I’m not trying to say that putting computers in schools is a lost cause, but it will be if it isn’t committed to in a more real way.