FYI.. (on topic?) See current related topic on slashdot. http://science.slashdot.org/story/09/08/16/189257/Simple-Portable-Physics-Simulations http://users.softlab.ntua.gr/~ttsiod/games.html
Available under GPLv2, which isn't obvious from the website. On Sun, Aug 16, 2009 at 1:50 PM, Alan Kay<[email protected]> wrote: > Bill and Tony, > > I simply ask that you ponder much more deeply on this issue. It's very > important, and it also is part of the "helping people learn certain modern > subjects" problem. Many of the people who have embraced the OLPC and XO and > Sugar are using it for other means (contact with and use of computers, > pride, motivation, and so forth). But both of you have shown interest in > helping children learn mathematics and science. > > And by the way, I don't know of any mathematicians who would define math as > "the study of rule-based systems". So this could be one place to start. And > science is much more subtle than mathematics. Depending on when you think > modern humans appeared on the planet, it took until just about 400 years ago > for the real deal to be teased out of our built in desires for explanations > coupled with our equally built in desires to accept them much too readily. > > None of this issue has anything directly to do with computers. And there are > a lot of very good things which can be done without them for both real math > and real science. As Papert showed us, computers can be the raw material for > several important new forms for good math that are particularly nicely > suited for children, and several of these are nicer to deal with physical > phenomena than some of the standard algebraic approaches (especially for the > equivalents of differential equations and integration of differential > relations). > > But I always urge teachers to get started on this road themselves by looking > at the many wonderful "little books" of Arvind Gupta and one of his main > themes of "toys from trash". http://www.arvindguptatoys.com/ Besides being > good for children and adults alike, it is also a bit of a temperament > tester. Most people who really understand science and its processes will > delight in these projects and in helping children do these projects. You can > think of them as the immersion engineering part of eliciting interesting > phenomena from the world around us. They are all in the children's world, > they are made by the children, they do cool and surprising things, and they > have real connections to the world of adults. They are not science > themselves, but are great motivators and start the kids and adults on the > road to seeing mechanicanical cause effect relationships which are the > underpinings of math and our abstraction about the real world. > > Some of these are ripe for trying to do deeper investigations and to make > working mathematical models of them. This is the science part. > > In any case, one of the important parts of this discussion is to be able to > deal with the magic of playing with a computer. > > Best wishes, > > Alan > > ________________________________ > From: "[email protected]" <[email protected]> > To: Alan Kay <[email protected]> > Cc: [email protected] > Sent: Sunday, August 16, 2009 12:25:11 AM > Subject: Re: Re: [IAEP] Physics - Lesson plans ideas? > > Alan > > You ask whether Bill's Physics Activity suggestions have anything to do with > real science. You rightly point out that the Physics Activity is an > imperfect simulation of the real world and just as mysterious. Certainly > playing with the Physics Activity is not the best way to discover how the > real world works. > > You draw the distinction between real maths and real science. Bill's > suggestions work if you think more like a mathematician than a scientist. We > study complex numbers and transfinite numbers even though they aren't real > world. Root(-1) isn't real world but its a useful abstraction to study. > > Maths is the study of rule-based systems. Some of the maths isn't that > useful in itself but the ability to understand and think in that system is a > valid educational goal. It strengthens the ability to think in other > rule-based systems. > > The Physics Activity has its set of rules and Bill's activities encourage > students to discover these rules, to think more deeply about them and to > compare them to the idealised maths which is used to describe the real > world. It may not be a good way to understand the rules that govern the real > world but it is a good way to do a scientific study of a microworld which is > governed by its own set of rules. > > Surely testing and discovering the rules which govern a microworld > strengthens our ability to understand other rule based systems including > real world physics? > > Some advantages of this microworld: > Its engaging > Setup and cleanup are easy > Bills suggestions are suitable for self-directed learning > The cycle time to test a hypothesis is short, more time for cognitive > conflict (deep thinking) > With simulations you can perform experiments that are unsafe in the real > world > > Thanks for your contributions. > > Tony > > > _______________________________________________ > IAEP -- It's An Education Project (not a laptop project!) > [email protected] > http://lists.sugarlabs.org/listinfo/iaep > _______________________________________________ IAEP -- It's An Education Project (not a laptop project!) 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