This is a subject that those of us involved with Sarai have also been
discussing, from a slightly different angle. Many of us are dissatisfied
with the manner in which computer education takes place. As Seymour Papert
put it, ""Digital technology in the workplace requires a new definition of
"basic skills". The transformation of work requires much more than a
mastery of a fixed curriculum inherited from past centuries. Success in the
slowly changing worlds of past centuries came from being able to do well
what you were taught to do. Success in the rapidly changing world of the
future depends on being able to do well what you were not taught to do."
Teachers talking down from a podium is hardly the right model for teaching
IT, and I would suggest, not the way most of us learnt how to program. Can
we find a better way? One in which students, after a short introduction get
integrated into project teams that work on international collaborative
projects a la sourceforge? An approach that teaches people how to use
discussion lists, etc as a means of giving and getting help?
We discussed this at a recent lug meet at Sarai -- can we find a new way to
train poor kids in IT? This is not a theoretical discussion -- the idea is
to actually start such a training institute soon.
Oh, and by the way, those interested in offering Linux-related summer
courses, do please get in touch.
Arun
At 3/29/2001, Ajit Ranade wrote:
>i need to know how to get 5 to 7 year olds started on linux.
>...
>ps: this is a project to get linux based learning tools started in a
>school run by an ngo for street kids. ths ngo is doing some amazing stuff,
>and i have suggsted that they try introducing computers as a learning
>tool.
Arun Mehta, B-69, Lajpat Nagar-I, New Delhi -- 110024, India. Phone
+91-11-6841172, 6849103. http://members.tripod.com/india_gii To join
india-gii, a list which discusses India's bumpy progress on the global
infohighway, mail [EMAIL PROTECTED]
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