Comments for Geeky Mom

Comment on About by Ed Bassett

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Comment on Learning from the Hacker Movement by Fun with Fabric and Technology | Geeky Mom

Fun with Fabric and Technology | Geeky Mom — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 03:02:51 +0000

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Comment on Spring Break by Fun with Fabric and Technology | Geeky Mom

Fun with Fabric and Technology | Geeky Mom — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 03:02:09 +0000

[...] workshop on a topic, going on field trips, building projects, and having fun. Last year, I worked with e-textiles and I plan to do so again this year. There are a lot more resources now, and I have a better idea [...]

Comment on Digital Literacy vs. Computer Science by JennG

JennG — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 17:55:15 +0000

It’s kind of the difference between art history and art isn’t it? It seems to me that overall, this has been addressed in Western education by teaching the subject itself earlier, and then fitting it into its cultural and historical context later. So I’d like to go even further back and start with logic/symbolic logic & algorithms first with a choice of language for practical application, and then after that sure, go ahead and make your Excel macros or functions or express yourself on the Internet. But it’s true I’m kind of old school about it. And not a programmer at all.

Comment on Digital Literacy vs. Computer Science by Robert Jonson

Robert Jonson — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 06:27:31 +0000

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Comment on Helicopter parenting, parenting mistakes by Laura

Laura — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 01:25:27 +0000

FG, thanks for your comment. Yep, we just quit forcing and hope for the best. We keep letting both kids know that we think academics are important. And we always ask about homework, but we can no longer force anyone to do anything. We just try to create conditions that make it possible.

Comment on Digital Literacy vs. Computer Science by Laura

Laura — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 01:06:37 +0000

Absolutely, bj. I think it’s an issue of people outside the field trying to describe it or determine what’s in it. And, actually, I don’t have a problem with looking at it as a continuum, that using Excel expertly might come before learning to program, for example. And I actually teach both, but I keep the curricula mostly separate. The trouble comes when people start to say–hey, maybe we just need tech stuff. And sure, more people should probably be exposed to that than to CS, but if we could increase the numbers of people exposed to CS, that would be a huge benefit.

Comment on Digital Literacy vs. Computer Science by bj

bj — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 19:41:32 +0000

Interesting, ’cause I think this conflict you’re describing is shadowing a little bit of what you described when you were working at your previous university job. You’re seeing a CS class as being about teaching an academic subject centered around getting machines to do what you want them to do, while others are fighting to make the class about using the machines to do something you want to do (with tools others have developed). I remember your conflict with faculty using tech services being that you wanted to show them how to use the tools and they wanted you to use the tools for them.

I think both of the conflicts are a bit driven by the role of using/creating technologies. The history teacher wants the kids to learn how to do computer-based reserach in your class so that they can teach history in theirs (and not how to use the tool for history research). I’m inclined to believe that tech tools should mostly be taught in other classes while CS is about teaching CS. But, that only works if the history teachers know how to teach tech, and I don’t think they do yet.

Comment on Helicopter parenting, parenting mistakes by FG

FG — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 19:41:20 +0000

Dear Geeky Mom, I struggle with my son. I was a single Dad and middle school was a struggle for him. I sat with him every night doing homework fighting every step of the way, until one day I got a call at work that he had not turned in his homework again. I could not believe it because I had been with him when he did it. When I got home I asked where it went, he said he did not know, so I opened the math book and there it was. Clearly my “forcing” of the issue was pointless and from that point on I asked about homework and only insisted on an honest answer. If he said no the homework was not done, I would just remind him that staying in middle school might not be fun. But that is a story for another day.

Comment on Girls and Computing by Jody

Jody — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 15:01:05 +0000

See, that’s the leap of faith and trust with the inquiry-based model, right? That if you give kids the freedom to choose, they might choose poorly. They might not learn content.

We’re talking about that a lot in my curriculum course. How can librarians support teachers and create environments where they trust kids to take the leap?

Part of the problem, I think, is that no one trusts TEACHERS anymore. It’s hard to extend trust when you’re demonized.