Re: [seul-edu] I'll put in my two cents... and ask for a penny...

[jeff williams <cfiaime@mpks.net>]

Greetings!

On Thu, 29 Jun 2000, you wrote:
> Second is the ever burning question of - what language to I teach?  

Seymour Papert whould have you teach LOGO.  It is available from the usual
sources, I believe.  Personally I would start the kids with C, but that is my
own opinion.

> Finally, I've seen very little discussion on curriculum in this group.
> I don't know how many of us have to teach and how many just administer,
> but I'm always looking for new ideas of things to teach and directions
> to take my classes.  Any thoughts?

Actually, I'm a Lutheran pastor working on a Ph.D. in educational technology. 
The more I read and study, the more I think we should begin by concentrating on
the "sacred three" applications -- word processing, spreadsheet, and database. 

I use the "science fair" model for this determination.  Kid writes a proposal
and hypothesis using the word processor.  Kid collects data and places it in a
database.  Kid manipulates and graphs the data with the spread sheet.  Kid
writes the final report on the word processor.  Somewhere in there the kid
learns enough about a presentation graphics program to do a display for the
project.

What word processor?  GROFF!  It teaches what word processing is all about.  If
you understand GROFF (nroff, troff, psroff, xroff) you understand how and why
Word Perfect, Word, Ami, and the rest work the way they do.

I don't have an opinion about the spreadsheet or database -- although I use
Flagship and Recital due to my dBASE and FoxPRO background.

We need to teach concepts, not keystrokes.  The basic Linux distributions give
the tools to teach concepts.

-- 
jeff williams - cfiaime@mpks.net
                    jbw9586@ksu.edu