When I was in traditional school, I felt like I was in a very restricting cage that was plummeting to the ground. I had little to no say in what I did, or how I went about doing it. I felt that if I could only break out of the cage I'd be able to spread my wings, and fly.
Just imagine, if all the time we spend in school were instead spent exploring the world around us, how different would our existence be?
Yes! Let's explore.
27 July, 2011
13 July, 2011
Part One: Life
THE BRAIN is wider than the sky,
For, put them side by side,
The one the other will include
With ease, and you beside.
The brain is deeper than the sea, 5
For, hold them, blue to blue,
The one the other will absorb,
As sponges, buckets do.
The brain is just the weight of God,
For, lift them, pound for pound, 10
And they will differ, if they do,
As syllable from sound.
~Emily Dickinson
For, put them side by side,
The one the other will include
With ease, and you beside.
The brain is deeper than the sea, 5
For, hold them, blue to blue,
The one the other will absorb,
As sponges, buckets do.
The brain is just the weight of God,
For, lift them, pound for pound, 10
And they will differ, if they do,
As syllable from sound.
~Emily Dickinson
04 July, 2011
Logo
I love computers. They are wonderful tools for everything from word processing to socialization. Even as a little kid from the '90s I recognized their potential. I knew it was just a matter of time before we had video calling, small laptops, handheld tablet computers, and virtually everything else we could imagine at our fingertips. No, at that time I did not see how crucial things like spell check would be in my life, but it didn't take me long to recognize how much I needed them. I wouldn't be blogging without it.
Many of my earliest memories from when my family lived on the shores of a lake near Little Rock Arkansas are of my many attempts to make little computers or cellular phones out of printer paper or cardboard, glue, tape, paperclips, and staples (I actually made one about 11 years ago that had a striking resemblance to the Apple iPhone...). I wanted to build my own computer, write programs, and just play around with technology.
Then I went to school. I remember learning time and time again in grade school that I was bad at Math. I figured this out from my grades, my teacher's attitudes about Math, and the numerous times thought all of Elementary and Middle School that a teacher, or parent, or friend, or random person tried to comfort me with "It's ok that you didn't get a good grade on your Math test, you're just not good at Math."
I'm sorry for not finding that a very motivating pep talk, but if the purpose of modern education (be it public or private) is to inspire me to develop a passion for Math than I don't think I'm the one who failed.
Here’s my main point:
I was interested in computers, but thanks to the way school taught me to hate math, I put that passion on the back burner for years. And there it stayed until just a few weeks ago.
I was sitting in the Tutoring and Writing Center at my College where I get one General Elective credit towards my AA degree by helping students with English, or whatever else they may need. It was my first day, and as it was very slow I had time to work on some Student Employment applications, check my email, play around on Facebook, and eventually, I found LOGO - Math Playground - Don’t you just love that little turtle? Anyways, I actually programmed on another site that I couldn’t find again, but I got the turtle to make a little flower! Playing with LOGO programming online felt great because I was able to apply & explore some ideas from mathematics that I had covered in classes, but never given much thought.
Here is what I programed:
For an skeptic, here is the program itself:
lt 40
I guess play has revitalized my intrinsic love for math, technology, and learning.
Many of my earliest memories from when my family lived on the shores of a lake near Little Rock Arkansas are of my many attempts to make little computers or cellular phones out of printer paper or cardboard, glue, tape, paperclips, and staples (I actually made one about 11 years ago that had a striking resemblance to the Apple iPhone...). I wanted to build my own computer, write programs, and just play around with technology.
Then I went to school. I remember learning time and time again in grade school that I was bad at Math. I figured this out from my grades, my teacher's attitudes about Math, and the numerous times thought all of Elementary and Middle School that a teacher, or parent, or friend, or random person tried to comfort me with "It's ok that you didn't get a good grade on your Math test, you're just not good at Math."
I'm sorry for not finding that a very motivating pep talk, but if the purpose of modern education (be it public or private) is to inspire me to develop a passion for Math than I don't think I'm the one who failed.
Here’s my main point:
I was interested in computers, but thanks to the way school taught me to hate math, I put that passion on the back burner for years. And there it stayed until just a few weeks ago.
I was sitting in the Tutoring and Writing Center at my College where I get one General Elective credit towards my AA degree by helping students with English, or whatever else they may need. It was my first day, and as it was very slow I had time to work on some Student Employment applications, check my email, play around on Facebook, and eventually, I found LOGO - Math Playground - Don’t you just love that little turtle? Anyways, I actually programmed on another site that I couldn’t find again, but I got the turtle to make a little flower! Playing with LOGO programming online felt great because I was able to apply & explore some ideas from mathematics that I had covered in classes, but never given much thought.
Here is what I programed:
 |
| Isn't it a nice little flower? My mom said it reminded her of a poinsettia. |
For an skeptic, here is the program itself:
pencolor red
lt 70
lt 70
fd 50
rt 50
fd 50
rt 130
fd 50
rt 50
fd 100
lt 50
fd 50
lt 130
fd 50
lt 50
fd 50
lt 40
fd 50
lt 50
fd 50
lt 130
fd 50
lt 50
fd 100
rt 50
fd 50
rt 130
fd 50
rt 50
fd 50
pencolor white
lt 25
fd 20
lt 180
fd 40
lt 180
fd 20
rt 90
fd 20
rt 180
fd 40
rt 180
fd 20
pencolor green
rt 135
fd 150
lt 135
fd 60
rt 35
fd 60
rt 145
fd 60
rt 35
fd 60
rt 162.5
fd 80
fd 80
lt 180
fd 80
hideturtle
I guess play has revitalized my intrinsic love for math, technology, and learning.
02 July, 2011
Jean Piaget
The following is the translation of a speech made by Swiss Developmental Psychologist Jean Piaget. I'll try to post the title of the movie I got it from later.
"We classify education into two main categories: passive education, relying primarily on memory, and active education, relying on intelligent understanding and discovery. Our real problem is-what is the goal of education? Are we forming children who are only capable of learning what I already know? Or ... should we try to develop creative and innovative minds, capable of discovery from the preschool are on, throughout life?
Since we cannot distinguish 'true' from 'false' by the content of memory, it follows that every memory contains an element of reconstruction of the past. The activity of memory is usually presented in terms of code: coding and de-coding. When an event is perceived, just as I perceive this auditorium, a number of perceptions are recorded in code form. Later on, when I think of you in my memory, there is a de-coding.
The code permits us to organize a memory, from the moment it is recorded until it is evoked. Dr. Inhelder and I posed this problem: is the code of memory invariant? Is it the same at all ages -the same for preschool children as for 10-15 year olds? Or does the code itself change? Our hypothesis is that the code of memory depends on intelligence-on the child's operational level. The code changes from one level to another. It improves, becomes more structured, according to the progress of the child's intelligence."
"We classify education into two main categories: passive education, relying primarily on memory, and active education, relying on intelligent understanding and discovery. Our real problem is-what is the goal of education? Are we forming children who are only capable of learning what I already know? Or ... should we try to develop creative and innovative minds, capable of discovery from the preschool are on, throughout life?
Since we cannot distinguish 'true' from 'false' by the content of memory, it follows that every memory contains an element of reconstruction of the past. The activity of memory is usually presented in terms of code: coding and de-coding. When an event is perceived, just as I perceive this auditorium, a number of perceptions are recorded in code form. Later on, when I think of you in my memory, there is a de-coding.
The code permits us to organize a memory, from the moment it is recorded until it is evoked. Dr. Inhelder and I posed this problem: is the code of memory invariant? Is it the same at all ages -the same for preschool children as for 10-15 year olds? Or does the code itself change? Our hypothesis is that the code of memory depends on intelligence-on the child's operational level. The code changes from one level to another. It improves, becomes more structured, according to the progress of the child's intelligence."
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