Subject:
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Another wasted weekend
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Newsgroups:
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lugnet.org.ca.rtltoronto
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Date:
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Sun, 2 May 2004 07:55:43 GMT
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Viewed:
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1142 times
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So, instead of building a mountain this weekend, I spent it working on my
masters thesis/reading course. Let me delight you with some of my literature
review.
Calum
PS-I did get all four XPods at the TRU sale (I thought they were buy one get one
free, instead it was buy two get one free), including two extra green ones.
Behaviour Construction Kits (Resnick, 1993)
In an ongoing partnership between MIT and the Lego Company, Resnick and
colleagues began creating interactive toys using Lego bricks and computer
technology. Behaviour Construction Kits describes the genesis of the
“Programmable Brick”, an intelligent construction block used to aid
constructivist learning. It begins with a description of LEGO/Logo, a building
kit for school children, in which Lego building parts are controlled by a
personal computer.
The author opens with the idea that construction toys have evolved from building
structures (bricks and beams forming arches and spans), to building mechanisms
(gears and pulleys forming transmissions and machines), to building behaviours
(software code and sensor inputs forming actions and reactions). Not only are
beams and gears available, the new construction toy kits now “include
computation in the bin of building parts” (Resnick, 1993).
With access to such advanced technology in the form of toys, children can learn
the concepts of electrical and systems engineering or computer science. More
importantly, Resnick suggests that with such behavioural constructs, “children
develop new images not only of machines and computers, but of themselves”,
referencing the emotional syntonicity Papert introduced in Mindstorms.
As with previous ventures, LEGO/Logo is based on the work in the LOGO language
performed by Papert and extended by Resnick. What differs is that this system
is wired into mechanical and electrical parts, extending the virtual microworld
Papert designed into the real world. The extension of LOGO into Lego bricks is
natural: The abstract nature of LOGO, where students are encouraged to build
“blocks” of code forms a neat parallel with the Lego constructions, which are
built of intricate pieces.
A number of educational uses are offered, including the use of LEGO/Logo for
data acquisition on a hamster and the creation of a Murphy bed triggered by an
alarm clock. Eventually Resnick finds that the tethering of this system to a
personal computer is a major drawback and offers the development of a more
freeform system: The “Programmable Brick” in which microprocessors and
electronic logic are integrated with plastic Lego bricks.
Apart from the direct educational benefits of learning concepts like systems
feedback, Resnick offers that students exposed to these building kits view
constructions as living creatures. They are examined on mechanistic,
information and psychological levels, describing their systems both on procedure
as well as behaviour.
As with other tools like LOGO, the Programmable Brick “enable(s) young children
to explore certain domains of knowledge that were previously inaccessible”
(Resnick, 1993). Like the gears of Papert’s childhood, these special bricks
allow for the exploration of a new microworld and new experiences to be gained
from it. The author expands this idea to cover the emerging computerized
world, suggesting that if young children can be comfortable with advanced
technology if they have a hand in participating in its construction,
modification and extension.
"Look! I used a pirate!"
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