COMMENT ⊗   VALID 00003 PAGES
C REC  PAGE   DESCRIPTION
C00001 00001
C00002 00002	call andy  tel video models
C00003 00003	Central Notion: Graphics-based educational tools built on a powerful
C00008 ENDMK
C⊗;
call andy  tel video models
     nat  for price ideas
     ready for meet
     b&h
     heath (?)
     calfee/kirst
Central Notion: Graphics-based educational tools built on a powerful
user-accessible language.

1. Graphics-based

Frequently one can express ideas visually with a substantial gain in
understandability over a printed or spoken representation. Furthermore,
there are dynamic situations that cannot be modelled accurately in any
way but through graphics (***examples***). We expect to exploit these advantages
in the tools we build, supplying attractive, intellectually stimulating
graphics packages. 

Visual presentation of particle physics, stress behavior, electronics,
culler-fried. maze


2. Educational tools

There is a growing awareness that the current educational strategies are ineffective:
poor achievement in the fundamental grades, declining quality in the university
students, and loss of productivity in the technological professions. Small doses
of patchwork remedy will not reverse these trends; augmentation of existing
curricula with new technological tools will not salvage outdated techniques.
The book, "Mindstorms", by Dr. Seymour Papert of MIT suggests an alternative:
resturcture curricula around the technology of computation. This is our goal tool:
there are educational strategies that simply were not possible without
the computer as an active participant. This is not programmed learning or traditional
computer-aided instruction where the machine is pressed into service as a 
drone to relieve the teacher from some of the rote/practice drill.
Rather, we see the machine in the active role, enhancing even traditional
subjects in ways not possible in the past.

3. User-accessible language

A major objective of this approach is to teach critical thinking. We expect to
have teachers and students modifying existing programs and building new material.
To do this smoothly, the system should be "open".

Given that we wish people to examine and modify programs, we must present them with
a language that is elegant, exhibiting characteristics that will show the
nature of computation in its best light. That is,  the language should attract
the curious to computation  and, indirectly, attract the curious to mathematics
since computation is a branch of mathematics. Few languages possess  the
requisite characteristics, being creatures developed in an era of baroque
syntax and hodge-podge semantics. Fortunately there is a mathematically elegant,
but  practically powerful language that suits our purposes: Scheme, developed
at MIT.

4. Powerful  language

Why power is good:

for implementer

for student 

contrast options


5. Examples:

   Thinglab for physics

   Culler-Fried for mathematics

   Logo dynamic turtles for newtonian motion

   Dungeons & Dragons for history, geography

   Maze Wars

   Macsyma

   Natural language

6. The hardware:

   Powerful

   Inexpensive

   Graphics
	video switch

7. The language

8. The market

9. Competition

10. Cost