Computers for children

On Tue, 12 Jan 1999, Chuck McManis wrote: Forget BASIC, you want LOGO! Somebody just sold a terappin turtle on ebay -- that would have been great for a kid. I once had to teach programming to biology majors, which is about the same as teaching a bunch of 8-year-old kids. Attention span is short, so you first have to remove all games from the system. If she's already been exposed to games, then it's too late -- she's either a zombie or you'll never be able to meet her expectations of what a computer can do under her direct control. Pick a problem in her domain that yields short-term feedback. If the distance between problem and solution is too great, you've lost her. Graphical simulations are good. I'd have her write a lunar lander. Start with how to draw simple shapes. Then how to move the shape under program control. Add control via an input device. Then a little physics lesson. Then add the fuel/game element, et voila: you've got a budding video game programmer on your hands. This is after she graduates from Geniac school, of course. -- Doug