Computers for children

On Tue, 12 Jan 1999, Ward D. Griffiths III wrote: You wouldn't have had to use paper if you had been reading the right mags. I know of at least three distinct computer-like things that were available for under $40 in 1959: the Geniac/Tyniac/Brainiac (I'll count those as one), the Calculo analog computer, and the Microlog. I didn't have any of them when I was a kid either, but I wish I had. Paper's cool too, though. I thought I was going to be an artist until some sort of hormonal override kicked in. Books are OK. But I think the key is to present a kid with challenging space to explore on her own. Reading is pretty passive. Interactive computer instruction is less passive, but less rich than books and generally too confined a space for exploration. The best possible education: a laboratory, a bunch of reference manuals, and some compelling problems to solve. But that's just a metaphor for life, I guess. -- Doug