Comments on: OLPC – Will the “View source” button really help teach programming? http://www.90percentofeverything.com/2007/11/13/olpc-will-the-view-source-button-really-help-teach-programming/ User Experience Design & Research, written by Harry Brignull Mon, 06 Sep 2010 01:41:08 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 By: Harry Brignull http://www.90percentofeverything.com/2007/11/13/olpc-will-the-view-source-button-really-help-teach-programming/comment-page-1/#comment-32031 Harry Brignull Wed, 14 Nov 2007 13:54:43 +0000 http://www.90percentofeverything.com/2007/11/13/olpc-will-the-view-source-button-really-help-teach-programming/#comment-32031 Eduardo - thanks for pointing that out, I have ammended the link to the keyboard layout. Eduardo – thanks for pointing that out, I have ammended the link to the keyboard layout.

]]> By: Harry Brignull http://www.90percentofeverything.com/2007/11/13/olpc-will-the-view-source-button-really-help-teach-programming/comment-page-1/#comment-32026 Harry Brignull Wed, 14 Nov 2007 13:37:56 +0000 http://www.90percentofeverything.com/2007/11/13/olpc-will-the-view-source-button-really-help-teach-programming/#comment-32026 Gary, you're right. In fact, I couldn't agree more. Open technology is clearly the way to go, and allowing kids to access the source code has GOT to be a good thing. But the 'view source' button itself - it isn't a magic learning solution. Although some gifted kids will be able and motivated to teach themselves, this is fairly unlikely to be the norm. In your case, for example, do you think you'd have been able to teach yourself Basic if you hadn't been to school and been taught literacy, math, science, etc, as well as you had been? Gary, you’re right. In fact, I couldn’t agree more.

Open technology is clearly the way to go, and allowing kids to access the source code has GOT to be a good thing.

But the ‘view source’ button itself – it isn’t a magic learning solution. Although some gifted kids will be able and motivated to teach themselves, this is fairly unlikely to be the norm.

In your case, for example, do you think you’d have been able to teach yourself Basic if you hadn’t been to school and been taught literacy, math, science, etc, as well as you had been?

]]> By: Wayan @ OLPC News http://www.90percentofeverything.com/2007/11/13/olpc-will-the-view-source-button-really-help-teach-programming/comment-page-1/#comment-31943 Wayan @ OLPC News Wed, 14 Nov 2007 03:15:44 +0000 http://www.90percentofeverything.com/2007/11/13/olpc-will-the-view-source-button-really-help-teach-programming/#comment-31943 Ouch, that ain't pretty at all. I can't make heads to tails of it. Then again, I am HTML compliant but Python strangled. Ouch, that ain’t pretty at all. I can’t make heads to tails of it. Then again, I am HTML compliant but Python strangled.

]]> By: Gary http://www.90percentofeverything.com/2007/11/13/olpc-will-the-view-source-button-really-help-teach-programming/comment-page-1/#comment-31939 Gary Wed, 14 Nov 2007 02:41:11 +0000 http://www.90percentofeverything.com/2007/11/13/olpc-will-the-view-source-button-really-help-teach-programming/#comment-31939 I remember when I was 9, my Dad got a 16K Spectrum (later upgraded to 48K). We had just a couple of tapes (form Psion) with a black and white TV and after a few days I was soon breaking into the BASIC programs and trying to work out how they were written (Foxes and Rabbits, Breakout etc). I was soon writing my own graphics assets and source code. Most (industrial nation) kids today have a satiating shovel load of rich interactive content fed to them from an even earlier age but with little chance to experiment out side of what a games company (or productivity company) think might make money. I think the OLPC has it dead right putting this kind of open technology into the hands of future generations, especially in the areas of the world who don't currently have easy access to such technological opportunities. I remember when I was 9, my Dad got a 16K Spectrum (later upgraded to 48K). We had just a couple of tapes (form Psion) with a black and white TV and after a few days I was soon breaking into the BASIC programs and trying to work out how they were written (Foxes and Rabbits, Breakout etc). I was soon writing my own graphics assets and source code. Most (industrial nation) kids today have a satiating shovel load of rich interactive content fed to them from an even earlier age but with little chance to experiment out side of what a games company (or productivity company) think might make money. I think the OLPC has it dead right putting this kind of open technology into the hands of future generations, especially in the areas of the world who don’t currently have easy access to such technological opportunities.

]]> By: Eduardo Silva http://www.90percentofeverything.com/2007/11/13/olpc-will-the-view-source-button-really-help-teach-programming/comment-page-1/#comment-31884 Eduardo Silva Tue, 13 Nov 2007 21:25:24 +0000 http://www.90percentofeverything.com/2007/11/13/olpc-will-the-view-source-button-really-help-teach-programming/#comment-31884 http://wiki.laptop.org/go/Image:Keyboard_english.png is the current keyboard layout http://wiki.laptop.org/go/Image:Keyboard_english.png is the current keyboard layout

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