[YL] Change their thinking

[Jill Denner]

I agree with Malcolm's comment that we need to better understand how to
change children's thinking about technology.
In our Girls Creating Games program, we are working on understanding
how middle school girls think and engage with technology in order to
increase their fluency (not just skills, but their interest and
motivation to persist with technology). Two of our strategies are:

a) building on what they are already interested in (e.g., having fun,
exploring identities, playing games, working with a peer)
b) encouraging them to explore by scaffolding their learning but not
rescuing them

If you want to read more about what we are doing, our program is
highlighted in the YouthLearn website on technology.

I am currently writing a paper on how the girls in our program think
about learning with computers. I would be happy to hear from others who
are interested in this topic. 

Jill

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Jill Denner, Ph.D.
Senior Research Associate
ETR Associates (Education, Training, Research)
4 Carbonero Way
Scotts Valley, CA 95066

831-438-4060 x264
831-438-3577 fax
jilld at etr.org

>>> malcolmhoover at yahoo.com 3/10/2005 12:48:01 PM >>>
Colleagues,
I have been following the YMCA discussion about kids
and access. I live here in the Bay Area, at the
"bleeding edge" of the tech industry, and I work at an
Intel Computer Clubhouse as one of the Program
Coordinators. 
In my years in the Communty Technology movement, I
have come to understand that it is not only access,
but a way of thinking about technology that has to be
addressed. 

Many of our young people have access to technology,
but the way that they think about technology has to be
fundamentally addressed. That is where my interest has
been lately "How can I change the way we see the box?"
My introduction to computers came at an early age
(1976).  My mom had her own terminal at SRI, and the
engineers showed me how to get to the games, so I
could have something to do while I waited for my mom
to finish work. They showed me how the computers work,
how  they programmed, and explained the process to me.
Today most of our kids know how to get on the
internet, send email, and type a paper, but they have
little insight as to how to use the computer to
implement their own ideas. They know it's possible,
but often they think that it is beyond them. 

The learning model that we use here encourages young
people to become "technologically fluent". We
encourage the young people to develop their own
projects, based on their interests. We encourage them
to learn and grow in ways that reflect who they are as
individuals. It imples a development that is self
directed. It is this experience that most closely
mirrors my own development as a young person. I
learned more on my own from the computer magazines,
with their programs and codes, the BBS's and my peers
in the computing community than I did in any class I
ever took. I think that we would better serve our
young people by teaching them how to learn and teach
themselves than by teaching them to jump through
technological hoops.
How can we as educators, in schools, Community Tech
Centers and other settings, help change our young
peoples' thinking about the way we use and view
technology?

Malcolm S. Hoover
Technology Director
Boys and Girls Clubs of the Peninsula
Moldaw Zaffaroni Clubhouse
2031 Pulgas Ave
East Palo Alto, CA 94303
650 330 1414
650 330 1299
mhoover at bgcp.org 
www.bgcp.org 

My question is how can we 

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