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Rating: 
Summary: Revolutionary!
Review: An absolutely amazing book! Stimulating and engaging material is addressed in a totally approachable way. Truly new and complicated ideas are described with expressive and informal language making it greatly appealing to a reader at any level. The subject matter is extremely interesting and far broader than the book's focus on computers and education; it ranges from children, to product design, to the internet, to human/machine interface, to driving a car, and to the role computers will play in society in the future. All this fascinating material revolves around the author's ideas of a Computational Medium and Computational Literacy (which is very different from computer literacy as we usually use the term).The ideas are powerful and, whether or not you agree with all the conclusions drawn, will likely change the way you think about computers. I work in a completely unrelated field, but the focus on education was still very engrossing and enlightening. Especially the many stories and anecdotes about actual children, and what they had done using the Boxer computational medium. The author points out that any high school algebra student can now easily perform the proofs on relative motion for which, had it been offered then, Galileo would have surely won the Nobel Prize, and proves unarguably that we must continue to modify and update our educational system to progress as a whole, and to take advantage of the new developments and efficiencies (such as algebra) of a society that is constantly evolving. Changing Minds potentially offers invaluable insight, and at a minimum entertaining intellectual exercises, about computers and education. From web or software designers, to system builders, to CEOs, to technophiles, and to the teachers, administrators, parents, and students in our schools, everyone will take something away from this book. For anyone involved in (or interested in) either computers or education, this book is a must read!
Rating:
Summary: Meeting Minds
Review: What will computers do to our minds? Will they make us smarter or will they, instead, reduce us to mindless button clickers? Is there anything we can do to influence the outcome? These are the questions motivating Andy DiSessa's thoughts in Changing Minds. The basic premise is simple. The invention of written language led eventually to wide-spread literacy and to a large advance in the capabilities of the human mind. Similarly the invention of computer-based communication tools could create a giant leap in human mental capacity. But that leap will only come about if we develop appropriate tools and establish a culture that encourages their widespread use. Current trends are not encouraging. Few suitable tools are being developed and there is no culture encouraging widespread use. In Changing Minds DiSessa describes the kinds of software we would need to develop if we were to reach for the next level in human mental capability. He describes efforts that have been made to create such software and provides examples of the exciting results that can be obtained when children are given access to such tools. But he also warns of the many obstacles blocking the path to this better future. In the end he is unsure that we will have the will to reach it. If Changing Minds were only about the future of the human mind it would be an important book, but it is much more. It is an opportunity to experience a particularly exciting mind of the present. Reading Changing Minds is rather like spending an intensive weekend with a new friend. Through this book you come to know Andy. You see how he thinks, discover what motivates him and learn many fascinating details about his life. Few authors have ever been able to bring a character to life as effectively as Andy brings forth himself. So pack your bags, bring a little calculus and physics if you can and prepare to enjoy an exciting new friendship.
Rating:
Summary: Meeting Minds
Review: What will computers do to our minds? Will they make us smarter or will they, instead, reduce us to mindless button clickers? Is there anything we can do to influence the outcome? These are the questions motivating Andy DiSessa's thoughts in Changing Minds. The basic premise is simple. The invention of written language led eventually to wide-spread literacy and to a large advance in the capabilities of the human mind. Similarly the invention of computer-based communication tools could create a giant leap in human mental capacity. But that leap will only come about if we develop appropriate tools and establish a culture that encourages their widespread use. Current trends are not encouraging. Few suitable tools are being developed and there is no culture encouraging widespread use. In Changing Minds DiSessa describes the kinds of software we would need to develop if we were to reach for the next level in human mental capability. He describes efforts that have been made to create such software and provides examples of the exciting results that can be obtained when children are given access to such tools. But he also warns of the many obstacles blocking the path to this better future. In the end he is unsure that we will have the will to reach it. If Changing Minds were only about the future of the human mind it would be an important book, but it is much more. It is an opportunity to experience a particularly exciting mind of the present. Reading Changing Minds is rather like spending an intensive weekend with a new friend. Through this book you come to know Andy. You see how he thinks, discover what motivates him and learn many fascinating details about his life. Few authors have ever been able to bring a character to life as effectively as Andy brings forth himself. So pack your bags, bring a little calculus and physics if you can and prepare to enjoy an exciting new friendship.
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