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THE HISTORY OF EDUCATIONAL COMPUTING PROJECTS: The Logo Computer Language

Explore the history of educational computing projects with a focus on the Logo computer language. This long-term project aims to identify effective strategies for the success and sustainability of educational computing projects. Gather and integrate information from various sources to track the evolution of projects and their relationships.

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THE HISTORY OF EDUCATIONAL COMPUTING PROJECTS: The Logo Computer Language

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  1. THE HISTORY OF EDUCATIONAL COMPUTING PROJECTS:The Logo Computer Language Mary E. Hopper, Ph.D. Technology in Education Lesley University

  2. Project Goal • Long-term project to study and learn from the history of educational computing projects. • Goal remains the same:Improve the viability of educational computing projects by identifying effective and sustainable strategies. • Historically, this has been a common goal. (Taylor, 1980; McClintock, 1986; OTA, 1988).

  3. Earlier Findings of Project Studies • Projects have cyclic nature due to interaction of broader technology and internal funding cycles. • Mature projects go through multiple generations. • Difficult to define boundaries between projects. • Projects designed to achieve transient goals rather than long-term continuation, so the question of success more impact than survival, and influence on others definition of success.

  4. A New Direction Emerged • Document and understand the complex historical contexts that led to success of ongoing projects across multiple generations of technology. • A significant body of aggregated information about projects is necessary to track evolution of projects and complex relationships among them. • Systematically gather and integrate increasingly elaborate, detailed and older data about projects.

  5. New Methodology • Aggregate information from sets of data obtained from catalogs, summaries and reports. • Use weighting scheme to determine when to pursue targeted documentation such as published findings. • Do not collect, if can avoid it, but track and document. • Facilitate clear use of materials otherwise won’t be likely to be saved and accessible.

  6. Increasingly Quantitative Typical Sources Project Participation Historical Case Study Edited Publications Systematic Survey Project Catalogs Examples Level of Data • Descriptions (10,000’s) * • Name • Brief Abstract • Profiles(1,000’s) * • Structured Headings • References • Public Documents(100’s) * • Seminal References • Published Findings • Detailed Accounts(10’s) * • Contact and Interviews • Internal Documents • Elaborate Insights (<10) * • Direct Project Involvement • Private Records • Digital Library • OTA • To Improve Learning Increasingly Qualitative • Plato • Andrew • Context32 • TODOR Mechanics • Geology Tutor • Escape * Projected count of data collected for projects at the specified level

  7. Yet Another Twist to the Story • Level and amount of data collected varies directly with access to projects (best participant-observer). • This causes a real dilemma for any large-scale investigations of history of educational computing. • Most detailed data and accurate insights are obtained from participants who worked on project, so most productive approach is to create ways for participants themselves to contribute information.

  8. Parallels Elsewhere, Ref. in Paper • Scholars who study the recent history of science and technology have undertaken digital projects focused on automation and collaboration with living participants. • Most recognized is the History of Recent Science and Technology (HRST) funded by Sloan at the Dibner Institute at MIT. • History of Apollo, Genome & other projects.

  9. The MIT HUST Cautionary Tale “As the HRST project progressed, however, historians began to face significant difficulties in their attempts to engage scientists and engineers in direct online participation. Some scientists found the interface too complex, some did not have Internet connection, some were too busy, and some simply were not motivated enough to devote their time to historical reflection.” (Gerovitch, 2002)

  10. Gradual, Direct, Personal Partnerships • Gradually develop a network of direct personal interaction for facilitating the development of a set of shared resources for a known community to use for information, reflection and advice. • Document both where project information resides and what it contains for use and preservation. • Advocate ongoing longitudinal collection and preservation of resources by project participants.

  11. Current Direction • Establish a technical environment to support follow-up and further elaboration about expanding set of projects. • Pilot Project (LOGO & Relatives) • Previously Studied Projects (Context 32 etc.) • Related projects (PLATO, cT and Andrew etc.) • Manage and coordinate participant owned and operated “distributed hybrid archive.”

  12. Why LOGO? • Existing contact and involvement with community. • One of the oldest projects. • Embedded in story somewhere is explanation of paradox of both robust success and serious failure. • Durability over many generations of computing. • Wide range of audiences from children to adult. • Focus and success in international arena.

  13. “Logo Computer Language” Searches • Project Catalog for Descriptions (Name/Abstract): Google 1,500,000 hits initially found on a search, 844 returned due to similarity, 500+ after bad hits. • Systematic Survey (References/Resources) LOC= 170 Resources, MIT Library/Archive=34

  14. Published Work (Key Refs. & Reports) • OTA, 1988 - Early History from PowerOn Report • Papert, 1980 - Text of Mindstorms Aft. & Ack. • Tempel, 2000 - Logo Foundation History/Insights • Chadwick, 1984 - History of LCSI/Canada • LCSI, 1999 - International Implementations

  15. Historical Case Study • Integration of previous information resulted in a set of organized and contextualized information. • Initiating personal contact with requests based on weighting of previously collected data. • Requesting information review, further resources, descriptions of personal holdings and insights. • Overwhelmingly large set of potential material

  16. Participatory History Project Hope to evolve into a collaborative community resource where project participants can share their knowledge and reflect upon the complex relationships among educational, technical and organizational contexts within and between projects across a variety of disciplines and levels as they change over time.

  17. Conclusion • Just 1 very tiny step towards a disciplinary memory of where education and computing has been, how successful it has been and why. • Having such an integrated memory available could make it easier to determine how to go forward with existing and new projects more successfully.

  18. Why Remember? Why document and preserve history if not then to teach the lessons from the past to students today in the hope of improving tomorrow?

  19. Further Information Mary Hopper, Ph.D. Web: http://www.theworld.com/~mehopper Email: mehopper@theworld.com

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