abc@BRL.ARPA (Brint Cooper) (04/13/88)
Everything that Murphy Sewall said you should get is a good idea. Also, get Bank Street Writer. It's a simple-minded word processing program that makes the Apple II just a tad better than a typewriter. It doesn't erase or do fancy searches, etc, but allows the user to type in text, look at it, correct it, and print a double-spaced draft for proofreading. And it's inexpensive. _Brint
SEWALL@UCONNVM.BITNET (04/13/88)
cc1@CS.UCLA.EDU writes: >I'm currently working part-time (12:30 - 2:30 every day) at an elementary >school near UCLA as one of two "computer teachers" or whatever... etc. My daughters now are in the 6th and 7th grades and have been using my Apple at home for 5 years (since 1st and 2nd grade). Teaching programming at that age is probably a poor idea UNLESS the children express an interest. I think LOGO is great - Papert's book MINDSTORMS is a wealth of ideas. One that works well is to start on the playground - one child puts on a blindfold and plays "turtle." Other children give LOGO commands (i.e., "take 2 steps forward") to try and move the "turtle around objects and back to the starting point. Then they go inside and try and write a procedure to get the computer's turtle to do the same thing. There are a number of paperback books (probably in libararies as well as book stores) with exercises, procedures, and games for children in LOGO. I've been very pleased with my children's response to Master Type (looks like an arcade game, but teaching typing). My 6th grader types 45 words a minute (better than I do). The generation growing up will be confronted by keyboards for the rest of their lives; starting correctly and not developing bad habits is worthwhile. GET A COPY OF PRINT SHOP!! (and the PRINT SHOP COMPANION). My children (and most of their classmates) make covers for their assignments, and greeting cards for relatives and friends (if kids are going to be exposed to computing they should be able to do things that THEY think worthwhile). There are HUNDREDS of public domain pictures (most available cheap from the BIG RED COMPUTER CLUB in Nebraska -- I haven't the address handy, but I can get it; I've just received 16 sides of public domain Print Shop graphics from them). The Newsroom is a good idea too. There are numerous public domain intellectually interesting graphics and games (Sierra On Line recently put Mystery House - a program they used to sell - into the public domain and my girls are busy trying to solve it). A local (Hartford, CT area) middle school teacher has written four games (not copy protected) for school children ($15 a piece). My girls have gotten my money's worth out of them (educational - things like "What letter of the alphabet is an animal?"). I can send you his address if you like. If you can still get the Children's Television Workshop disks (Sesame Street), Spotlight and Mix and Match both are good, and I like everything I've seen from the Learning Company (if you're tempted to teach first graders programming, get them Rocky's Boot instead - some of the puzzles are well within the reach of first graders and a few will keep a math PhD busy half a day or more). The //c System Utilities disk should have a copy of the Apple Lemonade Stand - it'll keep 1st and 2nd graders amused for a little while at least. --------------------- Disclaimer: If my employer tries to express my opinion, I'll sue for violation of the "look and feel" of this message! (subject to change without notice; void where prohibited) ARPA: sewall%uconnvm.bitnet@mitvma.mit.edu Murphy A. Sewall BITNET: SEWALL@UCONNVM School of Business Admin. UUCP: ...ihnp4!psuvax1!UCONNVM.BITNET!SEWALL University of Connecticut