Changing Minds: Computers, Learning, and Literacy (Hardcover)

~ Andrea diSessa (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Can computers really extend our intelligence? Might new "computational literacies" alter the face of education, expanding and accelerating learning possibilities? Research scholar, teacher and technologist DiSessa thinks so, and posits a future in which computers "will have penetration and depth of influence comparable to what we have already experienced in coming to achieve a mass, text-based literacy." But why should ordinary people learn about not just the function, but the structure of these new tools? DiSessa answers this question through many compelling narratives of how students actually explore sophisticated science and mathematics topics with the "Boxer" software system, a product that DiSessa and his research colleagues have developed to further their research on cognition and learning. Their findings reinforce many of our commonsense understandings about optimal education: that students learn best by doing; that tacit, intuitive knowledge is important to the acquisition of concepts; and that learning needs to be carefully tailored to an individual's domain of competence. DiSessa also concretely illustrates how to lead students toward complex technical competence and become active creators, not just passive consumers, of new technologies. While a good deal of his book is geared toward scientifically and mathematically literate readers, the personal narratives make it accessible to anyone interested in how computers may change not just the way we learn, but the way we think. (May)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

One of the original designers of the children's programming language Logo, DiSessa has spent most of his professional life thinking about how kids use and change technology and, ultimately, how technology changes kids. Here, he examines how computers are creating a new literacy, particularly for science education, where the computer is more than a tool for funneling instruction to students. This will fit comfortably between two books by Seymour Papert: Mind Storms: Computers, Children, and Powerful Ideas and The Children's Machine: Rethinking School in the Age of the Computer ; recommended for all libraries.
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 293 pages
• Publisher: The MIT Press; 1st edition (April 18, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0262041804
• ISBN-13: 978-0262041805
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #791,826 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Revolutionary!, April 28, 2000

By A Customer

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!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Meeting Minds, December 20, 2000

By	Jack Lochhead (Conway, MA USA) - See all my reviews

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.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Meeting Minds, December 20, 2000

By	Jack Lochhead (Conway, MA USA) - See all my reviews

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.