Gerhard Fischer and Hal Eden: “Design, Learning, and Collaboration” — Spring Semester 2006

General Remark for all assignments:


always remember the statement by Blaise Pascal: “I have made this letter longer than usual, because I lack the time to make it shorter.”

in case you have used specific resources for your answers, please name those (especially if you use them literally)

Assignment 1


due:
1. Wednesday, January 25, 2005; 10am on the class website — max length: two pages

2. you can work as a group and submit one answer as a group (clearly identifying the members of your group)


Read the article

Fischer, G. (1998) "Making Learning a Part of Life-Beyond the 'Gift-Wrapping' Approach of Technology." Notes from 6/96 NSF Symposium on Learning and Intelligent Systems available at: http://www.cs.colorado.edu/~l3d/presentations/gf-wlf/


Briefly discuss the following issues:


1. what did you find

1.1. interesting about the article?

1.2. not interesting about the article?

2. what do you consider the main message of the article?

3. “gift-wrapping”

3.1. how would you (in your own words) explain the concept ?

3.2. can you give examples of “gift-wrapping”?

3.3. can you give counter-examples of “gift-wrapping”??

4. global learning theories and approaches

4.1. do you know any of the people mentioned in the diagrams:

4.1.1. Skinner

4.1.2. Piaget

4.1.3. Papert

4.1.4. Illich

4.1.5. Vygotsky

4.1.6. Dewey

4.1.7.

4.2. select one of the six

4.2.1. in case you know something ‡ write a paragraph what she/he has contributed to a deeper understanding of learning?

4.2.2. in case you do not know anyone, find out something about her/him ‡ write a paragraph what she/he has contributed to a deeper understanding of learning?

5. identify one website (and mention the URL) which you consider interesting and relevant for “learning”! Write a one paragraph justification for your choice!

please upload your answers to this location using a filename "hw1-firstnamelastname"

use a color of your choice to make your answers easy to identify – e.g.: green text.

hw1-laolengxiong.doc
hw1-keisukenishimoto.doc
hw1-nathancampbell-lisadoan.doc
hw1-maltewinkler.doc
hw1-marklewisprazen.doc
HW1_Min-Chieh_Hung.doc
hw1-cortneygermain.rtf
Gary Knoll John Lansing - HW1.doc
hw1-kirill-kireyev.doc