Computers. They’re things we use to get work done, a means for self-expression, a way to create worlds.
But what do kids know about computers? Do they think it’s a box that is boring and does magical things?
It depends.
When adults answer a kid’s question about how computers work with a response of “it’s complicated,” computers become a mechanical, boring, and technical thing.
There’s a better approach for teaching children about computers, says programmer, storyteller, and illustrator Linda Liukas in her TEDxCERN talk.
If this bicycle lamp were a computer, we could go on a biking trip with my father and we would sleep in a tent and this biking lamp could also be a movie projector.
Learning about computers isn’t boring, says Liukas, when you help children to understand the technology through play.
Watch this inspiring video to see how Liukas encourages kids to see computers as wonderful, amazing things to be tinkered with.
I loved her explanation of learning while loops by repeating a dance sequence while standing on one leg.
Source: TED
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