From: Amara Graps (amara@amara.com)
Date: Wed May 15 2002 - 23:38:19 MDT
Dossy:
> J.W. Harris:
> However, he loves computers.
>My daughter loves computers, too.
Can you say something regarding how their computer use supports a
child's imagination? Say, compare their youth to what you remember
as a child.
I worry that something big is missing in supporting a child's
imagination with the toys I see kids using today. I worry that
without this support of a child's imagination, they will be less
innovative and creative and free thinking as adults. I know that
young people hate it when adults and parents say "When I was young,
I didn't have ...", but in this area it's true. We didn't have these
sophisticated electronic gadgets. Some of my childhood was spend in
extremely small quarters (boat), where there wasn't much room for
toys, and so then my sisters and I had objects of our surroundings
and our imagination with which to play.
Last Friday I saw a one-man performance in a little room next to the
train station. It was called: "Prof. Cratzleigh's FlohZirkus." (flea
circus, in English). He was a British guy who donned the personna of
a scientist, investigating aspects of a 'flea' named Alfonso.
He had a small setup on a table that held a miniature tight-rope, a
miniature circus arena, a miniature platform for the flea. He put
the 'flea' through a series of exercises and stunts.
There wasn't ever a flea though. He had a magnet moving a small nail
to perform some of the stunts, but we all knew that, and it didn't
matter. Implicitly, we were asked, as the audience, to use our
imagination and humor the professor :-). It was a blast, and totally
satisfying as entertainment; I would have chosen that over a movie
with super-duper special effects, any day.
During the intermission, the 'professor' asked for questions from
the audience. A little girl, about 8 years old, asked whether that
flea was real. The 'professor' asked her to come up to the front,
and look for herself, and then he asked her a couple of times
whether she could see the flea. Her answer was 'no' Then he asked
her: "did you ever have an imaginary friend ?" Her answer: "no". He
said, "Really? No friends in your mind that are with you to play
when you want?" She paused for a moment and then he asked her again
if she saw the flea. This time she said "yes"!
Amara
P.S. I hope your kids are practicing "safe computing". Repetitive strain
injuries are affecting much younger people now, not just the older
30+ computer programmers.
-- ******************************************************************** Amara Graps, PhD email: amara@amara.com Computational Physics vita: ftp://ftp.amara.com/pub/resume.txt Multiplex Answers URL: http://www.amara.com/ ******************************************************************** "Take time to consider. The smallest point may be the most essential." Sherlock Holmes (The Adventure of the Red Circle)
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