Free inhibitions and teach kids to share pride in construction.

A great article titled Sand castles go digital by Idit Harel reminded me of being a child with free inhibitions who took pride in constructing not only sand castles at Cronulla beach, but also leggos, my Barbie van and Polly Pocket. It was an amazing thing to build something according to how I interpreted it. As Harel points out, “children learn best when they are in the active roles of designer and constructor” (Harel, 1996-2003). No amount of instruction from my siblings could have helped me construct these things. I had to learn on my own.

When minutes later my brothers and cousins would destroy it, I would feel angry and frustrated that I couldn’t show it to Mum and Dad. There was no mobile phone to capture the image, nor a digital camera and usb to post my creation up on a website. It was gone forever.

Today however, students are able to construct, and share their experiences, providing a continuum of learning that only the age of digital power can provide. Harel continues to advise that, “ the net…offers a wide-open learning environment in which children can explore the world, express themselves, save their creations, revise and refine them over time and exchange ideas in ways that were simply not possible in the past” (Harel, 1996-2003). If we consider this, such a continuum is open to adults as well. The possibilities are endless.

What say thee?

Reference

Harel, I. Dr. (1996-2003). ‘Sand castles go digtal’ found http://www.mamamedia.com/areas/grownups/new/21_learning/sandcastlesgodigital