In the classroom -- information for teachers

The Ainsworth Computer Seminar 1 programs and materials are free for all educational applications. The CD-ROM version may be run directly from the CD or installed on any Windows95/NT computer or server. The Internet version must be downloaded before the sample programs can be run. Here are some suggestions for using the seminar.

- If you have individual students who are interested in computers, invite them to explore the seminar on their own. It doesn't matter at all if they are already interested in programming or if they are just curious. Be sure to tell them that they can decide for themselves and then easily adjust how much technical stuff they want to deal with.

- If you teach a programming class, suggest that your students use the seminar programs and flowcharts as a series of examples that show how software is created. The Programmers' Toolkit will help them get off to a good start. This document is also a good example of hypertext and Internet page design.

- If you are personally interested in teaching people about computers, the seminar could be your vehicle for showing how computers work. Create your own "multi-media" presentation by combining my software, illustrations, and even computer code on the same screen.

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This seminar began with a few questions

> "How can I help students who would like to know more about computers?"
> "I have a really bright student and I don't know what to do with him/her."
> "Why is your keyboarding software not at all like other educational programs?"
> "What do you think about the Internet? Should my class write a home page?"
> "Do students have to be interested in math to be able to use computers?"
> "I teach a programming class, and programming books are really dull..."
> "Is it possible that computers can..."

How is the seminar different from a book?

The main difference that identifies this seminar and other hypertext documents is that each individual adjusts his or her own content. When people are reading and experimenting with the seminar, they are the one who decide moment-by-moment what they are learning about and how much technical detail they are interested in.

The conventional books I have written about computers are quite different and have, of necessity, been directed to a specific audience. I had to decide, for example, whether I was talking to a "programmer" or a "non-programmer" before I could even begin writing. As the author of a hypertext document like this seminar, I have a lot more flexibility because I can let the individual reader determine and select the technical level. Each person can decide which subjects he or she would like to know about, and whether to read the occasional stories, extended footnotes, and other tangential information.

Hypertext links allow me to include a great deal more material and much more diverse content that I would dare to put into a fixed presentation, like a book or video. I don't have to be overly concerned about including things that might be "too technical" or simply too remote to include. When I write in hypertext, I get to put in everything I can think of, as long as I give clear choices that make it easy for the reader to determine the ideal path.

I find that writing this seminar and other things to come in hypertext is exciting and very different. Not only is hypertext different from a book, it is also very different from magazines, films, film strips, plays, videos, brochures, photographs, musical compositions, and other forms I have used.

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What can I do with this seminar?

Almost anything you want, except publish it as your own work. See copyright info for details. You may download a copy or install copies of Ainsworth Seminar 1 from the CD-ROM and distribute them to as many students as you like. You can give individual copies to any students you think might be interested in exploring the seminar on their own.

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What computer languages should students learn?

The language students use as they learn about writing software is not particularly critical. If they continue to be interested in programming, they will eventually write their most important works in computer languages and systems that have not been invented yet. This is also true of the word processor, the operating system, the spreadsheet, and any other application. What matters is acquiring the ability to use computers as personal tools. Once this concept is mastered and the students see how powerful and exciting it is, they will be equipped to learn, use, and create applications we haven't even though of.

Anyone who thinks that Windows, WordPerfect, or MicroAnything will be around in its present form for more that a very few years is mistaken. My recommendation: Teach the magic and don't get bogged down in the details of any current language or application.

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How do I grade or evaluate students who use this seminar?

To simply say: "Don't do that" is tempting, but not at all helpful. Fitting the seminar into some curriculum or other is "beyond the scope of this course" because I am not a classroom teacher and I don't know how. The same is true of lesson plans. So here's my compromise solution:

- Try the seminar with your students, either individually or as part of a regular class.
- Let me know what works and what doesn't.
- I will continue to expand and modify the seminar to best serve you and your students.
- I will publish your suggestions and lesson plans here, in a special section, so that you may share your ideas and insights with other teachers.

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Feedback

I invite you and your students to participate as the seminar evolves. I will be writing new sections in a more-or-less continuous stream and adding them to the seminar as they are completed. Ideas, suggestions, questions, and other input are all welcome. Please read copyright info and details about sending stuff to me before you or your students send any programs or similar materials.

I would also be interested in knowing what you think about this seminar, how you are using it, and any suggestions you might have for making it more complete, more accurate, or more fun.