It was wonderful to be able to attend your presentation on Friday afternoon and then to have a chance to chat on the bus (on the way to the airport). I am sure you enjoyed your homecoming! We are having some problems with our Internet…sigh…and so I have not been able to get in touch with Lynn from Acadia. I will get in touch with you ASAP. Looking forward to reading both your post and everyone’s responses in full. Thanks for the reminder not to swallow everything one hears. Questioning is a good thing!! Sometimes creates discomfort and seems risky…but good!

Gabrielle Stanton

Your writing is good. Warm fresh bread after a long day at work. Thank you.

I ordered my first flip camera. I opted for the mino and can’t wait to start using it with my kids. I will take some of what Marco Torres taught me and set them free. I am going to try and order a few for the classroom too. I will let you know how that goes. Thanks for the exposure to this.

Best wishes and great job here. I am looking forward to reading more.

Prensky tends to oversimplify in order to amplify his message. On a number of points I disagree with the perspectives he holds and it seems to me that a growing number of people do as well.

On the other hand, provocative arguments are wonderful when they provoke us to think more deeply and articulately. I think on that level, Presnky succeeded here. Unfortunately, on many other levels, he doesn’t.

Welcome to the blogosphere. Looking forward to reading more thoughtful posts here.

One of the highlights of BLC08 for me was meeting you and becoming friends. This’ll be a great way to keep in touch.

Cheers!
Darren

I was in the audience with you, and I’ll admit that I did nod at times, and at others I wondered aloud (in the shared notes with my colleagues), what he was thinking. I first read your post this morning and have spent a good deal of the day hashing it out in my head. In every instance I come to a very similar understanding to Gary above: programming is reading and writing. To assume that we do away with reading and writing would be ludicrous. That said, the message I took away from Mark was different.

We are moving, and in many ways, have moved already to a different definition of literacy. In his own way, I believe Mark was attempting to define some elements of what he feels the new literacy will be. As we’ve stated above, spurred on by your post, the future of programming doesn’t exist without the both the celebration of and spreading of fundamental literacies. Leaving his presentation, I couldn’t help but think that we’ve got to have people like Mark Prensky and some of the names above on this blog (and now your own) pushing against what we already accept and know to form what we want for our children.

Thanks for the push.

I wasn’t in the audience and didn’t hear this first hand, but if Prensky really is calling for an end to learning how to read and write then he really has missed the mark on this. I agree with everything you’ve said as well as what everyone has stated in their comments.

I’m not a programming genius, but I know enough about some scripting languages to know that it requires the ability to read – to decode, to understand context – and to write and follow specific syntax/formatting rules. Additionally, in order to be a successful programmer, one MUST – at the very least – have knowledge and skill in effective communication through language and visual elements. I don’t know how else you would learn these skills without effective language arts instruction (facilitation of learning).

Thanks for sharing your insightful reflection on this topic

I was sooo thrilled at BLC (though I was in CA) that your session was ustreamed…..because you were a new voice, a new name to me…..and then I was even more thrilled when you had great content, conversation, etc etc etc.

I made the false assumption that you must be a long time blogger and was suprised that perhaps this is new to you??

If so — KEEP IT UP. I am very much enjoying your thoughts!!!

Jennifer