The Connected Family: Bridging the Digital Generation Gap
Children love computers. But what do parents and teachers (the older generation) have to offer children using computers? This latest book by visionary educator and computer pioneer Papert is directed at parents looking for constructive strategies. Papert encourages family computing activities such as drawing and games and urges parents to learn from their children. Advocating home-style over school-style learning, he claims to prefer "bricoleurs" (tinkerers) over "planners." He also offers specific projects on the accompanying CD-ROM and on his personal web site. Papert further ruminates about the computer's impact on education, presenting examples of how computer use has enhanced children's learning. Continuing this theme, which he first developed in Mindstorms (Basic, 1993. 2d ed.) and The Children's Machine (Basic, 1993), Papert addresses parents in a conversational and nontechnical style. Recommended for public libraries and education collections.Laverna Saunders, Salem State Coll. Lib., Mass.Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.