Constructionism: an itch I can Scratch

So, in the last week or so I have been playing around with Scratch which is like a WYSIWYG version of Flash. While having had some informal instruction in class as to how the program works before being untethered, the whole program has befuddled me a little bit. It utterly shocked the bejesus out of me that this is a project that is taught to younger children and implemented very well while I, a college graduate steeped in digital and electronics knowledge is struggling to fully grasp the program.

While troubles have been a point of frustration they have also been one of exclamation. The limited help (otherwise known as scaffolding) from Kylie coupled with the collaborative thought with my classmates have brought me to a curious thought. Scaffolding and constructionism is a method of teaching that I agree allows students to better formulate ideas and information for themselves, but takes a longer time to fully implement as a lesson (opposed to direct instruction). However, assuming that the instructor takes an active role in the construction of knowledge and couples that with peer collaboration and personal reflection, doesn't this ultimately yield more one-on-one instruction in the end? Not simply for the fact that you (instructor) or peers are working one-on-one, but the fact that this is done over a longer period of time--say a week for what would otherwise take a couple days to teach.

I also have to add in an unrelated side thought to this post. The article "Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants" was interesting, however I felt that they were presenting some ideas that were a little out there. The ideas about how current students process information differently than the digital immigrants do makes sense. To me I equate the older generations to different versions of PC operating systems. First there was DOS, then Windows 97, 98, 2000, ME, XP, Vista (and soon to be 7). While each of these systems inherently do the same functions, they all do them in varying ways and (of course) at varying speeds and with lesser or greater degrees of difficulty. However, the notions that he never seems to really firm up about how "students' brains have literally changed" is a bit like the rhetoric you may have found in a mid-1900s public service announcement video like Reefer Madness. It just seems to be such a blatant and unfounded rant from a frightened digital immigrant. But hey, what do I know? I'm just a brash digital native.