My conceptual concept map...

I like the idea of concept maps. In theory it makes sense to link what you read in a manner that shows the bonds of ideas and "concepts" that are overriding through them. In fact this is something new to me in that I normally just read and regurgitate what I expect my teachers expect me to know and learn from the set reading list: X + Y = XY; this theory is thus because it is written so and thus it shall be known.

I have trouble relating ideas together because of past pedagogical experiences where it was about how much information you stored and not necessarily how they worked together to form one coherent idea or a pervasive idea among many ideas. I guess that is why I second guessed my first concept map. I read the readings and highlighted the most poignant thoughts, in my view, and from that I opted for a circular chart of concepts from the 3 readings.

The ideas that I mostly picked up on related to the use of computers in education and the impasse of learning something new that would be of concern when trying to add these tools to the educational experience for children. I liked the Piagetian concept of children as builders of their own intellectual structures since, in terms of Constructionism, this would tie in with the ideal that the teaching technologies should be made their own. More-over the general impasse of learning something new, as described in the analogy of learning a new language, is something that spoke volumes to me when I think about my experiences with computers an education - game design in particular. As an interactive media student I've attempted creating games as a part of my portfolio for my studies with failing results because when it comes to programming them I have relied on Flash which has a huge learning curve that makes it hard to attain without spending each and everyday working in that environment. Computers and education should be seen in the same way considering that if the tools are seen as a once in a while luxury how can they contribute to the enhancement of the experience when each time they are used by students it's as if it is the first time all over again.

I know this seems trite but I am keen on expanding these ideas with anyone who sees eye to eye or differently from me.