One of the other factors in a rapidly changing world might be *following*. See, cuz I like to follow Lulu around. She's a year and 2 months old and doesn't speak English yet. Diana (her mother) asked me if I could watch Lulu while she went to practice (plays bass in a band called Gallus Mag). I says, "Sure thing." Me and Lulu head for Metz Park in a stroller, her riding, me pushing, although I asked her if she'd like to switch places (she didn't seem to hear me). We get there and I just let her loose. She's messin' around on the grass for a little while and starts to cry. She's crawling with fire ants. I slap 'em all off, she stops crying real soon. Then we go to the sand pit and her shoes are off now. But she sees something and heads off toward it. I figure as long as she keeps on her feet and keeps moving, the ants won't have a chance to get on her. About 40 feet away, she comes upon the object of her attention: a purple balloon that had strayed from a birthday party that was being set up about another 60 feet away from her. While she was over there, two men were 20 feet from her trying to decide something about the birthday party preparations---and they were talking with each other. Lulu was quite interested and started to head over to them. I wanted her to, but I walked over to her and got her and the balloon and brought her back to the sand pit. We did a buncha stuff there---like one thing we did was, she would grab some sand and let it slide outa her hand, so I would grab a big handful of sand and let it slide outa my hand down onto her hand---she really liked that---and while I did that I started talking to her in her language, how she talks: babba-lock-ta-bauuu-jee-ma-withhh That's an example and it goes on and on. She likes when you talk to her on her terms, and starts right in talking, herself.....and you can tell it helps her settle more into herself and she just feels like trying more things because of that. She saw something again. Stood up. Headed over to it. It was 5 people unloading some stuff out of a mini-van for the party. I followed her. She got closer and closer to them. Then she veered over to a rose bush that had a single pink blossom, I think because I had headed over there. But if I had been less shy, me and Lulu would've been doing stuff with those people that were there at the minivan, and also the two men earlier. I would've just followed her and been right with her. Babies know where the action is. And that kinda learning that comes out of coming upon stuff like that is the best learning there is. It's free and toyless, it's real real human. When we got home (we were at the park a couple hours), Diana was back. She started singing this song to Lulu that she said Bahi's mother had sung to Lulu (Diana's married to Bahi). The song has only one word in it, the word "nine", and Diana was singing nine nine nine nine, over and over in different ways. I said, "Hey, ya know, that might be how she'll learn her first word. Nine might be the first word she says in her life." I don't think Diana felt much for what I just said....no reaction....like she was nonplussed. But Lulu liked the "Nine" song, and music transfers real well what's going on in song, so if Diana got Lulu to sing along, and then if she brought the word "nine" into a Lulu-talk conversation, Lulu could start to see how words do talk in other talks. We were behind the house, in the backyard, and a car went by on 2nd Street out front, and music was comin' out of its stereo loud and clear, and Lulu just heard it, didn't see anything (she was looking at us), and what she did was, she started dancing, doing her little dance-shake-thing to the music that rolled by way out front. And education was real different for me, while I was with her, because babies are so revolutionary and they are not lost at sea in the advent of just checkin' out what happens to be goin' on around them. I know cuz I followed her.....and was followin' what she was up to.

(awesome)

You relearn everything when you observe through a baby's eyes, on their level.

if I ever have kids Jim, I'd like you to learn from them

There has ben a lot said and written about online learning, and idstance learning. One factor that seems to be ignored in the blurbs is 'stickability'. It is true that some subjects lend themselves to this kind of learning better than others, but even so the drop out rates are likely to be quite high. I don't have documentation on that, but self-motivation has always been a problem with individualised learning plans. Most of us need human contact to keep going. If online education is to succeed it must have some aspect of real life contact. It is no use having the most fantastic onine materials if people try it and give up. I wonder too whether certain personality types do better with this kind of learning environment than do others.... Just some thoughts.....

There is an article in the latest edition of TechKnowLogia. IT Education for the porrest of the poor: Constraints, Possibilities and Principles. By Daniel A. Wagner. WWW.TechKnowLogia.org or http://www.literacy.org/products/WagnerTechKnowLogiaArticle.pdf

My latest contribution to this topic may be found on our website at the MTI Media Lab on the Affective Learning Companion Project... http://www.media.mit.edu/affect/AC_research/lc/index.html

Dear Friends, What would your life be like if you never had the chance to go to school? It may be difficult to imagine, but this is the reality for 115 million children around the world. At last year's G8 Summit, eight of the world's richest nations agreed to provide the funds needed to help the poorest countries ensure education for both boys and girls. A year later, they have done little to fulfill their commitment. Don't let world leaders break their promise. Please sign the petition to make sure G8 countries are reminded of their commitment when they meet again this June. The deadline to sign the petition is 23 May, 2003. Go to: http://ga0.org/ct/mpq63K918P-n/ Help spread the word by sending this message to at least 5 friends to get them to sign, too. Remember, every signature counts. Sincerely, Your friends at NetAid and the Global Campaign for Education http://www.netaid.org/