                      SUGGESTIONS FOR USING PROGRAMS
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     In this high-tech world, human energy is being focused more and
     more on information access and transfer.  Thus, the computer is
     now indispensable to our way of life.  The earlier a child can
     become comfortable with the computer, the easier it will be
     for him to cope with today's challenges, and the happier he will
     be.

     The purpose of these programs is to help the child to become
     comfortable with the computer at an early age and, at the same
     time, to let him explore some fundamental concepts.  The programs
     are intended for children as young as 18 months.  Your computer
     must have VGA graphics and a mouse.  After you start a
     program, the child works it just by moving the mouse.  He does
     not use the keyboard or mouse buttons.  You can return to the
     menu at any time by pressing the [Esc] key.  Following are
     descriptions of the programs and suggestions for their use.

     First, some opinions.  The task of the parent or teacher is to
     understand exactly what each individual child needs at any given
     time and then to provide it.  This requires careful, continuous,
     observation of the child.  It's a big, full-time job.  It is also
     an honor, a privilege, and a pleasure for those who appreciate
     the child as our most important responsibility.

     When working with children, remember that a child sometimes wants
     help and other times resents it.  Always respect a child's need
     for independence and privacy.  When a child wants your help, you
     can rest assured he'll let you know.  However, discovery is one
     of life's greatest joys.  Continually solving a child's problems
     for him by telling him what to do robs him of this joy of
     discovery.  It also turns off his mind and conditions him to be
     dependent on others.  Every day, the world needs more independent
     thinkers and problem solvers, so encourage self-reliance.  Let
     your child experience the joy of discovery, and preserve his love
     of learning.  His happiness depends on making learning a way of
     life for the rest of his life.

     These programs were designed so that any child who is ready can
     work them with little or no adult help.  A child who cannot work
     the programs unassisted is probably not ready and should be
     given more development time.  Your child may ask, "What should I
     do now?"  Rather than telling him explicitly what to do, you
     might reply, "Anything you want to do," or "It's a fun puzzle.
     Keep playing with it.  You'll figure it out," or "If I tell you
     what to do, it will spoil your fun."  If you have determined that
     the child has made a serious effort to solve his dilemma and he's
     still stumped, then you can give him hints which lead him to a
     solution without revealing the solution bluntly.  Again, if he
     can't work the programs by himself, he's probably not ready and
     should be given more development time.

     Ideally, every child should have his own computer.  A computer
     work station with furniture designed especially for the child
     should be considered an important element of the child's
     environment.  If he does not have his own computer, then the
     family computer should be made accessible to him.

     To initially attract a child's attention to the computer, set it
     up in a room which he frequents such as the living room, kitchen,
     or his playroom.  Place the mouse on a smooth, flat travel
     surface directly in front of the monitor so that both the mouse
     and screen are in the child's field of vision.  Place the
     keyboard out of reach and out of sight.  Make sure that the
     seating arrangement gives the child comfortable access to the
     mouse and a good view of both the mouse and the screen.  The
     computer can be set up on the floor, and the child can sit or lie
     in front of the mouse and monitor.


     1. CURSOR:

     This program displays a white cursor on a black background.  The
     configuration of a cross was chosen for the cursor because of
     its simplicity and symmetry.

     This is a good program for introducing the child to the computer.
     It demands only a minimum of motor control and, in this sense,
     his first experience with the computer will be "user friendly."
     He will quickly learn that he can change the location of the
     cursor on the screen by moving the mouse on its travel surface,
     so he will experience immediate efficacy.  Also, he will discover
     that he can color an outer rectangle by moving the cursor into
     it.  He can complete the tutorial session by coloring all eight
     outer rectangles.  A happy face will appear.  Eventually, he
     will move the cursor into the happy face, and the practice
     portion of the program will begin.  The happy face seems to be a
     universal symbol of congratulations on a job well done.  I've
     used it to congratulate the child on the completion of tutorials
     and practice exercises.

     All programs begin with a tutorial session and end with a
     practice session.  If the child leaves the computer during a
     tutorial session, the program reverts to the colored title
     screen.  This tells you that the child did not complete the
     tutorial session.  The next time you turn on the computer, select
     this SAME program again.

     If the child leaves the computer during a practice session, the
     program displays the white "Program Paused" message.  This tells
     you that the child did complete the tutorial session.  The next
     time you turn on the computer, select the NEXT program from the
     menu.

     If the child presses a mouse button during a tutorial session,
     the colored title screen will appear.  If he presses a mouse
     button during a practice session, the white "Program Paused"
     message will appear.  In either case, he can begin again by
     moving the mouse.

     At a time when the child happens to be in the room, run the
     CURSOR program.  The flashing title screen will appear.  After
     one second, any movement of the mouse will cause the title screen
     to disappear and the cursor to appear.  Slowly move the mouse in
     different directions to move the cursor around within the center
     rectangle.

     If the child shows interest and approaches the computer, center
     the cursor on the screen, place the mouse in the center of its
     travel surface, and move aside to give the child access to the
     mouse.  If he hesitates, as if waiting for permission to touch
     the mouse, encourage him to try it.

     If the child shows no interest, then leave the computer on and
     walk away.  He may approach it in your absence.  Try to watch him
     without his knowing it.  Awareness of being watched makes some
     people uncomfortable.  If he wants your attention, he'll solicit
     it.  DO NOT coerce the child to work with the computer!  When he is
     ready, he will go to it on his own.  If he still shows no
     interest, then turn off the computer, wait a few days, try again.

     After the child begins working and becomes absorbed in what he's
     doing, he may no longer require your attention.  Leave him alone.
     Engage in some activity that allows you to watch him out of the
     corner of your eye.  "Reading" a book is good.  Try to ensure
     that he is allowed to work undisturbed until he becomes bored and
     leaves the computer.

     If a program is begun, and sixty seconds pass during which there
     is no movement of the mouse, a flashing message appears.  This is
     more than a screen saver.  It tells you that the child got bored
     and left, and it tells you whether he left during the tutorial
     portion or the practice portion of the program.  It also extends
     a continuous invitation to the child, telling him that the
     computer is ready to play whenever he is.  If he moves the mouse,
     the message disappears and the program resumes.  So, after the
     child masters a program and becomes bored with it, you can leave
     the computer on.  He can return to it whenever he chooses.

     If you have turned off the computer and the child indicates that
     he wants it turned on, then turn it on and run his appropriate
     program.  Do this as often as he wants.  You should run all of the
     programs and play with them yourself so that you are thoroughly
     familiar with each before introducing them to the child.  It is
     probably better not to introduce more than one new program to the
     child in a day.

     Each program uses concepts introduced in preceding programs, and
     each program introduces new concepts which will be used in
     succeeding programs.  Therefore, it is important to introduce the
     programs to the child in the order in which they appear in the
     program menu.


     2. CONTROL:

     This program helps the child practice his eye-hand coordination.
     It demands more motor control than the preceding program.  It
     presents a target on the screen, and the child must move the
     cursor to the target.  The "real time" interaction between the
     child and the computer allows him to practice eye-hand
     coordination by means of a six-point feedback loop in which
     information passes from his brain to his hand to the mouse to the
     processor to the screen to his eye and back to his brain.

     The tutorial portion of this program presents the largest target
     first and gradually reduces the size of each target presented.
     The last target presented in the tutorial is the smallest one.
     As he eliminates targets, portions of a screen border appear,
     indicating his progress through the tutorial.  He completes the
     tutorial by eliminating eight targets and completing the screen
     border.  When working any of the programs, the current length of
     the screen border will always let the child know how much of a
     tutorial or exercise he has completed.  During the practice
     session of CONTROL, the size, color, and location of each target
     are picked at random by the computer.  If the child does not yet
     have the eye-hand coordination he needs to complete the tutorial,
     wait a few weeks and try again, or turn on the computer and let
     the child try again whenever he wishes.  Your mouse software may
     allow you to adjust mouse sensitivity and acceleration.  Turning
     off mouse acceleration and reducing mouse sensitivity will make
     it much easier for a young child to use the mouse.

     From now on, the child need not be present when you select his
     program.  You can select the correct program from the menu,
     remove your hand from the mouse within one second to allow the
     title screen to flash.  Then, leave the computer.  When the child
     comes into the room and sees the screen flashing, he probably
     will approach the computer and move the mouse, which will begin
     the tutorial session.  If it appears that the child does not
     understand that he must move the mouse, or if he is reluctant to
     do so, then move it for him just enough (a fraction of an inch)
     to start the tutorial.  One demonstration is probably all he will
     need.  After this, all you need do is to select the correct
     program, leave the computer with the title screen flashing, and
     observe the child unobtrusively.  If you accidentally bump the
     mouse and start the tutorial session, click a mouse button to
     restore the title screen.  Be sure to write down the title of the
     program you start so that you will know which program to start
     the next time.  If you don't write it down, you may forget it,
     and it's important to select the correct program.

     Again, try to ensure that the child can work undisturbed until he
     becomes bored and leaves the computer.  Allow him privacy.  When
     you watch him, do not let him see you watching unless he solicits
     your attention.


     3. SIZE:

     This program allows the child to practice size discrimination.
     His response to a display is determined by the relative sizes of
     figures on the screen.  In addition, he is introduced to three
     fundamental geometric figures:  the circle, the triangle, and the
     square.  Also, he learns that he can capture a figure, move it to
     a specified location, and drop it off there.

     Run the program and leave the computer.  The flashing title
     screen should be enough to pique the child's curiosity.  Leave
     him alone, and allow him time to become bored.  Watch him
     candidly.  During the practice portion of the program, two
     figures appear simultaneously on the screen.  When he
     consistently moves the cursor to the smaller figure first, he has
     the idea.  If he uses trial and error, he has not.  You'll notice
     that all of the programs allow either a logical approach or a
     random, trial and error approach.  It also will be interesting
     and obvious to you which method the child is using.  Either way
     is fine.  Let him do it his own way.  He's not here to learn a
     lesson.  He's here to explore.  Let him get the idea in his own
     way and in his own time.


     4. SHAPE:

     This program allows the child to discriminate between several
     geometric shapes.  Also, many of the the screens contain an
     unused figure.  This gives the child the opportunity to determine
     relevancy, and, then, to focus on the relevant and ignore the
     irrelevant.  The geometric figures in this program are a little
     smaller than the ones in the preceding program, and this will
     require a little finer control of the mouse.  Again, it will be
     interesting and obvious to you whether the child is using logic
     or trial and error.  Either is fine.


     5. COLOR:

     This program allows the child to discriminate between different
     colors.  Colored figures appear on the screen and his response
     depends on the color of a figure instead of its shape.


     6. ORDER:

     This program helps the child to explore order.  The orders chosen
     are left-to-right and top-to-bottom, because they are the two
     orders that constitute our reading order.


     7. PRACTICE:

     This is a collection of more elaborate shape, color, and order
     exercises.


     8. INSETS:

     This program is a variation on Maria Montessori's solid insets.  It
     presents a sequence of six holes graduated in size from smallest on
     the left to largest on the right.  Below the holes, six disks are
     placed randomly on the screen.  The sequence of holes is a two-
     dimensional representation of a three-dimensional wooden block of
     holes, and the disks represent the wooden cylinders which fit into
     the holes.

     INSETS provides an easy introduction to the use of the mouse
     button.  The child's task is to fill the holes with the disks. 
     First, he must move the cursor into one of the disks.  Then, he
     must press a mouse button to pick up the disk.  In previous
     programs, picking up an object was done automatically simply by
     moving the cursor into it.  In this program, however, the disk will
     remain in place unless the child presses a mouse button.  After he
     picks up a disk, he must move it to the correct hole and drop if
     off there by pressing a mouse button again.

     There is no tutorial session.  You may need to briefly demonstrate
     the use of the mouse button.  After all of the holes are filled
     with disks, the happy face appears, and he can begin again by
     moving the cursor into it.

     After the child has worked all eight programs, you may want to
     teach him how to turn on the computer and select his own programs
     from the menu.  To simplify matters for the child, you could
     call these programs from your autoexec.bat file so that the
     program menu would appear on the screen whenever the computer is
     turned on.
