Reflections on homework reading
"Designing for tinkerability" is a reading that addresses the need for a child to engage him/herself in activities that encourage improvising. The reading suggests that most of our educational system now-days are centered around what is called a "planning" based system in which children must come up with a comprehensive plan to perform well. In contrast, "tinkering" relies on trial and error, improvising, and other methods of problem-solving to make new discoveries. The comparison of "tinkering" and "planning" made me thought about the two types of "orders" I learning from a brown political philosophy class called "Prosperity." The two types of order are called "Planned order" and "Spontaneous order" in which the first suggest systems that are achieved by human intention, while the later suggest systems that are created without human intention. "Designing for tinkerability" mentioned later that "tinkering" doesn't necessarily have to be physical but can also be digitally based; examples include platforms such as Scratch. Although I do I agree with most of the reading, I would like to point out that for a child to operate a computer and learn the interface of it, is a "planning" required task. This process might take a long time and might lose the interest of the child. In my opinion, a tangible medium is a better option for a child (especially younger ones) to explore the full possibility of "tinkering."