A recent, popular Internet video of Destin Sandlin riding a bike with reverse steering led me to reflect on our tendency to equate knowledge with things that computers do. If we could formulate a “science of learning,” we would be able to design algorithms that help people learn faster and much more reliably. As Destin struggles to understand why he cannot ride the bike, he reveals how our common sense is blind to embodied knowledge. Continue reading Why We Don’t Know Know-How
Category Archives: Computer Science
A Popular Myth in Computer Science Education
Informatics educators expend more energy tackling education issues than educators in almost every other field. I believe much of this effort is unnecessary and could be eliminated if informatics educators could agree on a base set of computing principles. Continue reading A Popular Myth in Computer Science Education
Algorithm-less Information Processes?
The opening article of the symposium on computation suggested that some information processes may not have a controlling algorithm. A reader said that would be a profound claim. As author of the opening statement, here’s my take on it. Continue reading Algorithm-less Information Processes?
Symposia on Ubiquity
We computing professionals are confronted with new and complex questions nearly every day. The events of the day move so fast that we do not have the chance to reflect on those questions and find new answers or even just new understanding. With the launch of the New Ubiquity, we are introducing a new feature, the Symposium. The editors will pose a question and invite a set of leading thinkers to reflect on it. We will publish their reflections. Their thinking may help you accelerate yours on that question. Continue reading Symposia on Ubiquity