"If  I were asked to name the most important formative experience of my life for defining my general intellectual skills and personal style of thinking I wouldn't have to reflect for very long" -Andrea DiSessa

Changing  Minds:
Social View
Chapters 3, 8, & 9

Changing Minds is a complex book that defines different issues surrounding technology in education.  One of the views that I will visit here is the social view.

The author of the book views human beings as engaged actors in the world and not simply repositories of instrumental knowledge.  He explains how people choose what activities they will or won't participate in.  The ability to make these choices gives people power and ownership over these activities. He explains this by the use of personal examples of his own life. 
The author believes that there is not a defining moment or formative experience when his intellectual skills or personal way of thinking and acting were formed.  He believes that with a combination of time and experience intuitive knowledge and committed learning will build  character and defines what one becomes.

Intuitive knowledge is gained through many different experiences and a powerful learning tool when approaching a subject such as science and literature.  Committed learning is recognized when activities are used when the child is learning.  When committed learning and intuitive knowledge are achieved, it is more than just learning, it is shaping and designing children's lives.

The message of this book is that people are smart.  This is a simple message but it is not simple minded.  The author believes that children and adults are capable of  remarkable thinking skills.

This thinking comes when one is engaged and interested in the subject.  Technology  can be the catalysts for change in education as it supplies the engagement which creates the thinking and learning within the student.