I'm very impressed with the series "Triumph of the Nerds". Two themes struck me the most in this series so far. First was the fact that these early Silicon Valley pioneers were simply having fun and set out to create computers out of an interest and hobby rather than to simply create enormous personal fortunes. I was immediately struck with something that I do in my classroom called the fish philosophy. It's a little on the cheesy side but I keep it a little more low key for my students. The one part that I was struck with was the "play" part of their philosophy which is that students can learn and achieve while having fun and doing something that doesn't feel like a chore. That's certainly what these early Silicon Valley creators were doing and look at the results. This is a good example that I could share with my students.
The other thing I was struck with was the fact that Microsoft bought the right to DOS for $50,000 ( I think I have that right). The commentary by the narrator was something to the effect of typically the fortunes go to the exploiter of the product and not necessarily the inventor of the product. HMMM. Issues of equity and fairness come to mind when I hear stories like that. I fully realize that Gates had the vision for the product and seized an opportunity. . . still.
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I agree with your observation about students having fun with what they are learning to help them learn. Interesting that this philosophy and practice of the silicon valley inventors is very much like what philosophies and teaching methods are leaning toward with the twenty-first century learner, connect what interests them to what they are learning to help keep them engaged in the material.
This was my first encounter with FISH! I went ahead and checked out the link and really enjoyed it. Indeed it reminded me of why I became an educator. I certainly need that reminder. I learned their motto: "Be There, Play, Make their day, and Choose Your Attitude." I can see that this philosophy is totally connected to Silicon Valley. Firstly, not only were they there for eight hours, some of them rarely went home and neglected their own basic needs for the good of the company. Secondly, they were clearly finding harmony between work and play, a huge reason why they were able to progress so quickly. And the last thing I noticed was that the attitudes of many of the people were incredibly focused on innovation. It's not hard to understand why the "nerds" were successful nor why classrooms that use FISH! are successful. Thank you.
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