Steven:Speakingofthesubjectoftoday,whatchangeshaveyouseenhappeningindigitallearninginChina?

　　Dr.SeymourPapert:Ithinktherearesomeveryverygoodexperimentalprojects,forexample,ImentionedthatPro.HefromBNU--BeijingNormalUniversity.Theyaredoingsomeveryinterestingexperimentalprojectwheretheyhave,insomeschools,Ithink,there’reabout50schoolswheretheyhavealotofcomputersandtheyarereallylettingthestudentsspendalotoftimewiththeircomputers.SoIwasimpressedwiththat.Ididn’texpecttoseesuch…

　　Steven:dramaticchanges?

　　Dr.SeymourPapert:They’rerelativelylarge-scaled,50schools,(although)itisnot50,000schools.Itisnotjustoneclassroom,that’sstudyitisquiteasubstantialsize.Thatisjustoneexample.Myimpressionisthattheyareallquiteafewpeopledoingveryinterestingresearchprojects,inordertodowithdigitaleducation.

　　Steven:Areyouencouragingstudentstospendmoretimeonlinebyusingcomputers,Imean,surfing.

　　Dr.SeymourPapert:Theydon’tneedtobeencouraged.They’realldoingthat.

　　Steven:Yeah,theyaredoingthatontheirown,buttheproblemisthatsomeofparentshavetheconcern.Ifchildrenspendmuchmoretimesurfingonline,theymightlosetheirliteracy,theycannotwrite.Thatmightbetheproblem.

　　Dr.SeymourPapert:Well,firstofall,thatisnotnecessarilytrue.Youcan’tgeneralize.Itistruethatyoucouldwasteyourtimesurfing.Butyoucouldalsodoseriousworksurfing.Soitdependsonwhattheyaredoing.

　　Steven:Andtheageofthestudents.

　　Dr.SeymourPapert:Idon’tthinkitdependsontheages.LiketheexperimentImentionedthatPro.Heisdoing,thatthesearefirstandsecondgradestudents.Theyarejustlearningtowrite,whyaretheylearningtowrite?Becausetheyfindinterestingthingstoreadonnet.Bysurfing,ofcoursetheylearntoreadandastheylearntoread,theyalsolearntowrite.That'sanexample.Surfinghelpsthemencouragewriting.Theywritebetter,theylearnmorethantheotherstudents.It'struethatyoucanseetheoppositealso.

　　Steven:Yeah.BecauseIusedtopracticeChinesecalligraphy,butnowIcanhardlypickitupbecauseIusetoomuchcomputer.

　　Dr.SeymourPapert:Well,butifyoubecamereallyinterestedinplayingthepianoyouwouldspendtimeplaying.That’sthesamething.Youthinkitisbecauseofthecomputerorbecauseyouarealreadyinterestedinsomethingelse.

　　Steven:Andbecausethereistoomuchfunonline.

　　Dr.SeymourPapert:Wellyoufindfunontheline,butifyouwereamusician,youwouldfindfunwithmusicalinstruments,soorifyouwereapoet,youwouldfindfunwritingapoet.Idon’tknowifthecomputerismorefun.It’smorefunforthepeoplewholikethat.Butforthepeoplelikeotherthings,that’s(notlikethat).

　　Steven:Let’ssaycomputerisjusttoolbywhichwecan,wecandoourhomework,downloadmusicandthingslikethat.

　　Dr.SeymourPapert:Well,ofcourseyoucanjustuseitasatool,butsomepeopleareinterestedinhowitworks,andwanttochangeit,andit’snotdoesn’thavetobejustatool.

　　Steven:Sowhatdoyouusethecomputersforinyourclass?

　　Dr.SeymourPapert:Inmyclass?Well,that’saninterestingquestion.Ofcourse,everybodyusesthecomputer,ifyouwouldfindsomearticlesaboutsomebody.Someofmyclassesareaboutu