Assignment 1 – Anette von Kapri

There are two aspects in the text that I want to highlight. Engelbart distinguishes conscious from unconscious processes. While we are learning something the ideal would be to transform a highly conscious thought into a more and more unconscious one. This way we keep more open conscious space in our mind for other processes while the unconscious processes can run in parallel. One example could be learning how to write. First it takes some effort to learn how to hold the pen, how the ordering of the strokes are, how to connect characters etc. But this becomes more and more unconscious to a point where when writing a letter I don’t need to consciously think about how to write but rather what I am writing about. This brings me to the second point. Engelbart distinguishes 3 different human process capabilities. explicit-human(executed completely within the human integument), explicit-artifact(possessed by artifacts) and composite. Explicit-artifact would be how to hold a pen and explicit-human would be what to write about. It seems to me that the explicit-artifact processes are easier to learn and easier to automate. There is a tool that I need to operate, there are x different ways how to do that and if I have done it long enough I can remember it. The explicit-human seems to be more difficult. It is not only about specific algorithms running in the head such as doing mathematical calculations but rather how to create new ideas and design new systems. Engelbart talks about an executive process that brings all these processes together: how to combine motor action with what I see and what I learned in class the other day for example. This defines how I can combine things in my head.

What I would like to consider when designing tools for learning is how my way of thinking can be changed. At the media lab we have students from so many different backgrounds. students with a formal education in computer science think in different patterns than with a formal education in design. Through the focused study of their field over 4 years or more the thought patterns have changed, how things are combined or analyzed is done differently. How would we teach such kind of thinking process?