Reading chapter two was a lot of fun. I kept telling my sons about something new I had read. Dourish describes several projects where the computer is released from its box. As he points out the computer is a fast changing technology, but the ways people use it have not changed much. We’re still chained to our desks. But not in the examples of “Tangible Computing” that he provides in this chapter.

Throughout the chapter, I kept having two reactions. On one side I felt like I was reading the research report for a science fiction writer. The marble answering machine especially reminded me of Spielberg’s movie, “The Minority Report.” I also kept envisioning applications in the classroom for the visions and designs reported on here.

The idea that integrating computers into the classroom might have actual physical reality is very exciting, though I fear that it will be a long time until we see any of these examples on the ground. But what educator wouldn’t want the computers to “disappear into the woodwork; computers would be nowhere to be seen, but computation would be everywhere” (p. 29)!

Ubiquitous computing is cool! I can see a lot of benefits to the classroom of computerized post-it sized tags, notebook-sized writing pads, and computerized whiteboards working all together (pp. 30 – 33). The Digital Desk has obvious applications to the classroom too. How exciting is it to imagine paper and electronic documents moving back and forth fluidly (pp. 33 – 36)! Also, the reactive room seems to be a wonderful (if a bit sci-fi) notion for a classroom. Part of a teacher’s job would be to prepare the room for class (pp. 37 – 40).

Toward the end of this chapter there’s a gem of an idea. It’s not really a new idea; it’s just well formulated, because I think it will be helpful when considering whether to use computers for a particular project. Dourish writes, “While digital and physical media might be informationally equivalent, they are not interactionally equivalent” (p. 44). However this does not mean that digital media is automatically less interactive (as I fear many teachers assume). In some cases it draws on more skills and conversations than physical media does.

To sum up, I think that progressive, visionary educators share a vision with the “tangible computing” designers: 1) no single point of control or interaction (no mouse or coursor); 2) interaction not necessarily sequential; 3) there’s a relationship between physical design and possible action. But when will we see any of this in the classroom? When will we be able to unchain students from their desks in those dreary computer labs?