An Apple computer is so simple, even a kitten can use it!
While I regularly use both a PC and a Mac, the Mac generally makes me happier.
This is important. Since I spend close to eight hours a day on a machine, doesn't it make sense that I should be comfortable (and easily amused like a kitten randomly mashing buttons)?
I don't like to get into debates about which platform is better, i.e., Mac vs. PC. I'm not an elitist. Both have strengths and weaknesses. Both have pros and cons. And both have great power and influence over how we feel. Yet ever since I left the world of the command line in the late eighties, Mac's GUI interface never ceases to impress and embiggen me.
What I find most impressive about a Mac is not the operating system per se, but the box it comes in. Design expert and professor Donald Norman once said something to the effect of, it was the box his iPod came in that impressed him more than the technology itself. We often overlook the emotional appeal of design that can affect us in a myriad of ways. After all, emotions have great influence over the decisions we make.
Of course, no single design will work for everyone. The same can be said for learning design, no one size fits all (unless you're in the Army). However, two words you do not often hear associated with learning is pleasure and fun. Of course, not all complex learning is simple, nor should it be. But think of the learning environments you participate in. Are they emotionally appealing? Do they motivate you? Should they motivate you? Or is that the job of the learning facilitator?
Given the importance of our emotions and their impact on our perceptions, what would your ideal learning environment look like? What environmental factors suit you best? What do you need that will allow you to work through the most complex of tasks? A kitten, perhaps? >(^-^)<
Reference: Norman, D. (2004). Emotional Design: Why We Love (Or Hate) Everyday Things. New York: Basic Books.
Keywords: Apple computer, computing, design, Donald Norman, emotional appeal, emotional design, emotions, kittens, learning, learning environments, motivation, PLE, pleasure, teaching
Comments
Christopher,
If you haven't seen it already, this Microsoft iPod parody is something you will enjoy!
Dave.
Chris,
Thanks for the link... <a href="http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=L5Qmt5s7RVE">but it's missing some music</a>!
Thank you all for the comments and links!
-c-
I love my Mac, but I am bi-computate.
"Given the importance of our emotions and their impact on our perceptions, what would your ideal learning environment look like?"
A classroom with windows and/or a study with a Mac laptop, and a window. Fellow students to talk to, listen to, email with, work with, ask questions of, and just hang out with.
"What environmental factors suit you best?"
Good air, comfortable heat, good lighting, ergonomic chairs, and an wise, open-minded, dependable teacher.
"What do you need that will allow you to work through the most complex of tasks?"
A purpose, a sense of meaning, and reinforcement from my fellow scholars and/or workers
BTW - Lanham's The Economics of Attention - http://tinyurl.com/37wwpe - is an interesting read for some similar thinking.
Hey, do you write about PC or Windows? - there NOT the same thing, you know. I prefer the userfriendly Ubuntu Linux, it can do the same thing with desktop effects as your Mac but it is still a PC. It doesn't come in a box at all, if you don't see a downloaded .iso-file as a box. It is also free, so maybe it's the box you paying for? ;)
Nice blog by the way, you have been in my google reader for a while now.