eighth grade counterparts that year (who had not had the benefit of LOGO) had a
terrible struggle with the very same idea.

What Good Is It?

This has been my experience:

• Kids who have programmed the turtle to land on a certain precise spot on the
  screen seldom get x and y coordinates backward. Or if they do, they find and
  understand their mistake quickly.

• Kids who can give the commands to draw a hexagon on the screen seldom
  forget what a hexagon is called--that is, if "hexagon" was the name they used
  when they invented the procedure.

• Kids who have filled a shape with little squares to find the area seldom
  confuse that measurement with the perimeter. Furthermore, they usually have a
  better understanding of how to find the perimeter of such a shape since they
  have "walked" around it with the turtle.

Using LOGO, angles become real to these kids and they learn a neat kind of
organization and discipline. They actually become programmers. Best of all, they
almost always find it FUN!

How to Get Started

1. Obtain a version of Logo: The best way to prepare yourself to teach using
   Logo is to get Logo for yourself. Refer to the sources and resources below for
   ideas on how to get a version of Logo that runs on your computer. For Mac and
   MS/DOS, I highly recommend UCBLogo. You can't beat the price ($FR.EE) and it is
   a great starter version. In fact, it might just fill all your needs. This is an
   excellent choice for schools on a limited budget.

2. Play Around: And I do mean PLAY with it. Play with it a lot. Have some fun!
   I have yet to meet anyone who doesn't agree that it is fun! Try out some sample
   commands from here and from some of the sources I've listed. Don't be afraid
   to make mistakes. That's part of the fun. Encourage yourself and your
   students to look upon mistakes as unexpected discoveries. When the turtle goes
   scooting off in an unexpected direction, try to remember how it happened.
   Someday you may want the turtle to do that!

3. Start Simple: Give your kids some basic instructions and let them explore.
   Don't be afraid that they will figure out more than you know. Of course, they
   will, so accept it from the start. You will learn from them. This doesn't mean
   that you should have no plans or objectives. It just means that Logo is a lot like
   othermanipulatives. There must to be some time for free exploration.