Future work

The research collaboration was very fruitful both for software designers and for students. While progress was slow developing the actual software, the process clearly affected both groups and their views on technology, both in general and in relation to OpenMath JavaBeans. This partnership could be enhanced by designing new methodologies that enable researchers to guide the collaboration more effectively. The work of Druin et. al. [5] suggests a methodology for working with children from ages seven to 10. Middle school kids (ages 11-14) can also be effective design partners; however, existing methodologies should be adapted appropriately.

As the technology continues to be refined and stabilized, attention should be turned to developing ``better things to do and more powerful ways to think about what you are doing'' [11]. What kinds of things can and should teachers and students be building with this technology? Will teachers build instructional modules for their students? Will students build games to enable them to play with new concepts? Can students and teachers alike build authentic and cross-curricular problem-solving resources? What parts of the curriculum can and should these games and resources cover?

The technology itself continues to be developed; the goal continues to be to make it intuitive and user-friendly for students without undermining its power and flexibility. In its current state, the technology is rudimentary and restrictive. The participation of its potential users will continue to guide its development. There are other examples of technologies applied in the classroom which have been developed in this fashion: The programming language LOGO, developed for use by children, offers a guiding framework for powerful-yet-intuitive interfaces. Similarly, the icon-based programming language for children ICOBotics(TM) emphasizes the importance of visual interfaces by allowing the user to write programs with pictures. The creation of the software KidPAD from its parent PAD++ is an example of the important role carried out by children [6] in software development.