1 Situated Support for Learning: Storm’s Weekend with Rachael While much attention has been paid to the content of support for learning, less attention has been given to its context. This paper introduces the notion of “situated support, ” and argues that the identity of the source of support and the connectedness of that support to other elements of the learning environment are of primary importance. MOOSE Crossing is a text-based virtual reality environment (or “MUD”) designed to be a constructionist learning environment for children eight to thirteen years of age. A microanalysis is presented of the situated nature of support for learning on MOOSE Crossing over the course of one weekend where a twelve-year-old girl learned to write simple computer programs.

ildren are listed in order of increasing age. The children's objects are listed in the order in which they were created. This means that the programs they have written are not listed in the order in which they were written. For example, Mouse has written a number of programs on her own character object. Your character is the first object you own, so these are listed first. However, these programs are actually relatively advanced programs that she wrote at a much later date. Her first program is on the next object she created, Charlie the caterpillar. 188 Goofy Age: 7 Gender: Female Participating from: Media Lab after-school program; no home access Joined in: October 1996 Total commands typed: 153 I never anticipated that MOOSE Crossing would be used by kids as young as seven. It's a very different activity for young children who are just learning to read. Goofy is the youngest of four siblings who all participated in the Media Lab's after-school progra