June 27, 2017
Seymour Papert (early 200s): And by the way something that we’ve seen that’s incredibly encouraging is that there’s a lot of fear that computers can mean … teachers are afraid to give up control in their classroom. It’s really interesting, the schools that have already had these computers here. There’s none of that, not a... Read More
June 26, 2017
Seymour Papert: One of the negative … one of the big problems about computers in Maine and this is a continuing problem, we got … say we are assimilated into this local state group that it was The Governor’s Initiative. Okay, so the computers contract is now signed with Apple to provide computers starting seventh... Read More
Eight Big Ideas Behind the Constructionist Learning Lab
Eight Big Ideas Behind the Constructionist Learning Lab By Dr. Seymour Papert (1999) From the Ph.D. dissertation, “An Investigation of Constructionism in the Maine Youth Center,” by Gary Stager, 2007. A number of translations of this document into other languages may be found here. The first big idea is learning by doing. We all learn... Read More
January 26, 2017
“Connecting new knowledge to things you know and love, and things you think you can do, makes you feel good about it, makes you take it in in a form that is your own. By taking in knowledge in a form that feels to you as you, you change your feelings about yourself as well.... Read More
January 17, 2017
Seymour Papert makes several profound points in this very short clip from a 1991 conference keynote. The complete video, along with its transcript may be found here. “Another way of describing what school does to children is infantilizing them, treating them like children so to speak. Now, one’s got to be careful playing with that... Read More
Dr. Papert Goes to Washington
Alan Kay and Seymour Papert testify before a rogue’s gallery of Congressional misfits and a clueless venture capitalist. In October 1995, the House Committee Economic and Educational Opportunities and House Science Committees held a nearly three-hour hearing to examine “technological advances in education.” The first two hours or so of the hearing are a... Read More
A Heartfelt Tribute to Seymour Papert
“The world lost an amazing wit, intellect, inventor, bricoleur, scholar, freedom fighter, and friend with the passing of Seymour Papert. He was arguably the most influential educator of the past half century. It would be wise for us all to start thinking about what we each might do to build upon his mighty legacy.” Gary Stager,... Read More
Seymour Papert on Logo
This commercial video, produced around 1986, features Seymour Papert answering questions from teachers. This discussion explores many of Papert’s recurring themes of children, computers, and powerful ideas. Papert also interprets Piagetian theory for the assembled practitioners. Transcript Seymour Papert: Should we sit down? I think what I learned most from Piaget is that the... Read More
Papert Excerpt from MIT Media Lab Videodisc
The following excerpt of Seymour Papert speaking comes from a videodisc produced by the MIT Media Lab circa 1986-87. Transcript Seymour Papert: This is an attempt to make a sketch of what a school of the future might be like. Now, nobody really knows what the future will be like, but we know what it... Read More
The Collected Writings of Seymour Papert (thus far)
Will Richardson and Gary Stager, curator of DailyPapert.com, have done a great deal of work updating the collected writings of Seymour Papert. The Papert Archives Project project is an ongoing effort to find, transcribe, preserve, and share audio and video of Dr. Papert. Dr. Cynthia Solomon, Papert’s collaborator on the creation of Logo, shares amazing old... Read More