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 […]
Where’s the Elephant?
Where’s the Elephant? by Seymour Papert Logo Update, Volume 1, Number 1 – Spring 1993 Logo is about 25 years old and was therefore approximately half-way through its lifetime (so far) when it moved out of a sheltered childhood in the laboratory to become an adult actor in the real world of schools. The first […]
March 4, 2014 – We’re back!
“Once upon a time information was handled orally, writing extended what could be done orally and printing went further. The computer is another step in the same series. But there is much more. The deep contribution of the computer to education comes from its being a constructional material as well as an informational medium. Children […]
August 21, 2012
“Indeed, I would argue that anything that could be implemented in a school context without extensive use of digital technologies could not be fully true to the progressive ideal that children should be able to acquire knowledge by using it in activities in which they have a personal interest.” Papert, S. (1998) “Whose Finger is […]
May 14, 2012
“I shall describe learning paths that have led hundreds of children to becoming quite sophisticated programmers. Once programming is seen in the proper perspective, there is nothing very surprising about the fact that this should happen. Programming a computer means nothing more or less than communicating to it in a language that it and the […]
March 29, 2012
“The OLPC concept measures [sic: matches] with the idea that children can take charge of their own learning. Making videos, communicating, creating their own programs, our children will take charge of knowledge. I believe that having the individual computers–each child owns a computer and has it all the time–is the only way we can empower […]
March 27, 2012
“In describing bricoleur programmers, we have made analogies to sculptors, cooks, and painters. Bricoleurs are also like writers who don’t use an outline but start with one idea, associate to another, and find a connection with a third. In the end, an essay “grown” through negotiation and association is not necessarily any less elegant or […]
January 23, 2012
“How do we make writing become hard fun? One way is to develop for kids “writable” activities that they love to do. The building of robotic devices acquires “writability” because it lends itself to stage-by-stage description. Its writability is further enhanced by the use of word processors and digital cameras. But beyond technology there is […]
November 28, 2011
“I end by mentioning two less specific “firsts” with which “Teaching Children Thinking” should be credited. At that time the concept of computers in education was synonymous with CAI (computer assisted instruction). I believe that “Teaching Children Thinking” was the first published paper to suggest that the child could be in charge of the machine […]
November 17, 2011
“These observations lead to a strategy for those who wish to contribute to improving “education.” Forget about making games to teach children multiplication or spelling or any of those old-fashioned basic skills. The really basic skill today is the skill of learning, and the best use of games is to leverage their tendency to enhance […]
