Curator’s note: In 1983, The BBC and Open University produced and aired a documentary entitled, “Talking Turtle,” about the work of Seymour Papert and his colleagues, their creation, Logo and a vision of how computers may revolutionize education. There is also a large segment about the groundbreaking (and often overlooked) work members of the Logo community were doing to make computers accessible to children with special needs and the benefits of computers for learners with special needs.
With the exception of the long-lost episode of The Phil Donahue Show featuring Seymour Papert also in the 1980s, Talking Turtle is one of the longest programs created to popular consumption of these heady days in educational innovation.
Watch this 55-minute documentary and imagine an educational future that still might be. Is there anything in this vision that you would not eagerly embrace today? (if the entire film doesn’t play below, click here.)