school reform Archives - The Daily Papert

New Book Honors the Legacy of Seymour Papert

1960s, 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, 2000s, Computers, Constructionism, Epistemology, Learning, Logo, Mathematics, Project-based learning, Robotics, School Reform, Science, Teaching / By gary

The book celebrates the 50th anniversary of a seminal paper by Cynthia Solomon and Seymour Papert. Published in 1971, Twenty Things to Do with a Computer, set the course of education for the next fifty years and beyond. I created the new book, Twenty Things to Do with a Computer Forward 50, to honor the vision set forth by Papert and Solomon a half-century ago. Four dozen experts from around the world invite us to consider the original provocations, reflect on their implementation, and chart a course for the future through personal recollections, learning stories, and imaginative scenarios.

October 18, 2021

2000s, Computers, Constructionism, Epistemology, Learning, Project-based learning, School Reform, Teaching / By gary

“Our school systems are being strangled by the cost of this curious epidemic of learning disability.” Seymour Papert From Papert, S., March 16, 2000. Millennial Lecture at the Muskie Archives.

“School of the Future” (1986)

1980s, Computers, Constructionism, Epistemology, Mathematics, Project-based learning, Robotics, School Reform, Teaching, video / By gary

In 1986, the MIT Media Lab made a laserdisc describing their research groups and mission. This video describes Seymour Papert’s Learning Research Group’s work at the Hennigan (middle) School in Boston. View the entire laser disc video at the Internet Archive. Transcript Narrator: (00:15)Learning Research Group’s School of the future project takes place in a …

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July 12, 2021

1980s, Computers, Constructionism, Epistemology, Learning, Project-based learning, Robotics, School Reform, Teaching, video / By gary

“The next issue, which was the one I really wanted to touch on, was what … Was about how those computers would be used, and how they could be used, centered around whether you would look for the use of the computer that automated teaching, in the spirit that people often still associate with the …

July 12, 2021 Read More »

Happy Juneteenth!

1970s, Computers, Learning, School Reform, Teaching / By gary

If you are interested in how learning happens, you should start by looking at success stories.

New Addition to the Papert Text Archives

1970s, Computers, Constructionism, Epistemology, Learning, Logo, School Reform, Teaching / By gary

Personal Computing and Its Impact on Education is the transcription of a 1978 speech given by Seymour Papert. It originally appeared in: Proceedings of the Gerard P. Weeg Memorial Conference, University of Iowa, Iowa City, 1978 and was republished as chapter 15 in Taylor, R. (1980). The computer in the school: Tutor, tool, tutee. NY: Teacher’s College …

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February 29, 2020 – Happy Birthday Seymour!

1980s, Computers, Logo, Teaching / By gary

“When people claim that my vision of education does away with teachers, I get very upset. That turns on its head what I’ve been trying to say. Schools give teachers very little opportunity to teach. They spend most of their time brainwashing or forcing children to do rote activities nobody believes in. In the kind of learning environment I envision, teachers can really teach.” Greth, C. V. (2983). Seymour Papert on Education and Language. Atari Connection (Fall 1983), 22-25. Retrieved from https://ia801708.us.archive.org/9/items/Atari_Connection_Volume_3_Number_3_1983-09_Atari_US/Atari_Connection_Volume_3_Number_3_1983-09_Atari_US_text.pdf

February 29, 2020 – Happy Birthday Seymour!

1980s, Computers, Learning, School Reform, Teaching / By gary

Curator’s Note: Melody Ayres-Griffiths, Editor of Paleotronic Magazine, recently sent me a link to this obscure 1983 Seymour Papert interview found at the Internet Archive (full issue). The issue followed a predictable storyline from that era – debate Logo vs. BASIC. Another old friend of mine, Arthur Luhrmann, was setup in a virtual debate with …

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January 17, 2017

1990s, Computers, Constructionism, Epistemology, Learning, School Reform, Science, uncategorized / By gary

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 …

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Dr. Papert Goes to Washington

1990s, Constructionism, Learning, School Reform, Science, Teaching, uncategorized / By gary

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 …

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