Seymour Papert

Seymour Papert (born March 1, 1928 Pretoria, South Africa) is an MIT mathematician, computer scientist, and prominent educator. He is one of the pioneers of artificial intelligence, as well as an inventor of the Logo programming language (1968). Image File history File links Papert. ... Image File history File links Papert. ... March 1 is the 60th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (61st in leap years). ... 1928 (MCMXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... Pretoria is one of South Africas three capital cities, serving as the executive (administrative) capital; it is situated in the province of Gauteng. ... The Massachusetts Institute of Technology, or MIT, is a university located in the city of Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA. MIT is one of the worlds leading research institutions in science and technology, as well as in numerous other fields, including management, economics, linguistics, political science, and philosophy. ... This article is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ... Computer science (informally: CS or compsci) is, in its most general sense, the study of computation and information processing, both in hardware and in software. ... Wikibooks has more about this subject: Artificial Intelligence Artificial intelligence (AI) is defined as intelligence exhibited by an artificial entity. ... The Logo programming language is an imperative programming language. ... 1968 (MCMLXVIII) was a leap year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1968 calendar). ...

About Papert

• The developer of an interesting and original vision on learning called Constructionism, built upon the work of Jean Piaget (Constructivism). Rethinks how schools should work based on these theories of learning. Also focuses on the impact of new technologies on learning in general and schools as a learning organisation in particular.
• Has been called (by Marvin Minsky) "the greatest living mathematics educator" [cover of Mindstorms]
• A proponent of the Knowledge Machine.
• Worked with Jean Piaget during the 1960 and is widely considered the most brilliant and successful of Piaget's proteges. Piaget once said that "no one understand my ideas as well as Papert." [Direct Observation]
• Influenced Alan Kay and the Dynabook concept.
• Created the Epistemology & Learning Research Group and the MIT Media Lab
• Influenced the research of Idit Harel Caperton - collaborated on research grants and published together articles, and the book Constructionism; and has been the Advisory Board Chair of her company MaMaMedia.
• A collaborator with LEGO on their Logo-programmable Lego Mindstorms robotics kits.
• Influenced the work of Uri Wilensky in the design of NetLogo and collaborated with him on the study of knowledge restructurations.
• Influenced the work of Andrea diSessa and the development of dynaturtles.
• Was a leading figure in the revolutionary socialist circle around Socialist Review while living in London in the 1950s.

Constructionism (in the context of learning) is the idea that people learn effectively through making things. ... Jean Piaget (August 9, 1896–September 16, 1980) was a Swiss developmental psychologist, famous for his work with children and his theory of cognitive development. ... Constructivism, an area of learning theory, is an approach to teaching, which values developmentally appropriate practices where the learning is child-initiated, child-directed and where the teacher plays a supporting role in the learning. ... Marvin Lee Minsky (born August 9, 1927), sometimes affectionately known as Old Man Minsky, is an American scientist in the field of artificial intelligence (AI), co-founder of MITs AI laboratory, and author of several texts on AI and philosophy. ... The Knowledge Machine is a concept of Dr. Papert, which is intended to enable children to explore any situation and engage them completely. ... Jean Piaget (August 9, 1896–September 16, 1980) was a Swiss developmental psychologist, famous for his work with children and his theory of cognitive development. ... Alan Kay, born May 17, 1940, is an American computer scientist, known for his early work on object-oriented programming and user interface design. ... Dynabook prototype The Dynabook was a conceptual system proposed by Xerox PARC in the late-1960s and early-1970s. ... The Wiesner Buildings Atrium The MIT Media Lab in the School of Architecture and Planning at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology engages in education and research in the digital technology used for expression and communication. ... Dr. Idit Harel Caperton (born 1958) is an expert on how children learn, create, and develop greater thinking power by taking computers and Internet media technology into their own hands and minds. ... Constructionism may refer to Social constructionism Strict constructionism - a term referring to a conservative type of legal or constitutional interpretation. ... Lego Group logo Lego sets feature a large variety of themed people (called “minifigures”), including the Space, Castle, and City figures above. ... Lego Mindstorms is a line of Lego Group products combining programmable bricks along with electric motors, sensors, Lego bricks, and Lego Technic pieces (gears, axles, beams, pneumatic parts, etc. ... NetLogo is a multi-agent modeling language and integrated modeling environment. ... Andrea diSessa is an education researcher who has authored Turtle Geometry and Changing Minds (2000). ... The Socialist Review is the monthly magazine of the Socialist Workers Party (UK). ...

Books by Papert

• Counter-free automata, 1971, ISBN 0262130769
• Mindstorms: Children, Computers, and Powerful Ideas, 1980, ISBN 0465046746
• Perceptrons, (with Marvin Minsky), MIT Press, 1969 (Enlarged edition, 1988), ISBN 0262631113
• The Children's Machine: Rethinking School in the Age of the Computer, 1992, ISBN 0465010636
• The Connected Family: Bridging the Digital Generation Gap, 1996, ISBN 1563523353

Achievements

• Seymour Papert used Piaget's work while developing the Logo programming language. He created Logo as a tool to improve the way that children think and solve the problems. A small robot called “Logo Turtle” was developed and children have been encouraged to solve the problem with Logo turtle. A main purpose of the Logo Foundation [1]research group is to strengthen the ability to learn the knowledge. Seymour Papert insists a language or program that children can learn does not have to lack functionality for expert users.
• Papert is one of the principals for the One Laptop Per Child initiative to manufacture and distribute the $100 laptop in developing nations.

Piaget has several meanings: Jean Piaget - Professor of psychology Piaget SA - A Swiss watch making and jewellery company This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... The Logo programming language is an imperative programming language. ... A modern hammer is directly descended from ancient hand tools A tool is a device that provides a mechanical or mental advantage in accomplishing a simple machine, or a combination of them. ... A male Caucasian toddler child A child (plural: children) is a young human. ... A humanoid robot playing a trumpet In practical usage, a robot is a mechanical device which can perform complex tasks either according to direct human control, partial control with human supervision, or autonomously (that is, fully under computer control). ... A male Caucasian toddler child A child (plural: children) is a young human. ... Learned redirects here. ... The Gettier problem: Justified true belief? Theory of Knowledge: The Gettier problem The Duality of Knowledge Philosophy of Knowledge Glossary Wharton Knowledge Project - aimed to offer free access to course materials for students, teachers, and self-learners. ... A computer program or software program (usually abbreviated to a program) is a step-by-step list of instructions written for a particular computer architecture in a particular computer programming language. ... A male Caucasian toddler child A child (plural: children) is a young human. ... Learned redirects here. ... The $100 laptop is a design for an inexpensive laptop computer intended to provide every child in the world access to knowledge and modern forms of education. ...

See also

• Papert's principle

In child psychology, Paperts principle is often used to explain the results of Jean_Piagets experiments. ...

External links

• Short biography at MIT
• Home page of Dr. Papert
• Planet Papert - a collection of resources
• Logo Foundation
• LEGO Mindstorms
• MaMaMedia Inc.
• Interview