Seymour Papert

…of computers (walled gardens, all the interesting logic hidden away in data centers, content consumption appliances instead of real computers) that is pale and sickly. Yes, these new trends are worrisome. But it's not the first time! I firmly believe that we'd all be better off if THIS guy had been the one to introduce computers to the common man: link to this video link To this day, Microsoft is putting computers in schools--but not LOGO, not free software, not unix, not lisp, not crates of disposable m68ks and bread boards... Nope, they are putting products in front of new generations eyeballs. Data can trump anecdotes, and it should when a culture believes they are doing the right thing but things…

Wow, RIP - he was a big inspiration to me professionally both in terms of the tech he helped build and in terms of the learning theory of which he was a proponent. (I also work at the intersection of education, learning sciences, and technology). 0 is a great video from the early days of LOGO, and he's pushing notions of programming for all that felt new and revolutionary in the 2000s. Mindstorms 1 is a great book if you're interested in his ideas about learning. 0: link to this video 1: link

If you haven't been exposed to Papert - check out some of his old videos from the 70s and 80s. link - One really powerful idea he had was ensuring that we stay "somatic" with our computer instruction - playing with abstract concepts in a physical way. Watch the video - he explains it better than I can. link to this video - One from the 1970s - perhaps I'm wrong, but it seems like some of these computers they're using don't even have monitors, just control the turtle. link - I also like this discussion - it reminds me that school is a prison for children, unless I work to elevate it beyond that. I just kind of watch these periodically to remind me of the wonder that computing was back then.