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).

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"
• 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."
• Influenced Alan Kay and the Dynabook concept.
• Created the Epistemology & Learning Research Group and the MIT Media Lab
• Influenced the reserach 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.
• Was a leading figure in the revolutionary socialist circle around Socialist Review while living in London in the 1950s.