MIT Media Lab’s Mitchel Resnick speaks with us about the development of his Lifelong Kindergarten research group and their efforts to affect the educational landscape through creative technological activities. Throughout the conversation, we describe the shifts in academic environments, starting from the free-form, highly imaginative kindergarten rooms to the stricter halls of higher learning. Mitch relates these changes to different uses of technology within the classroom setting and the differences in learning methods. He emphasizes that participatory uses of technology, such as remixing media or sharing projects, invite creativity and community for students. We compare Mitch’s practices to those used by fandom and liken them to building LEGO masterpieces without instructions; both emphasize the sharing of information and building communities. This conversation with Mitch is filled with the hope that curiosity and creativity will keep people as lifelong learners.
Here are some of the references from this episode, for those who want to dig a little deeper:
Academic/Educational readings and resources:
- Lifelong Kindergarten
- MIT Media Lab
- Mindstorms (book)
- Scratch platform
- OctoStudio
- A New Guide for Building Neurodiversity Oases for Connected Learning through Role Playing Games, FabLabs, Minecraft, BTS Fandom, and More (article)
- Pointing at the Wrong Villain: Cass Sunstein and Echo Chambers (article)
- #Republic: Divided Democracy in the Age of Social Media (book)
- Start with Questions: The Classroom as Design Studio (book)
People & Places:
- Stewart Brand
- Natalie Rusk
- Seymour Papert Henry writes about Papert’s “Samba Schools”
- Jean Piaget
- Tod Machover
- Mizuko Ito
- West Coast Computer Faire
- Samba school
- Reggio Schools
- David Weinberger
- Cass R. Sunstein
- Karen Brennan
- James Paul Gee
Media:
