Location
The Discovery Musuems
Description
In today's rapidly-changing society, people must continually come up with creative solutions to unexpected problems. More than ever before, success is based not on what you know, but on your ability to think and act creatively. In short, we are living in the Creative Society. But there is a problem. Most activities in children's lives, whether it's lessons in the classroom or games in the living room, are not designed to help children develop as creative thinkers. In this presentation, Resnick will discuss new technologies and activities designed specifically to help children learn to think creatively, reason systematically, and work collaboratively, so that they are prepared for life in the Creative Society. He will focus particularly on Scratch, a programming language and online community that enables children (ages 8 and up) to create their own interactive stories, games, animations, and simulations -- and share their creations with one another online (http://scratch.mit.edu/). In the process, children develop skills and ways of thinking that are essential for becoming active participants in the Creative Society.
Biographies
Mitchel Resnick, LEGO Papert Professor of Learning Research at the MIT Media Lab, develops new technologies and activities to engage people (especially children) in creative learning experiences. His Lifelong Kindergarten research group developed ideas and technologies underlying the LEGO Mindstorms robotics kits and Scratch programming software, used by millions of young people around the world. He also co-founded the Computer Clubhouse project, an international network of 100 after-school learning centers where youth from low-income communities learn to express themselves creatively with new technologies. Resnick earned a BS in physics from Princeton, and an MS and PhD in computer science from MIT. He was awarded the McGraw Prize in Education in 2011.