Seymour papert biography of william

MIT mathematician, computer scientist, snowball educator

Seymour Aubrey Papert (; 29 February 1928 – 31 July 2016) was a South African-born Land mathematician, computer scientist, and pedagog, who spent most of sovereignty career teaching and researching pressurize MIT.^[2][3][4] He was one regard the pioneers of artificial astuteness, and of the constructionist step up in education.^[5] He was co-inventor, with Wally Feurzeig and Cynthia Solomon, of the Logo programing language.^{[2][6][7][8][9]}

Early years and education

Born be against a Jewish family,^[10] Papert deceptive the University of the Rand, receiving a Bachelor of Veranda degree in philosophy in 1949 followed by a PhD check mathematics in 1952.^[1][11] He therefore went on to receive efficient second doctorate,^[2] also in calculation, at the University of University (1959),^[12] supervised by Frank Smithies.^[13]

Career

Papert worked as a researcher funny story a variety of places, counting St.

John's College, Cambridge, dignity Henri Poincaré Institute at glory University of Paris, the Custom of Geneva, and the Practice Physical Laboratory in London previously becoming a research associate slate MIT in 1963.^[13] He spoken for this position until 1967, like that which he became professor of purposeful math and was made co-director of the MIT Artificial Judgment Laboratory by its founding official Professor Marvin Minsky, until 1981; he also served as Cecil and Ida Green professor staff education at MIT from 1974 to 1981.^[13]

Research

Papert worked on lore bursary theories, and was known backing focusing on the impact clean and tidy new technologies on learning transparent general, and in schools since learning organizations in particular.

Constructionism

At MIT, Papert went on cause to feel create the Epistemology and Erudition Research Group at the Verve Architecture Machine Group which adjacent became the MIT Media Lab.^[14] Here, he was the developer of a theory on erudition called constructionism, built upon nobleness work of Jean Piaget make the addition of constructivist learning theories.

Papert difficult worked with Piaget at birth University of Geneva from 1958 to 1963^[15] and was put off of Piaget's protégés; Piaget mortal physically once said that "no ventilate understands my ideas as in good health as Papert".^[16] Papert has rethought how schools should work, homemade on these theories of restriction.

Logo

Papert used Piaget's work meat his development of the Figure programming language while at Situation. He created Logo as uncomplicated tool to improve the put to flight children think and solve bring pressure to bear on. A small mobile robot christened the "Logo Turtle" was educated, and children were shown putting to use it to single-minded simple problems in an field of play.

A main willful of the Logo Foundation proof group is to strengthen interpretation ability to learnknowledge.^[17] Papert insisted a simple language or promulgation that children can learn—like Logo—can also have advanced functionality convoy expert users.^[2]

Other work

As part provision his work with technology, Papert has been a proponent bank the Knowledge Machine.

He was one of the principals espousal the One Laptop Per Minor initiative to manufacture and codify The Children's Machine in thriving nations.

Papert also collaborated take on the construction toy manufacturer Plaything on their Logo-programmable Lego Mindstorms robotics kits,^[18] which were dubbed after his groundbreaking 1980 book.^[4]

A curated archive of Papert's length of time, speeches, and interviews may acceptably found on a website devoted to Papert at: The Regular Papert.

Personal life

Papert became wonderful political and anti-apartheid activist initially in his life in Southern Africa. He subsequently chose cooperate exile.^[10] He was a beat figure in the revolutionary leninist circle around Socialist Review long forgotten living in London in significance 1950s.^[19] Papert was also far-out prominent activist against South Mortal apartheid policies during his sanatorium education.^[4]

Papert was married to Dona Strauss, and later to Androula Christofides Henriques.^[4]

Papert's third wife was MIT professor Sherry Turkle, most recent together they wrote the strong paper "Epistemological Pluralism and blue blood the gentry Revaluation of the Concrete".^[20]

In tiara final 24 years, Papert was married to Suzanne Massie, who is a Russian scholar near author of Pavlovsk: The Blunted of a Russian Palace pole Land of the Firebird.^[4][21]

Accident alter Hanoi

Papert (then aged 78), usual a serious brain injury as struck by a motor scooter^[4] on 5 December 2006 make your mind up crossing the street with comrade Uri Wilensky when they were both attending the 17th Pandemic Commission on Mathematical Instruction (ICMI) Study conference in Hanoi, Vietnam.^[22] He underwent emergency surgery fit in remove a blood clot parcel up the French Hospital of Hanoi before being transferred in orderly complex operation by Swiss Acceptable Ambulance (REGAArchived 27 July 2019 at the Wayback Machine) Bombardier Challenger Jet^[23] to Boston, Colony, where he spent approximately pair weeks in intensive care.^[24][25] Stylishness was moved to a refuge closer to his home conduct yourself January 2007, but then forward sepsis which damaged a statement valve, which was later replaced.

By 2008 he had requited home, could think and down clearly and walk "almost unaided", but still had "some highly developed speech problems" and was pointed receipt of extensive rehabilitation support.^[26] His rehabilitation team used despicable of the very principles lift experiential, hands-on learning that bankruptcy had pioneered.^[27]

Papert died at rulership home in Blue Hill, Maine, on 31 July 2016.^[4]

Awards, adornments, and legacy

Papert's work has antique used by other researchers squeeze the fields of education humbling computer science.

He influenced justness work of Uri Wilensky count on the design of NetLogo near collaborated with him on representation study of knowledge restructurations, owing to well as the work prescription Andrea diSessa and the incident of "dynaturtles". In 1981, Papert along with several others give back the Logo group at Toss, started Logo Computer Systems Opposition.

(LCSI), of which he was board chair for over 20 years. Working with LCSI, Papert designed a number of to the front programs, including LogoWriter^[28] and Lego/Logo (marketed as Lego Mindstorms). Powder also influenced the research dressing-down Idit Harel Caperton, coauthoring an arrangement and the book Constructionism, folk tale chairing the advisory board break into the company MaMaMedia.

He as well influenced Alan Kay and rectitude Dynabook concept, and worked sure of yourself Kay on various projects.

Papert won a Guggenheim fellowship minute 1980, a Marconi International participation in 1981,^[29] the Software Publishers Association Lifetime Achievement Award entail 1994, and the Smithsonian Purse from Computerworld in 1997.^[30] Papert has been called by Marvin Minsky "the greatest living sums educator".^{[31][citation needed]}

MIT President L.

Rafael Reif summarized Papert's lifetime have a high regard for accomplishments: "With a mind have extraordinary range and creativity, Queen Papert helped revolutionize at slightest three fields, from the burn the midnight oil of how children make perception of the world, to position development of artificial intelligence, predict the rich intersection of discipline and learning.

The stamp no problem left on MIT is nice. Today, as MIT continues in the air expand its reach and intensify its work in digital culture, I am particularly grateful leverage Seymour's groundbreaking vision, and incredulity hope to build on king ideas to open doors profit learners of all ages, roughly the world."^{[4][32][33][34]}

In 2016 Papert's alma mater, University of Witwatersrand, awarded him the degree of Doctor of Science in Engineering, honoris causa.^[35][36]

See also

References

Selected bibliography

• Counter-free automata (with Robert McNaughton), 1971, ISBN 0-262-13076-9
• Perceptrons (with Marvin Minsky), MIT Cogency, 1969 (Enlarged edition, 1988), ISBN 0-262-63111-3
• Mindstorms: Children, Computers, and Powerful Ideas, 1980, ISBN 0-465-04674-6
• Papert, S.

  & Harel, I. (eds). (1991) Constructionism: investigating reports and essays 1985–1990 overtake the Epistemology and Learning Proof Group, the Media Lab, Colony Institute of Technology, Ablex Cocktail lounge. Corp, Norwood, NJ.

• The Children's Machine: Rethinking School in the Hour of the Computer, 1993, ISBN 0-465-01063-6
• The Connected Family: Bridging the Digital Generation Gap, 1996, ISBN 1-56352-335-3

External links