Seymour Aubrey Papert (; 29 February 1928 – 31 July 2016) was a South African-born American mathematician, computer scientist, and educator, who spent most of his career teaching and researching at MIT.
He was co-inventor, with Wally Feurzeig and Cynthia Solomon, of the Logo programming language. ==Early years and education== Born to a Jewish family, Papert attended the University of the Witwatersrand, receiving a Bachelor of Arts degree in philosophy in 1949 followed by a PhD in mathematics in 1952.
He was a leading figure in the revolutionary socialist circle around Socialist Review while living in London in the 1950s.
He was co-inventor, with Wally Feurzeig and Cynthia Solomon, of the Logo programming language. ==Early years and education== Born to a Jewish family, Papert attended the University of the Witwatersrand, receiving a Bachelor of Arts degree in philosophy in 1949 followed by a PhD in mathematics in 1952.
Papert had worked with Piaget at the University of Geneva from 1958 to 1963 and was one of Piaget's protégés; Piaget himself once said that "no one understands my ideas as well as Papert".
John's College, Cambridge, the Henri Poincaré Institute at the University of Paris, the University of Geneva, and the National Physical Laboratory in London before becoming a research associate at MIT in 1963.
Papert had worked with Piaget at the University of Geneva from 1958 to 1963 and was one of Piaget's protégés; Piaget himself once said that "no one understands my ideas as well as Papert".
Papert insisted a simple language or program that children can learn—like Logo—can also have advanced functionality for expert users. ===Selected bibliography=== Counter-free automata, 1971, Perceptrons, (with Marvin Minsky), MIT Press, 1969 (Enlarged edition, 1988), Children, Computers, and Powerful Ideas, 1980, Papert, S.
Papert insisted a simple language or program that children can learn—like Logo—can also have advanced functionality for expert users. ===Selected bibliography=== Counter-free automata, 1971, Perceptrons, (with Marvin Minsky), MIT Press, 1969 (Enlarged edition, 1988), Children, Computers, and Powerful Ideas, 1980, Papert, S.
Papert insisted a simple language or program that children can learn—like Logo—can also have advanced functionality for expert users. ===Selected bibliography=== Counter-free automata, 1971, Perceptrons, (with Marvin Minsky), MIT Press, 1969 (Enlarged edition, 1988), Children, Computers, and Powerful Ideas, 1980, Papert, S.
He was one of the principals for the One Laptop Per Child initiative to manufacture and distribute The Children's Machine in developing nations. Papert also collaborated with the construction toy manufacturer Lego on their Logo-programmable Lego Mindstorms robotics kits, which were named after his groundbreaking 1980 book. A curated archive of Papert's articles, speeches, and interviews may be found at The Daily Papert. ==Personal life== Papert became a political activist early in his life.
He also influenced Alan Kay and the Dynabook concept, and worked with Kay on various projects. Papert won a Guggenheim fellowship in 1980, a Marconi International fellowship in 1981, the Software Publishers Association Lifetime Achievement Award in 1994, and the Smithsonian Award from Computerworld in 1997.
In 1981, Papert along with several others in the Logo group at MIT, started Logo Computer Systems Inc.
He also influenced Alan Kay and the Dynabook concept, and worked with Kay on various projects. Papert won a Guggenheim fellowship in 1980, a Marconi International fellowship in 1981, the Software Publishers Association Lifetime Achievement Award in 1994, and the Smithsonian Award from Computerworld in 1997.
(1991) Constructionism: research reports and essays 1985–1990 by the Epistemology and Learning Research Group, the Media Lab, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Ablex Pub.
Papert insisted a simple language or program that children can learn—like Logo—can also have advanced functionality for expert users. ===Selected bibliography=== Counter-free automata, 1971, Perceptrons, (with Marvin Minsky), MIT Press, 1969 (Enlarged edition, 1988), Children, Computers, and Powerful Ideas, 1980, Papert, S.
Corp, Norwood, NJ. The Children's Machine: Rethinking School in the Age of the Computer, 1993, The Connected Family: Bridging the Digital Generation Gap, 1996, ===Other work=== As part of his work with technology, Papert has been a proponent of the Knowledge Machine.
He also influenced Alan Kay and the Dynabook concept, and worked with Kay on various projects. Papert won a Guggenheim fellowship in 1980, a Marconi International fellowship in 1981, the Software Publishers Association Lifetime Achievement Award in 1994, and the Smithsonian Award from Computerworld in 1997.
Corp, Norwood, NJ. The Children's Machine: Rethinking School in the Age of the Computer, 1993, The Connected Family: Bridging the Digital Generation Gap, 1996, ===Other work=== As part of his work with technology, Papert has been a proponent of the Knowledge Machine.
He also influenced Alan Kay and the Dynabook concept, and worked with Kay on various projects. Papert won a Guggenheim fellowship in 1980, a Marconi International fellowship in 1981, the Software Publishers Association Lifetime Achievement Award in 1994, and the Smithsonian Award from Computerworld in 1997.
He was moved to a hospital closer to his home in January 2007, but then developed sepsis which damaged a heart valve, which was later replaced.
By 2008 he had returned home, could think and communicate clearly and walk "almost unaided", but still had "some complicated speech problems" and was in receipt of extensive rehabilitation support.
Seymour Aubrey Papert (; 29 February 1928 – 31 July 2016) was a South African-born American mathematician, computer scientist, and educator, who spent most of his career teaching and researching at MIT.
His rehabilitation team used some of the very principles of experiential, hands-on learning that he had pioneered. Papert died at his home in Blue Hill, Maine, on 31 July 2016. ==Awards, honours and legacy== Papert's work has been used by other researchers in the fields of education and computer science.
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