Re: LOGO-L> Lego Mindstorms

["Dale R. Reed" <dale-reed@postoffice.worldnet.att.net>]

Gary S. Stager wrote:
> 
> The Wall Street Journal has a page-one story today about the programmable
<snip>

Just in case some of you have not surfed to
http://www.legomindstorms.com/ you really should especially after
reading the Wall Street Journal article Gary referenced.  The article
and this URL explains who and who is paying for and supporting
Mindstorms by LEGO.  

For instance from legomindstorms.com: 

The technology behind the RCX was developed in close cooperation
with the MIT Media Lab, with which the LEGO Company has had a
long-standing relationship. Earlier technology developed from this
partnership has been used in a number of computer-based products for
LEGO Dacta, the Company's educational products division. These
products include LEGO TC logo, Control Lab, and The Intelligent
House. 

The LEGO Group and MIT share a common philosophy about how
children learn best. "You can't just give children knowledge," says
Mitchell Resnick, Associate Professor of Learning Research at the MIT
Media Lab. "We believe that children learn best when they build their
own theories of how the world works - and try them out by building their
own inventions." 

To assure that LEGO MINDSTORMS adheres to this spirit the LEGO
Group has established an Advisory Board made up of a diverse,
multi-disciplined group of global thinkers. Through active discussions
on
learning philosophy and product applications, they offer continuous
feedback on LEGO MINDSTORMS concepts, including product
evaluations and input for new product development. 

and further:

 The LEGO MINDSTORMS Advisory Board is a
 diverse, multi-disciplined group of global thinkers.
 Through active discussions on learning philosophy
 and product applications, they offer continuous
 feedback on LEGO MINDSTORMS concepts,
 including product evaluations and input for new
 product development.

 Louis Friedman
 Executive Director, The Planetary Society
 http://www.planetary.org/society-bio-friedman.html

 Dean Kamen
 Founder, FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition
 of Science and Technology)
 http://www.usfirst.org/dean.html

 Nicholas Negroponte
 Director, MIT Media Lab
 http://nicholas.www.media.mit.edu/people/nicholas/

 Seymour Papert
 LEGO Professor of Learning Research, MlT Media
 Lab
 http://papert.www.media.mit.edu/people/papert/

 Roy Pea
 Dirctor, SRI Center for Technology in Learning
 http://www.sri.com/policy/teched/rpea_announ.html

 Mitchel Resnick
 Associate Professor of Research Education, MIT
 Media Lab
 http://mres.www.media.mit.edu/people/mre

And for those of you that have not read the Wall Street Journal article
Papert is quoted:  "This is, I would say, perhaps the most dramatic
moment in my long years of making artificial intelligence more
children-friendly"

Also I received the following info a few days ago:  "It looks rather
interesting.  Legoland usa is almost (quite literally) in our backyard. 
They plan to have a lego mindstorm center, as a part of their theme park
in 1999."  

The woman that wrote the above to me lives in
http://www.carlsbadca.org/station.htm   

If all of this flies then some of your students may experience some
career growth using their LOGO skills.  School to Work and all that.  
Dale
-- 
$  dale-reed@worldnet.att.net   Seattle, Washington U.S.A.  $
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