Background for Closing NECC 2008 Keynote

I thought it might be useful to share resources related to my old friend Dr. Idit Harel-Caperton's closing keynote address at NECC 2008.

In April 1992, Harel-Caperton's book "Children Designers: Interdisciplinary Constructions for Learning and Knowing Mathematics in a Computer-Rich School," received the American Educational Research Association (AERA) Outstanding Book Award.

Dr. Harel-Caperton also co-edited Constructionism with Seymour Papert. Unfortunately, it is currently out-of-print. Used copies are available and libraries may have a copy as well.

Situating Constructionism by Harel & Papert from their groundbreaking book, Constructionism.

Learning Through Design: Observations from a Constructionist Perspective on a (Possible) Paradigm Shift in the Field - a 1991 paper by Idit Harel.

Related articles by Seymour Papert

Constructionism vs. Instructionism

Computer Criticism Versus Technocentric Thinking

A Critique of Technocentrism in Thinking About the School of the Future

Epistemological Pluralism and the Revaluation of the Concrete (with Sherry Turkle)

Papert on Piaget (Time Magazine)

What's the big idea? Toward a pedagogy of idea power

Papert Misses Big Ideas from the Good Old Days in AI (2002 interview)

Perestroika and Epistemological Pluralism (1990 Conference Keynote)

Professor Papert Discuses the $100 Laptop Project (US State Department - November 2006)

2004 Transcript of Australian radio interview with Seymour Papert

Papert.org - Seymour Papert articles and papers
Planet Papert

Paper by Edith Ackerman

Piaget’s Constructivism, Papert’s Constructionism: What’s the Difference? - A fantastic paper by Dr. Edith Ackerman to help you understand constructivism vs. constructinism.

Other books of interest