The Children's Machine: Rethinking School In The Age Of The Computer

In his classsic book, Mindstorms: Children, Computers, and powerful Ideas, Seymour Papert set out a vision of how computers could change school. In The Children's Machine he now looks back over a decade during which American schools acquired more than three million computers and assesses progress and resistance to progress. In his classsic book, Mindstorms: Children, Computers, and powerful Ideas, Seymour Papert set out a vision of how computers could change school. In The Children's Machine he now looks back over a decade during which American schools acquired more than three million computers and assesses progress and resistance to progress.

30 review for The Children's Machine: Rethinking School In The Age Of The Computer

5 out of 5

Jessica – May 16, 2007

I borrowed The Children's Machine from the library because they didn't have Mindstorms, also by Seymour Papert. While the book was interesting enough as I was reading it, I have to admit that I got to the end not entirely understanding what he was trying to say with the whole book. He's talking about ways that computers can completely rework the ways that schools are run and the way children are educated, but I didn't feel like I left the book really understanding what his proposal for "rethin I borrowed The Children's Machine from the library because they didn't have Mindstorms, also by Seymour Papert. While the book was interesting enough as I was reading it, I have to admit that I got to the end not entirely understanding what he was trying to say with the whole book. He's talking about ways that computers can completely rework the ways that schools are run and the way children are educated, but I didn't feel like I left the book really understanding what his proposal for "rethinking school" was. Papert is the inventor of the Logo programming language, which some of you may remember as the "turtle" language you used to draw shapes on a computer screen in elementary school. He's also done a lot of work with Lego (it is no coincidence that Lego Mindstorms share a name with his 1980 book). He provides some very interesting anecdotes of children working with Logo and Lego and does manage to delve quite a bit into how children use these tools/toys, so I think the book is valuable for these insights, but it felt a little disjointed to me and didn't seem to spend as much time rethinking schools as I expected it to. Interesting, but I wish I'd been able to read Mindstorms instead - that seems to be his most famous/important work.
5 out of 5

Kuldeep – Nov 25, 2019

The first book of Mindstorms inspired me to take chronicle of that version. Prof. Papert discussed vivid ideas of what school could be. He mentions heroes like Paul Freire and Ivan Illich in his writings. The conclusion provoke us to think about current education system. There is utter need to rethink or reconstruct the way we feed education to our next generation. Concept like small schools in local areas were appreciated rather than centralised school system which is maintained by politicians. The first book of Mindstorms inspired me to take chronicle of that version. Prof. Papert discussed vivid ideas of what school could be. He mentions heroes like Paul Freire and Ivan Illich in his writings. The conclusion provoke us to think about current education system. There is utter need to rethink or reconstruct the way we feed education to our next generation. Concept like small schools in local areas were appreciated rather than centralised school system which is maintained by politicians. The designed curriculum by few mathematicians, psychologists and educators would not help to construct the epistemological generation. Alerting readers by giving examples like President Bush's education policy. Such policies are big threat for the world and might diminish the learning processes in different culture. Use of computers in school is nicely defined by few examples. The question is who uses LOGO? Which generated or which children were practicing LOGO? Is the ideas of Prof. Papert are longevous? Especially there is big threat of Googles's imperialism through apps on education. Google wants to make future generation consumers of technology.
5 out of 5

Thomas – Sep 27, 2017

Another great book on rethinking education!
4 out of 5

Sarah Carper – Apr 23, 2014

I was required to read this for a graduate course. As most students, I was dreading getting into this book, even though I love reading, because I thought it was going to be a tedious, boring piece of literature. However, I was wrong. I thoroughly enjoyed reading Papert's views on technology in the classroom. I do wish the setting was a little more current, as this book was written in 1993, so the lingo is a bit old, however, the basic ideas are the same today. Papert spent a great deal of time d I was required to read this for a graduate course. As most students, I was dreading getting into this book, even though I love reading, because I thought it was going to be a tedious, boring piece of literature. However, I was wrong. I thoroughly enjoyed reading Papert's views on technology in the classroom. I do wish the setting was a little more current, as this book was written in 1993, so the lingo is a bit old, however, the basic ideas are the same today. Papert spent a great deal of time discussing the use of technology in the classrooms, student-centered learning, teacher-centered teaching, etc. This is a great read for teachers in K-12 classrooms today!
5 out of 5

Justin – Jun 24, 2007

A good discussion of technology and play in the classroom. Papert wants to fundamentally change the way schools teach children. A shift if focus from teaching to learning. Papert sees the computer as a tool in accomplishing this task. Computers allow students to work with technology and develop personally meaning for relationships with math and science, learning for that matter. Self motivated learning is a far more important skills for students to develop in learn. And I agree!
5 out of 5

Tracey – Oct 08, 2010

Enjoyed his perspectives and descriptions of his work with kids and technology. Keep in the mind the book was written in 1993, so the technology use was more with young children programming with LOGO, which I found very intriguing.
5 out of 5

Jmswtsn – Dec 11, 2008

Good, thought provoking, although a little tedious in the end.
4 out of 5

Mrs. Schatz – May 26, 2012

Required reading for graduate class. Written in 1994 BUT still relevant today which is awesomely SAD commentary on the US education system. It's surprising anyone knows anything anymore. Required reading for graduate class. Written in 1994 BUT still relevant today which is awesomely SAD commentary on the US education system. It's surprising anyone knows anything anymore.
4 out of 5

Anirban Gangopadhyay – Nov 08, 2015

Changed my ideas on learning.
5 out of 5

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