Course Outline

This course outline is a work in progress. We will continue to update it, add readings, and occasionally switch things around as the course gets underway. Feel free to send us suggestions or leave comments directly in the Google Doc (click here to open the document in a new window).

Tentative Syllabus for Learning Creative Learning (MAS.712)

MIT Media Lab, Spring 2013 Note: All speakers are confirmed, but readings and activities are still evolving

February 11: Creative Learning Readings:

* Mitchel Resnick (2007). All I Really Need to Know (About Creative Thinking) I Learned (By Studying How Children Learn) in Kindergarten. ACM Creativity & Cognition conference. February 19: Interest-Based Learning (class on Tuesday this week)

Panelists: Joi Ito, Mimi Ito Readings:

* Seymour Papert (1980): Mindstorms: Children, Computers, and Powerful Ideas (Foreword: The Gears of My Childhood) * Joi Ito blog posts: Formal vs Informal Education, Reading the Dictionary, Dubai and Learning about the Unknowable * Joi Ito (2012). Keynote to Open Educational Resources meeting (video), Hewlett Foundation. * Mimi Ito et al. (2009): Learning and Living with New Media. MacArthur Foundation.

Activity: Write about an object from your childhood, in the spirit of Paperts gears
Additional Resources:
* Mimi Ito et al. (2013). Connected Learning: An Agenda for Research and Design, MacArthur Foundation. * MacArthur Foundation (2012): The Essence of Connected Learning (video). * Wired Magazine (2012). Open university: Joi Ito plans a radical reinvention of MIT's Media Lab. * Sherry Turkle (2007). Evocative Objects: Things We Think With (Introduction, and selected essays Cello, Knots, Stars). MIT Press. * Sherry Turkle (2008). Falling for science: Objects in Mind (Blocks, Steps, Venus Paradis Coloring Set). MIT Press.

February 25: Constructionism and Making Panelist: Dale Dougherty Readings:

* Seymour Papert (1980): Mindstorms (Chapter 1: Computers and Computer Cultures) * Seymour Papert (1994): The Childrens Machine (Chapter 7: Instructionism versus Constructionism) * Dale Dougherty (2013): The Maker Mindset, in Design, Make, Play. * Mitchel Resnick et al. (2009): Scratch: Programming for All. Communications of the ACM.

Activity: Create a Scratch project introducing something about yourself.

Additional Resources:
* Seymour Papert (1980). Mindstorms (Introduction: Computers for Children, Chapter 2: Mathophobia: The Fear of Learning, Chapter 3: Turtle Geometry: A Mathematics Made for Learning). * Mitch Resnick (2012). Lets Teach Kids to Code (TED Talk video).

March 4: Powerful Ideas Panelists: Alan Kay, Brian Silverman Readings:

* Seymour Papert (2000): Whats The Big Idea? Toward a Pedagogy of Idea Power * Mitchel Resnick & Brian Silverman (2005): Some Reflections on Designing Construction Kits for Kids. Interaction Design and Children conference. * Alan Kay (2003): Our Human Condition

Activity: Design an activity that engages people with a powerful idea March 11: Open Learning Panelists: Mako Hill, Philipp Schmidt

Readings:
* Ivan Illich: Deschooling Society (Chapter 6: Learning Webs)

Activity: Teach something to (and learn something from) another person in the class March 18: Social Creativity Panelists: Gerhard Fischer, Andres Monroy-Hernandez Readings:
* Gerhard Fischer (2011): Understanding, Fostering, and Supporting Cultures of Participation. Interactions. * Andres Monroy-Hernandez (2012): Designing for Remixing (excerpts)

Activity: Work on a collaborative project where you remix one anothers work March 25: No class April 1: Learning in Communities Panelists: Geetha Narayanan, Natalie Rusk Readings:
* Natalie Rusk, Mitchel Resnick, & Stina Cooke (2009): Origins and Guiding Principles of the Computer Clubhouse, in The Computer Clubhouse: Constructionism and Creativity in Youth Communities * Geetha Narayanan (2007): A Dangerous but Powerful Idea

Activity: Visit an after-school or other informal learning program

Additional Resources:
* Seymour Papert (1980). Mindstorms (Chapter 8: Images of the Learning Society)

April 8: Motivation and Persistence Panelists: Avi Kaplan, Natalie Rusk Readings:
* Carol Dweck (2000): Self-Theories (Chapters 1-3) * Daniel Pink (2009): Drive (excerpts), or Drive video clip * Paul Tough (2012): How Children Succeed (excerpts), or This American Life radio program

Activity: Make a Scratch project showing something you spent time and effort creating or learning as a child.
Additional Resources:
* Alfie Kohn (1999): Punished by Rewards: The Trouble with Gold Stars, Incentive Plans, As, Praise, and Other Bribes ( Chapter 1, Chapter 3).

* Mitch Resnick (2012): Still a Badge Skeptic. HASTAC blog.

April 15: No class (work on diving-deeper projects) April 22: No class (work on diving-deeper projects) April 29: Tinkering Panelists: Karen Wilkinson, Mike Petrich, Eric Rosenbaum Readings:
* Mike Petrich and Karen Wilkinson (2013): The Art of Tinkering * Mitchel Resnick & Eric Rosenbaum (2013): Designing for Tinkerability, in Design, Make, Play.

Activity: Combine physical+digital with WeDo, PicoBoards, or MaKey MaKey

Additional Resources:
* Luigi Anzivino and Karen Wilkinson (2012): Tinkering by Design: Thoughtful Design Leads to Breakthroughs in Thinking * Sherry Turkle & Seymour Papert (1990). Epistemological Pluralism. Signs.

May 6: Supporting Creative Learning Panelists: Karen Brennan, Amon Millner Readings:
* Karen Brennan (2012): Best of Both Worlds: Issues of Structure and Agency in Computational Creation, In and Out of School (excerpts) * Amon Millner (2010): Computers as Chalk: Cultivating and Sustaining Communities of Youth as Designers of Tangible User Interfaces (excerpts)

Activity: Create a tutorial (using any media) to help someone learn to do something in Scratch May 13 Poster Party

Demonstrations of diving-deeper projects and reflections on the course