Fulfilling Papert's Dream: Computational Fluency for All

Abstract

Fifty years ago, Seymour Papert and colleagues developed Logo as the first programming language for children. Today, millions of children are participating in learn-to-code initiatives, but Papert's dream remains unfulfilled. Papert (who passed away last summer) saw programming not as a set of technical skills but as a new form of fluency - a new way for all children to explore, experiment, and express themselves. In this presentation, I will examine strategies for fulfilling Papert's dream. Drawing on examples from our Scratch online coding community, I will discuss how we can design programming environments and activities to help all children, from all backgrounds, to develop their thinking, develop their voices, and develop their identities.