What’s this about?
We’re at the start of a revolution in digital tools to think and make with: examples include 'tools for thought' (Muse, Roam) and 'creative tools' (Scratch, Figma).
We’re also at the cusp of a revolution in our learning and education systems.
This newsletter explores these revolutions. It’s a place to reflect on tensions, questions, and possibilities. To interrogate trends. And grapple with competing perspectives.
Why Samba?
At the end of Mindstorms, Seymour Papert describes ‘images of a learning society.’ To imagine this future, he looks to Brazil’s samba schools for inspiration.
Seymour draws inspiration from the samba schools to think about the design of learning communities and better tools. He imagined how math might be learned in contexts that resemble a samba school — and in pursuit of this vision developed both tools (LOGO) and activities.
In many respects, this newsletter cultivates ‘the seeds that Seymour sowed’ in his groundbreaking work.
Who writes this?
Yusuf and Savannah. We started off as internet friends when Savannah led product for a coding bootcamp in Kenya and Yusuf led degree products for a pan-African higher ed startup. We’ve contributed to things like Hack Reactor (one of the first coding bootcamps), Scratch (a programming language and online community), and projects that cut across design, tech, and learning at places like IDEO and MIT.
—> Yusuf’s Twitter and MIT Site
—> Savannah’s Twitter | LinkedIn
Say Hello
Reach out if we can help, to talk, or to collaborate: withsamba@mit.edu
