Mitchel Resnik Speaking At HMC Lecture "Creative Society"

Mitchel Resnick, associate professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Media Laboratory, will present his talk "Sowing the Seeds for a More Creative Society" at Harvey Mudd College on Wednesday, Jan. 26, at 7 p.m. in Galileo Hall. The lecture is free and open to the public.

"In the 1980s, many people talked about the transition from the 'Industrial Society' to the 'Information Society,'" Resnick said. "In the 1990s, people began to talk about the 'Knowledge Society.' I prefer a different conception: the 'Creative Society.' As I see it, success in the future (for individuals, for communities, for companies, for nations as a whole) will be based not on how much we know, but on our ability to think and act creatively."

Resnick describes current educational practices as "woefully inadequate." In his talk, he will discuss new technologies and new educational initiatives developed specifically to help children learn to design, invent and express themselves creatively -- so that they are prepared for life in the Creative Society. The ultimate goal is a world full of creative people who are constantly inventing new opportunities for themselves and their communities.

Resnick's work at MIT explores how new technologies can help people learn new things in new ways. His research group developed the ideas underlying the LEGO Mindstorms robotics construction kit, and he has led the development of several projects designed to help people learn about complex systems and emergent phenomena. He co-founded the Computer Clubhouse project, an award-winning network of after-school learning centers for youth from under-served communities.

Resnick earned his B.A. in physics at Princeton University and M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in computer science at MIT. He worked for five years as a science/technology journalist for Business Week magazine, and he has consulted around the world on the uses of computers in education. He is the author of the book "Turtles, Termites, and Traffic Jams" (1994), co-author of "Adventures in Modeling" (2001), and co-editor of "Constructionism in Practice" (1996).

He has taught courses with such "creative" titles as: Creative Learning through Programming, Design That Matters, Programming as an Everyday Activity for Everyone, Teens in a Technological Society, How to Learn (Almost) Anything, Systems and Self, and Tools for Thought. More information about his teaching and research is available at: http://web.media.mit.edu/~mres/

The Dr. Bruce J. Nelson '74 Distinguished Speaker Series was created by Nelson's family to honor the memory of the late HMC alumnus. For more information about Bruce J. Nelson and the series, visit the Web site at: www.dof.hmc.edu/spkr/.