Photo: Rebecca Horn, 1972


Check out the short video snippet feeling the wheel

Video: Cheryl Akner-Koler, 2009)

For more information, visit the website or download pdf file NanoFormgiving through haptic, aesthetic laborations:

This project involves a team of professionals and researchers from the arts, sciences, learning sciences, life sciences and natural sciences interested in rethinking the intricacies between direct and mediated experience in human learning. Research questions include: How to get “a feel for" things we cannot grab? How to get“a handle" on things beyond our reach? — in this case because they exist at a micro or nano scale. More generally, how do we make sense of things we cannot experience directly (be in touch with or act upon). Thisnote addresses the relations between direct and mediated touch: from finger, to hand, to tool (or probe), to instrument; as well as between visual and tactile exploration: from eye to hand—and back! and between perceiving (or sensing) and measuring (or probing). For more on this, check out discussion points. You may also download a short essay by Edith Ackermann, entitled Mediated touch.

Investigating Intergenerational Learning in Public Spaces, Mediated by Technology, in Five European Countries

In society today the generations are increasingly kept apart from each other. The needs of older and younger people are perceived as being irreconcilably different. Elderly people have their own clubs and day centres, and often live in communities where there are no young people. Indeed, many older people are nervous of meeting children and teenagers. Equally, young people spend most of their time in the company of their peers. Worries about abuse result in children rarely having the opportunity to mix socially with adults apart from their own families. Both the old and the young are at risk of social exclusion. The Puente project conducted action research in the area of intergenerational learning (IGL), which was defined as older members of the community learning together with young people in a collaborative way. Puente sought to draw folks who wouldn’t otherwise meet do things they couldn’t otherwise dream of, so that they could learn from each other, respect each other and broaden their horizons. Puente showed that shared interest is far more important than shared age, and that it is not difficult to create communities of practice that span generations.

This project was funded with the support of the EU commission (Minerva. Socrates. Education and Culture). The research report is available online at the future lab website
You may also download it directly by clicking puente research report

Project Partners:

University of Barcelona: Mario Barajas, Frederique Frossard
Futurelab: Martin Owen, Mary Ulicsak
University of Liege: Francoise Decortis, Laura Lentini
University of Siena: Antonio Rizzo, Edith Ackermann, Giulio Toccafondi (Project Coordinator), Silvia Torsi, Andrea Alessandrini
University of Bucharest: Bogdan Logofatu, Anisoara Dumitrache, Mihaela Gheorghe
CER (Wales): Sue Owen, Martin Owen
Campo Rosso: Rossella Magli (Project Advisor and Evaluator)

Research Report "Defining Systematic Creativity" - LEGO Learning Institute

Systematic creativity, in its simplest form, is about using logic and reasoning, along with creativity and imagination, to generate ideas and artefacts that are new surprising and valuable. To be systematically creative, then, is about engaging this full spectrum through deliberate practice. Fostering the mindsets behind creativity, learning to iterate, learning to give form to our imagination and mastering a tool to think with are all essential skills part of being creative as a deliberate practice. Much like one can listen to and appreciate music, dabble with making sounds on an instrument, play music from the score or indeed improvise or ‘jam’ with others in a band – we can also build things following a ‘score’ (instructions), or we can compose our own or jam with others (free building alone or together). Only through deliberate practice does one become a master musician or a master builder.

Grounded in theoretical and empirical contributions, the research helps undo many existing myths on what it means—and takes—to be creative. The full research report is available for download Defining Systematic Creativity.

"So much to say...and so little fame" (graffiti by Bansky, subtitle by Edith)

Access to new media both changes and reflects the ways people play, think, and learn— and more generally, how they perceive themselves, relate to others, treat things, and occupy space. We see both opportunities and challenges in today’s youth infatuation for all things digital.

As the organizers of the IDC 2009 workshop on "Digital Technologies and Marginalized Youth: Reducing the Gap", our focus is on the empowerment and successful integration of marginalized youth. We look at how marginalized youth adopt digital media and what’s in it for them. We summarize all the accepted position papers in an attempt to draw lessons useful to researchers, educators, and practitioners. To conclude, we draw from Paulo Freire's "pedagogy of the oppressed" to rethink some of the prerequisites that may enable marginalized youth to find their voices while, at the same time, speaking the tongues of others (in particular those in power). Getting “lost in translations” is what paves the ways to many youngsters social exclusion.

Pdf file of paper by E.Ackermann, F. Decortis, JP Hourcade, & H. Schelhowe.

The PIE Institute grew out of educational research led by the Lifelong Kindergarten group at the MIT Media Lab. In 2000, a core group of dedicated researchers and practitioners from MIT, The Exploratorium, The Minneapolis Science Museum, and other museums around the country formed the PIE Network To this day, the PIE Institute continues to create playful and inventive activities combining science, art, and technology in ways that capture our imagination. PIE inspires and engages learners, educators, artists, and designers in museums and other informal learning environments.



For more information on PIE work, explore the PIE website . To learn about people, places, and things that inspire and inform PIE activities, visit the idea gallerie Among my own favorite recent public events: Wind-powered-wonders; Digital Bling and second Skin; Light Play and Pulley Table; and the latest: light distractions. Check them out.

As part of my Osher Fellowship, I was able to take part in the latest of a long series of cool events: light distractions (August, 2008). And the best part: I will enjoy many more occasions to play, invent, and explore during the coming year :)

Le groupe COMPAS, dont je fais partie, a un nouveau blog.

Mission Accomplished :)

I went to Haiti with David Cavallo (OLPC) and Claudia Urrea (IDB). Our hosts, Guy Serge Pompidus (SC) and Sophie Makonnen (IDB) have managed a tour de force to get the stars aligned. Thanks to their help, we met key players from government, IDB, and universities; we visited schools in and out of Port-au-Prince; we discussed the learning potential of the XO with educators, officials, and researchers. By the end of the week, IDB and government representatives gave their approval to fund and support the project, and heads of university and research centers offered their expertise. It looks like the ball is now ready to roll. Next steps, from a learning perspective: prepare for the arrival of the machines. On a personal note, this has been a memorable week. I don't know of an other place where extreme poverty and great potential co-exist in such incomprehensible fashion. I marveled at our hosts' abilities to displace mountains and at the children's sunny faces. For photos of the trip, visit the site

A third learning workshop was held at OLPC this past week (14-17 january). cf. OLPC laptop news (2008-1-19)

OLPC learning-team and localities are joining forces to imagine and design the learning environments and communities of the 21st century. Most striking, from a learning perspective, was the sense of ownership and engagement among participants who use the "give one get one" window as a lever to grow city-wide initiatives, both in the US and abroad (Anchorage Alaska, Birmingham Alabahma, and New York City are 3 cases to be followed :) Equally impressive was the range and depth of expertise around the table—and facilitators' ability to strike a balance between hands-on and head-in; practical challenges and long-term goals [thanks David, Walter, learning-gang!]. Some highlights of the workshop include: an inspiring presentation by Dr. Felton Earls and Maya Carlson of the Harvard School of Public Health on participatory surveys and indicators for community development, as well as their work in Tanzania and Chicago; presentations and contributions by OLPC Learning-team [Edith Ackermann, Ed Baafi, Juliano Bittencourt, Fatimata Seye Sylla, Elana Langer, Julain Daily, Cynthia Salomon, Alice Cavallo, and David Cavallo]; open house for OLPC developers to 'demo' their XO tools and discuss tools' learning potential with participants.

For more information on this workshop, visit the site
Also see comments by John Clemente and Evan Odonnell on the "teaching matters" blog

“PUENTE” stands for bridge and, in this case, the bridge connects the young and the elder or, more generally, new-comers and old-timers to a place, or a community: PUENTE identifies conditions that may draw folks who wouldn’t otherwise meet to do things they couldn’t otherwise do [learn from each other, respect one another, broaden their views]. Combining different approaches, such as case studies and participatory design techniques, the team imagines events and activities that enable participants to unveil aspects of their “personae” that would otherwise remain untapped. The settings and places created are reflective of the changing identities and dreams of its dwellers. For more information on the project, and partners involved, check out the PUENTE website . Also check out PUENTE

Note: Project PUENTE (2007-2009) has evolved out of earlier EU Project "La Piazza". Information on Piazza can be found on this blog, in the same category "projects". You may also visit the site

This week, I participated in the first of a series of workshops to be held at OLPC and in countries to strengthen local teams' approaches to learning when deploying one laptop per child. Even at early phases in the project, the richness and diversity of uses in different countries exceeded my wildest expectations. This is clearly a case where we [olpc learning team] will learn as much from the children's—and teachers'—creative appropriations as they will learn from us! To know more about olpc's learning vision, and pilot projects around the world, visit the olpc wicki for educators



To hear my talk, check out YouTube snippets clip one and clip two