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Mindstorms

Mindstorms is a term used to refer to two related but distinct things in education and robotics: Seymour Papert's 1980 book Mindstorms: Children, Computers, and Powerful Ideas, and LEGO Mindstorms, a line of programmable robotics kits that translate Papert's ideas into hands-on learning.

Papert's Mindstorms presents constructionism, a theory of learning in which people construct knowledge most effectively by

LEGO Mindstorms was first released in 1998 as a kit combining LEGO bricks with sensors, motors, and

Mindstorms has been widely used in schools and robotics competitions to teach STEM concepts, engineering design,

creating
tangible
artifacts
and
programming
them
to
express
ideas.
The
book
emphasizes
the
role
of
computers
in
enabling
inquiry
and
experimentation,
uses
the
Logo
programming
language
and
the
turtle
as
a
learning
metaphor,
and
argues
that
intelligent
machines
can
serve
as
cognitive
partners
in
education.
a
programmable
brick.
It
provided
a
graphical
programming
environment
and
later
supported
additional
languages.
The
platform
progressed
through
successive
generations,
including
the
NXT
(2006)
and
EV3
(2013),
expanding
sensors,
processing
power,
and
ease
of
use.
More
recent
iterations
and
related
educational
products
broaden
programming
options
to
Scratch
and
Python
and
include
classroom-oriented
kits
such
as
SPIKE
Prime
and
Robot
Inventor
sets.
and
collaboration.
Together,
Papert's
ideas
and
LEGO's
hands-on
platform
have
contributed
to
the
field
of
constructionist
education
and
the
broader
adoption
of
robotics
in
education.