Mitchel Resnick

Mitchel Resnick (born June 12, 1956) is Lego Papert Professor of Learning Research, Director of the Okawa Center, and Director of the Lifelong Kindergarten group at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Media Lab. As of 2019, Resnick serves as head of the Media Arts and Sciences academic program, which program grants master's degrees and Ph.D.s at the MIT Media Lab. Resnick's research group has developed a variety of educational tools that engage people in new types of design activities and learning experiences, including the Programmable Bricks that were the basis for the award-winning Lego Mindstorms and StarLogo software. He cofounded the Computer Clubhouse, an award-winning network of learning centers for youth from under-served communities. Resnick is also a cofounder and a coprincipal investigator of the Center for Civic Media at MIT. Resnick's group has developed a new computer programming language, named Scratch, that makes it easier for children to create animated stories, video games, and interactive art. Resnick is also involved in the next generation of Programmable Bricks, and the One Laptop per Child project which designed the OLPC XO ($100 laptop).