Thanks for your interest in my work! A number of my papers are available online. In chronological order:

• Community Support for Constructionist Learning
• MOOSE Goes to School: A Comparison of Three Classrooms Using a CSCL Environment
• MOOSE Crossing: Construction, Community, and Learning in a Networked Virtual World for Kids
• Pianos, Not Stereos: Building Computational Construction Kits
• The MediaMOO Project: Constructionism and Professional Community
• Cyberspace is Not Disneyland: The Role of the Artist in a Networked World
• Finding One's Own Space in Cyberspace
• Christmas Unplugged
• Programming for Fun: MUDs as a Context for Collaborative Learning
• Approaches to Managing Deviant Behavior in Virtual Communities
• Gender Swapping on the Internet
• Identity Workshop: Emergent Social and Psychological Phenomena in Text-Based Virtual Reality
• The Electronic Scrapbook: Towards an Intelligent Home-Video Editing System

• At CHI 99, I organized a Workshop on Research Issues in the Design of Online Communities.
• I was co-chair (with Mark Guzdial, Janet Kolodner, and Ashwin Ram) of the Third International Conference on the Learning Sciences (ICLS 98)

Community Support for Constructionist Learning

Abstract:
MOOSE Crossing is a text-based virtual reality environment (or "MUD") designed to be a constructionist learning environment for children ages eight to thirteen. The constructionist philosophy of education argues that learning through designing and constructing personally meaningful projects is better than learning by being told. Children on MOOSE Crossing learn computer programming and improve their reading and writing by working on self-selected projects in a self-motivated, peer-supported fashion. In experience with over 180 children and 90 adults using the system since October 1995, we have found that the community provide community provides role models; situated, ubiquitous project models; emotional support to overcome technophobia; technical support; and an appreciative audience for completed work. This paper examines the nature of that support in detail, and argues that community support for learning is an essential element in collaborative work and learning on the Internet.s essential support for the children

Abstract
MOOSE Crossing is a text-based virtual reality environment (or "MUD") designed to give children eight to thirteen years old a meaningful context for learning reading, writing, and computer programming. It is used from home, in after-school programs, and increasingly as an in-school activity. To date, it has been used in five classrooms. This paper compares its use in three of those classrooms, and analyzes factors that made use of MOOSE Crossing more and less successful in each of these contexts. Issues highlighted include access to computers, existence of peer experts, free-form versus structured activity, and school atmosphere.

Intro:

Would you rather that your children learn to play the piano, or learn to play the stereo?

The stereo has many attractions: it is easier to play and it provides immediate access to a wide range of music. But "ease of use" should not be the only criterion. Playing the piano can be a much richer experience. By learning to play the piano, you can become a creator (not just a consumer) of music, expressing yourself musically in ever-more complex ways. As a result, you can develop a much deeper relationship with (and deeper understanding of) music.

So too with computers. In the field of educational technology, there has been too much emphasis on the equivalent of stereos and CDs, and not enough emphasis on computational pianos. In our research group at the MIT Media Lab, we are developing a new generation of "computational construction kits" that, like pianos, enable people to express themselves in ever-more complex ways, deepening their relationships with new domains of knowledge.

To guide the development of these computational construction kits, we are developing a theory of "constructional design." Whereas the traditional field of instructional design focuses on strategies and materials to help teachers instruct, our theory of constructional design focuses on strategies and materials to help students construct and learn. Constructional design is a type of meta-design: it involves the design of new tools and activities to support students in their own design activities. In short, constructional design involves designing for designers (Resnick, 1996b).

• Cyberspace is Not Disneyland: The Role of the Artist in a Networked World

Intro:
Cyberspace is not Disneyland. It's not a polished, perfect place built by professional designers for the public to obediently wait on line to passively experience. It's more like a finger-painting party. Everyone is making things, there's paint everywhere, and most work only a parent would love. Here and there, works emerge that most people would agree are achievements of note. The rich variety of work reflects the diversity of participants. And everyone would agree, the creative process and the ability for self expression matter more than the product.

• Finding One's Own Space in Cyberspace

  How do virtual communities develop character? How can we prevent every community from sinking to the least common denominator? (January 1996, pp. 48-54.)

Intro:
The week the last Internet porn scandal broke, my phone didn't stop ringing: "Are women comfortable on the Net?" "Should women use gender-neutral names on the Net?" "Are women harassed on the Net?" Reporters called from all over the country with basically the same question. I told them all: your question is ill-formed. "The Net" is not one thing. It's like asking: "Are women comfortable in bars?" That's a silly question. Which woman? Which bar?.... [A review of issues in the design of virtual communities.]

Available as Micrsoft Word, pdf, and postscript files.

• Christmas Unplugged. "If I had a network link, I'd be home now." Sometimes it's important to break routines, both virtual and real, and really take a break. (January 1995, pp. 64-65.)

Abstract
MediaMOO is a text-based, networked, virtual reality environment designed to enhance professional community among media researchers. MediaMOO officially opened on January, 20th, 1993, and as of December 1994 has more than 1000 members from 29 countries. An application is required to join, and only those actively engaged in media research are admitted.

Unlike many virtual environments, the world of MediaMOO is continuously being constructed and reconstructed by its members. This paper analyzes experience with the system to date, and highlights the importance of "constructionist" principles in virtual reality design. The philosophy of constructionism argues that people learn with particular effectiveness when they are engaged in constructing personally meaningful projects; learning by doing is better than learning by being told. This approach is most often applied to children's learning. We believe that not enough attention is paid to its broader applicability. We have found that letting the users build a virtual world rather than merely interact with a pre-designed world gives them an opportunity for self expression, encourages diversity, and leads to a meaningful engagement of participants and enhanced sense of community.

Available in HTML, postscript, rtf, and plain text.

Available in postscript and rtf formats.

If you can't read postscript and would like a hardcopy, send me a self-addressed envelope big enough for a 45-page document (90 pages double-sided) to my address. I'll supply the postage.