Cynthia Solomon facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Cynthia Solomon PhD
Cynthia Solomon
Born	1938 (age 86–87) Somerville, Massachusetts
Citizenship	United States
Education	BA, Radcliffe College, 1959 MS, Boston University, 1976 PhD, Harvard University, 1985
Known for	Logo Technology education
Awards	NCWIT Pioneer Award, 2016 Constructionism Lifetime Achievement Award, 2016
Scientific career
Fields	Computer science Technology education
Institutions	MIT Bolt, Beranek and Newman Logo Computer Systems Atari Cambridge Research Laboratory

Cynthia Solomon is an American computer scientist who helped make computer science easier for students to learn. She is a pioneer in how computers are used for education. While working at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Solomon learned a complex coding language called Lisp. As she learned, she realized that children needed a simpler, easier-to-understand programming language.

During her studies in education, Solomon also taught computer classes in elementary and high schools. Her work has focused on how people interact with computers and how children can create things using technology. While working at Bolt, Beranek and Newman, she teamed up with Wally Feurzeig and Seymour Papert. Together, they created Logo, the first programming language for children. Logo was designed to teach coding ideas similar to Lisp, but in a much simpler way.

Solomon has been involved with many organizations. She was a vice president at Logo Computer Systems, Inc., when they developed the Apple Logo product. She also directed the Atari Cambridge Research Laboratory. Later, in 2016, Solomon worked on the program committee for Constructing Modern Knowledge and the Marvin Minsky Institute for Artificial Intelligence.

Solomon has written many books and articles based on her research. These writings cover topics like child education and using technology in classrooms. She has also led workshops in schools and colleges about academic research and writing. Today, Solomon continues to share her knowledge by speaking at conferences and working with the One Laptop per Child Foundation.

Learning and School

Cynthia Solomon earned her first degree, a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in history, from Radcliffe College in 1959. Later, she studied at Boston University, where she received her Master of Science (M.S.) in computer science in 1976. She then earned her highest degree, a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in education, from Harvard University in 1985. While she was studying, Solomon also worked as a researcher. She spent several years with Marvin Minsky and Seymour Papert at MIT and later at Bolt, Beranek and Newman.

Big Achievements

After getting her B.A., Solomon taught at Milton Academy for seven years. She also became the Technology Integration Coordinator at Monsignor Haddad Middle School. In the 1980s, Massachusetts Institute of Technology hired Solomon to lead the Atari Cambridge Research Laboratory. This was because she had been so successful in developing Logo.

Solomon has had a long working relationship with the MIT Media Lab and the One Laptop per Child Foundation. She is still a key worker for the foundation and helped create educational materials for it. She continued teaching, advising, and doing research while working with these important labs and foundations.

Logo: A Coding Language for Kids

In 1967, Cynthia Solomon, along with Seymour Papert and Wally Feurzeig, designed the Logo computer programming language. This language was made for children to explore words, solve math problems, create stories, and even design their own games.

Logo is famous for its "turtle graphics." With turtle graphics, you give commands for movement and drawing. These commands create line drawings on a computer screen or with a small robot called a turtle. In the 1970s, a new version of Logo came out that allowed programs to be viewed in many colors.

The language was created to teach coding ideas similar to Lisp, a type of programming language. Later, Logo also helped students understand "body-syntonic reasoning." This means students could imagine they were the turtle and figure out what the turtle would do. There are many different versions of Logo today, and some programs that use turtle graphics also call themselves Logo.

Helping Kids Learn

Solomon started developing Logo because she realized children needed their own programming language. She led the creation of learning materials for the One Laptop per Child Foundation. Her PhD research at Harvard led to an important book called Computer Environments for Children: A Reflection on Theories of Learning and Education.

This book looks at the good things and challenges of having computers in places where kids learn. It specifically talks about how computers can help with elementary school math and new ways of learning. Solomon also co-wrote Designing Multimedia Environments for Children with Allison Druin. She has done many other research projects and writings that help us understand how technology can improve children's learning environments.

Solomon's more recent work includes teaching using Snap! and a special kind of coding called jigsaw programming with Turtlestitch.

Her Writings

• Twenty Things to Do with a Computer (1971). With Seymour Papert.
• Leading a Child to a Computer Culture. ACM SIGCUE Outlook. (1976).
• Teaching young children to program in a LOGO turtle computer culture. ACM Sigcue Outlook (1978).
• Logo Power (1984).
• Designing educational computer environment for children. (1995). With Allison Druin.
• Designing Multimedia Environments for Children (1996). With Allison Druin.
• Inventive Minds, Marvin Minsky on Education (2009). Edited with Xiao Xiao.
• Culture Audits: Supporting Organizational Success (2004).
• Select a Performance Management System (Infoline ASTD) (2009).
• The BBN-LISP System. (1966). With Daniel Bobrow, D. L. Darley, Daniel L. Murphy, and Warren Teitelman.
• Designing multimedia environments for children (2018). With Allison Druin.

Awards and Recognition

In 2016, Cynthia Solomon received the National Center for Women & Information Technology (NCWIT) Pioneer Award. She also got a Lifetime Achievement Award at Constructionism 2016. In 2018, she gave the Seymour Papert memorial lecture at CrossRoads. She also helped lead discussions about new ways to use the Logo program in education and for new groups of users.

See also

In Spanish: Cynthia Solomon para niños