JTE v1n2 - Book Review- The Media Lab
Volume 1, Number 2
Spring 1990
BOOK REVIEWS
BRAND, STEWART. (1988). THE MEDIA LAB. NEW
YORK: PENGUIN BOOKS, $10 (SOFTCOVER), $20
(HARDCOVER), 264 PP. (ISBN 0-1400.9701-5)
Reviewed by Joseph McCade(1)
Inventing the future at Massachusetts
Institute of Technology (M.I.T.), the subti-
tle of Brand's book, reveals a good deal
about its content. He describes the research
efforts of some of the brightest people in
the world at M.I.T.'s Media Lab. This
unique facility allows these individuals to
combine their talents with some of the
world's most powerful computers in order to
create radical developments in the field of
communication. Yet, the true value of this
book is not the articulate and understandable
descriptions of exciting new technologies.
Brand's insightful commentary concerning what
the work of the Media Lab can reveal about
the direction and impacts of these new tech-
nologies is the reader's true reward.
Brand quickly dispels the idea that the
implications of the work of the Media Lab
might be limited to communications. Review-
ing the work of "information age" gurus,
Brand reminds the reader of the economic im-
portance of information-related activities.
Information activities have now economically
eclipsed activities in the agriculture, in-
dustry, and service sectors. Nicholas
Negroponte, director of the Media Lab, be-
lieves that many of the communications
modalities are converging. This will result,
he predicts, in a major leap which will af-
fect society as profoundly as did the print-
ing press. Driving this technological spiral
is the computer. Computers will not only em-
power this pending revolution, but will allow
communication to become much more
individualistic, more human.
Facilitated first by the conversion to
analog electronic communication and later to
digital communication, information is begin-
ning to migrate freely from one media to an-
other. In fact, these media are beginning to
overlap one another. Brand interprets
Negroponte's beliefs about the importance of
CD-ROM, E-mail, personal computers, and VCRs,
in relation to this convergence of communi-
cation technologies.
Brand's experience as founder and editor
of the Whole Earth Catalog and the Whole
Earth Review helped him to understand and ap-
preciate technology. It is this perspective
of technology which allows him to interpret
the predictions of faculty and students of
the Media Lab. These predictions involve how
technologies will interact and direct the fu-
ture.
Although it is only a small part of the
rich content of the book, technology educa-
tors will probably find that the most mean-
ingful part in Brand's book is the chapter on
the Hennigan School. This chapter explains
Seymour Papert's experiment with a school of
the future. More than simply a computer-rich
environment, the Hennigan School embodies an
alternative learning philosophy. Those who
have not read Papert's MINDSTORMS: CHILDREN,
COMPUTERS AND POWERFUL IDEAS will find that
doing so will greatly increase their under-
standing of Papert's philosophy, a philosophy
of learning by discovery. Children are en-
couraged to guess, explore, experiment and
imitate. Learning rather than teaching is
the focus. This more natural learning style,
one in which children follow their own inter-
ests, is believed to encourage the develop-
ment of a love of learning.
The computer is combined with a program-
ming language called Logo, which Papert de-
veloped for children. Logo is intended to
take advantage of the child's interest in the
computer to encourage him or her to learn by
doing--to experiment. A powerful graphics-
orientated programming language, Logo rewards
the user quickly. This provides Papert's
philosophy with a platform. With a minimum
of help or intervention children are supposed
to "learn" Logo.
Of extreme interest to technology educa-
tors is the addition of LEGO to the Logo
learning system. The LEGO construction sys-
tem is linked to the computer via an inter-
face and controlled by a special version of
Logo. With sensors and actuators, the
LEGO/Logo combination is a complete computer
control system. Although the LEGO/Logo sys-
tem may be an attractive way to teach com-
puter control, this use will almost certainly
overlook the most significant attribute of
the system. The discovery learning potential
of the system as a means of involving stu-
dents in problem solving and higher order
thinking is foremost in Papert's mind. The
LEGO/Logo system when linked with hands-on
experiments holds tremendous potential for
technology education. If educators can look
beyond the attractive appearance of the hard-
ware to an understanding of the philosophical
purpose of the system, a step toward improved
technology education could occur.
This book should be required reading for
technology educators. It facilitates the lit-
eracy of the reader on leading edge technol-
ogy. More importantly, Brand's book has the
potential of beginning something our programs
have needed for a long time -- a well-
articulated perspective on how technology
might influence the future.
----------------
1 Joseph McCade is Assistant Professor, Department
of Industry and Technology, Millersville University,
Millersville, Pennsylvania.
Permission is given to copy any
article or graphic provided credit is given and
the copies are not intended for sale.
Journal of Technology Education Volume 1, Number 2 Spring 1990