What is Logo?

Seymour Papert, a mathematician working at MIT in the United States, created (with others) the first version of Logo in 1967 . Logo, a dialect of the computer language LISP, is accessible to young children and can be used in sophisticated modelling projects as there are no ceilings.

It was introducted into the English curriculum, about the time when 1Mb was the size of hard disks in computers, and would have been one of the earliest programs used in mathematics classrooms. Younger pupils would have been introduced to the Turtle in which a fibre pen could be inserted to draw tracks on the floor. The instructions were entered into the computer. this was followed by the Roamer robot which had an entry pad on its cover. Some teachers used covers so that it could become a ladybird or other insect. On the computer the turtle was usually portrayed as a triangle, however in later stages it was possible to change them into objects such as planes, and cars. The user could program his/her own shape. At this stage it was possible to have multiple turtles and they also became known as "sprites". The next development was using it to control situations. Early sets would include a control box with pressure and light sensors. It could also be linked to Lego models so investigations such as one into traffic light sequences and how to avoid crashes could be developed.

Lego is used in ICT lessons, science and technology as well as mathematics. It now has the ability to be used for 3D modelling.

More about the history of Logo may be found here.

MSW Logo can be downloaded for free.