Moveable Objects, Mobile Code

This thesis describes the design of a "toy system" of small, communicating computers. These computers, called Tiles, are a child-scale platform for exploring issues related to networks, communication and computational process. The system is designed to be engaging and easy to use, while at the same time providing opportunity to reflect upon a rich set of ideas and offering users a new set of cognitive tools. For example, Tiles are programmed using a mobile code approach, meaning that programs are written to move across the network from one Tile to the next. The conceptual clarity of the mobile-code metaphor allows even novice users to write interesting programs, while the depth of that metaphor as a subtle way to represent large-scale behavior across a network creates an opportunity for extended educational play. Thesis Advisor: Mitchel Resnick Associate Professor of Media Arts and Sciences LEGO Papert Career Development Professor of Learning Research This research was sponsored by the LEGO Group, by Motorola, Inc., and by the Things That Think and Toys of Tomorrow Consortia of the MIT Media Lab. Moveable Objects, Mobile Code