Leo directs the MIT Media Lab's Lemann Creative Learning Program, an initiative that helps Brazilian public schools, afterschool centers, and families engage in learning practices that are more hands-on and centered on students' interests and ideas. Leo is particularly interested in educational technologies and approaches that empower children in underserved regions. To that end, he helped start the Young Activists Network,the Department of Play and, more recently, Duct Tape Network.
Outside MIT, Leo has worked for groups such as the World Bank, Microsoft, and the Brazilian government. He has also coordinated a non-profit organization that builds "computer and citizenship" schools in Sao Paulo slums, and was a key contributor to several international initiatives that use digital tools to improve quality of life.
Rachel is an educator with 20+ years of experience working with young people, volunteers, teachers, and parents in both public school and community-based educational programs. One of her current consulting projects is the Duct Tape Network. She has worked with both the Clubhouse Network (formerly The Intel Computer Clubhouse Network) and the MIT Media Lab’s Lifelong Kindergarten Group directing mentor programs, leading initiatives to engage girls in science and technology, and starting professional development programs for staff at community technology centers. Rachel also directed a public service program at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government. She loves working hands-on with young people, supporting the collaboration of kids of adults, and developing educational materials.
Alisha is a designer and educator interested in exploring experiential and experimental ways of integrating storytelling, craft, wellness, play, and interactive technologies to create participatory learning practices. Her practice centers on nurturing children’s creative confidence with new technologies and encouraging their involvement in creative acts within their communities. She is the co-author of the book StartMaking! and the founder of SEEDS (Science, Engineering, Esthetics, Design and Storytelling) interdisciplinary Studiolab. She completed her master’s degree in Media Arts and Sciences at MIT and worked as a research assistant in the Lifelong Kindergarten group at the MIT Media Lab. Before coming to the MIT Media Lab, she worked as a design and research associate at Project Vision, an international research initiative based in India that focuses on developing appropriate instructional strategies and technology-related tools that foster creative cognitive architectures in young children from urban poor communities.