Paulo Blikstein
Professor of Education and Affiliate Professor of Computer Science, Columbia University
Director of the Transformative Learning Technologies Lab, the Lemann Center for Brazilian Studies, and the Paulo Freire Initiative at Columbia University
Follow me on Instagram, @pauloblikstein
New Book
The Society That Learns
Constructionism and Lifelong Learning in Thailand
With Deborah Fields · MIT Press · July 2026
On Brazilian Television
New · August 2026
Roda Viva
A 90-minute interview on TV Cultura’s Roda Viva, one of the longest-running interview programs on Brazilian television, hosted by Ernesto Paglia. Aired August 17, 2026.
Watch on YouTube ↗Highlighted Papers & Reports
Selected reading
Stanford Social Innovation Review Brasil
Português
Quando a tecnologia ensina, quem aprende?
Oferecer a velha educação com uma roupagem tecnológica é fácil, mas não prepara as crianças para os grandes desafios que terão de enfrentar.
Paulo Blikstein e Izidoro Blikstein · 16 de setembro de 2025 · Edição Especial “Futuros possíveis (IA)”
Information and Learning Sciences
Twisted knowledge construction on X/Twitter: an analysis of constructivist sensemaking on social media leading to political radicalization
Renato Russo, Paulo Blikstein & Ioana Literat · 2024 · Vol. 125, No. 9, pp. 693–719
Book Chapter · The MIT Press
Open Access
Do educational technologies have politics? A semiotic analysis of the discourse of educational technologies and artificial intelligence in education
Paulo Blikstein & Izidoro Blikstein · 2023 · In M. Ito, R. Cross, K. Dinakar & C. Odgers (Eds.), Algorithmic Rights and Protections for Children (pp. 233–264)
Book Chapter · The MIT Press
Cheesemaking emancipation: A critical theory of cultural making
Paulo Blikstein · 2020 · In N. Holbert, M. Berland & Y. Kafai (Eds.), Designing Constructionist Futures: The Art, Theory, and Practice of Learning Designs (pp. 115–126)
Edited Volumes · CMK Press
Free download
Meaningful Making, volumes 1–3: Projects and inspirations for fablabs and makerspaces
Edited with Sylvia Martinez, Heather Pang & Kevin Jarrett · 2015, 2019, 2023 · Written by the FabLearn Fellows
Edited Volumes · Penso, Porto Alegre
Português
Four edited volumes on technology in Brazilian education
Computação na educação básica: fundamentos e experiências · Raabe, Zorzo & Blikstein · 2020 ↗
Robótica educacional · Barbosa Silva & Blikstein · 2020 ↗
Ludicidade, jogos digitais e gamificação na aprendizagem · Meira & Blikstein · 2020 ↗
Inovações radicais na educação brasileira · Campos & Blikstein · 2019 ↗
Book Chapter · Transcript Publishers
1,813 citations
Digital fabrication and ’making’ in education: The democratization of invention
Paulo Blikstein · 2013 · In J. Walter-Herrmann & C. Büching (Eds.), FabLabs: Of machines, makers and inventors (pp. 203–221), Bielefeld
398
Publications
13,507
Citations
10
Books
8
Countries of fieldwork
Across MIT, Northwestern, Stanford, and Columbia · 1996–2026
Recognition
Awards & honors
- NSF CAREER Award — National Science Foundation
- Jan Hawkins Early Career Award — American Educational Research Association
- Dean's Distinguished Visiting Fellow — Harvard Graduate School of Education
- 8 best-paper awards across learning sciences, HCI & learning analytics
In the Press
Featured coverage
Roda Viva (TV Cultura)
The New York Times
Folha de S.Paulo
O Globo
The Guardian
EdSurge
Tech Policy Press
TechCrunch
News & talks →
On Instagram