Basing itself on the educational principles of Constructionism, the site provided web users with a range of "playful learning" activities and projects. It is the first web service to explicitly incorporate the concepts of educational theorists such as John Dewey (pictured), Jean Piaget, and Seymour Papert in its design.How does World Wide Workshop describe their design?
On MaMaMedia.com children use the Internet to read and write, but also to become young designers, builders, artists and writers themselves. All the activities on the site were designed to provide media for children to create their own media, and to involve children directly in the design process, as children use tools to create and produce their own media, explore and express idea, and join a safe online community of kids. The design of MaMaMedia.com teaches children how to use browsers, various media tools, and Internet technologies - all for the high purpose of creating, building, and expressing themselves and learning about the world around them from other children and websites. The activities are designed for all types of browsers -- low-end and high-end, as well as for use in diverse environments, including home, school, a library or community center. The key design principle we embedded in all these activities was to invite children to think openly and creatively, collaborate effectively, overcome technological challenges, continuously generate new ideas - and have fun along the way! We believe these are some of the essential skills for success in closing the digital divide in the 21st century.