In what ways can online communities and social networks be accessible and or equitable alternate environments for children who lack social / material supports?
In what ways do online communities and social networks widen divides or close doors to children? what might be done to prevent this?
Christo Sims - U Berkley, DML Hub
Recommend start with existing structures of privilege, then look at how do power dynamics affect kids online use in social media.
don't start with the notion of 'whatever middle class boys are doing everyone should be doing'
Martha Hadley - working with RTL group
Interest in activity theory. Works with kids 2-8.
Going into low income community daycare centers. Bring technology or work with the tech there. In thinking of equity, has come to think of it of more of a complicated idea than just 'who has what technology'.
Think of it in terms of knowledge rather than access - observes transition around 7-8 as kids begin to meet social media, often through family and parents (eg facebook sites) which are particularly prevalent amongst low income communities, or when sharing media with families far and wide. This gives them a very strong entry point into this type of media use, and technical literacy.
Also discusses issues around gender differences - the ways of engaging online, and the kinds of interactive worlds girls and boys tend to use.
They saw panel of kids 2-8 over a period of months, talking to them, then began to introduce sites, games such as littlebigplanet, apps, etc. What they ended up seeing a fantastic conversion of the things boys and girls like to do.
Deborah Fields
Uni Penn
Interest in spaces between schools and homes etc. Kids identity between different spaces. Looking at the 10% kids who embrace this technology - but what about the kids who are NOT online, or do not actively participate? What are the differences in participation between local and online, and also how gender becomes a bit more neutral online.
Thinks about local participation as an entry to online participation. Big barrier to that first step of participation (eg lurking!). eg. sitting with a child as they join a network, they generally want to 'friend' the people first immediately around them (eg sitting next to them)
eg. Scratch project - and the power of online 'value' - allowing constructive engagement and social collaboration - putting a part of who they are, what they're good at into a social media setting, and finding from others the 'value' they see in that.
Cultures and gender differences - Scratch has a higher participation of girls programming games than other sites that do this.
Akili Lee
Digital Youth Network
Developing a framework on how to build digital literacy with kids, leveraging social networking from the ground up. Using a tool really helps define how the use of the tool looks, articulating the affordances of the tool and how it's designed. eg - started off on a small charter school. 6-8 grade programming. One kid and his friend were the experts in the school when it came to video production. THe workshop had showcase opportunities. Show off drafts of work. Recognize kids don't just want to create for sake of creating, but share with a group they already have some capital with.
Another kid had done some work with video, but not as experienced. Once the first kid left school, this became a motivator for the second kid to increase his skills and become the 'expert' in the school - really motivated him to push himself and become the best he could be.
How do these spaces become healthy critique spaces? Observing this really created feedback for Akili on how to appropriate these tools online to extend what they know on the ground? Design of tools can increase effectiveness.
Mary Anne Petrillo
Cisco Systems
Background in marketing and creative design. Working with education technologies for 15 years. Before that working on technologies with neuroscientists. Has been with Cisco 4 years ago.
Makes big investments in non-profits to help these big conversations along. A big section of this is Cisco Networking Academy http://www.cisco.com/web/learning/netacad/index.html
A blended learning model. Is embedded into institutions rather than sold a licensing.
DISCUSSION:
Inequity busters - nonconformers
- tech busters, hackers, finding ways to do things when we don't really want them to do this!
- but this is not necessarily a bad thing -they're not accepting the norm. They're thinking beyond what is in front of them. How to harness and empower these people in a meaningful rather than disruptive way? How to engage in this when it's against social norms, and 'rules' - how to normalize some practices but keeping others clear as deviant?
- technical and thinking skills that go into being a non-conformist?
- eg pro-am communities, disconnect between success in school and success in digital environment.
- need to consider 'rules' - we teach kids rules but don't necessarily teach them to think for themselves. Used examples of a Japanese school area during the earthquake - one school had taught safety guidelines, but also taught them to think for themselves - they were guided to the safety spot, but the school group analyzed, discussed and decided it was after all not safe and found another area to shelter. This saved their lives.
- topic of participation but keep in mind importance of 'listening' - how do we think of the term of participation as listening and collaboration. In terms of marketing and metrics, listening as part of participation is not necessarily a metric they study.
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