Global Kids Digital Media Initiative
Launched in January 2006 with support from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, Global Kids’ Digital Media Initiative (DMI) is a series of interrelated programs designed to encourage and support teenagers in thinking critically about the role of digital media in their lives, promote constructive use of new media forms, and document their experiences.
Since the inception of the MacArthur Initiative on Digital Media and Learning, Global Kids has reached out to its online networks of young people both in real life through its wide in-school network in New York City as well as online to teens from around the globe involved in it’s issue-based forum, NewzCrew.org, and its virtual world projects, Global Kids Island in Teen Second Life, to help support the larger DML initiative and grantees.
The form that this support has taken has ranged from the broad to the specific. Our essay contest last year displayed an array of youth perspectives on digital media, while this past fall our Youth Advisory helped to construct and disseminate surveys related to distinct questions for which MacArthur grantees sought answers.
Below is a collection of examples of the type of support we have been able to offer. We hope you can find some of the material useful and can be inspired by these offerings to come up with new ways that Global Kids can support your work.
In Their Own Words
- Digital Media Initiative Podcasts - These include winners from the Digital Media Essay Contest, as well as teens from Global Kids Online Programs.
- Digital Media Essay Contest – Conducted in the Spring of 2006, this contest encouraged and assisted teenagers to think critically about the role of digital media in their lives. You can download the fourteen winning essays, view a collection of the best quotes, see the Educator's Workshop and view a brief report identifying and analyzing the themes that emerged from the essay contest.
- A number of youth conversations have taken place on the MacArthur Spotlight Blog addressing the areas of Virtual Activism, Reflections on a Virtual Summer Camp and On the Role of Adults in Online Youth Spaces.
- On Newz Crew, Global Kids’ issue based teen forums, there are ongoing youth conversations relating to digital media.
- The Night the Computers Took Over is a humorous fictional take on what’s scary about digital media from a Second Life teen resident.
Research
- To support the work of Cory Ondrejka of Linden Lab in his research on generative content by teens in virtual worlds, Global Kids worked with teens to distribute the survey and collect the data. Within three days of distribution, over 400 completed surveys were collected. You view the collected data here.
- To support the work of Amit Pitaru, Global Kids helped teens in Second Life to self-organize and form a dedicated group of teens with disabilities that are active in that space. These teens created the Second Life survey tool used to gather the data for Cory Ondrejka's research.
- To support the work of University Wisconsin-Madison, Global Kids provided data on scholastic disciplines that most interested teens in Second Life, as well as the data from Cory Ondrejka's research, which they are analyzing for their own purposes.
- To support the work of authors writing chapters for the MacArthur volume on Civic Engagement, the Global Kids Digital Media Youth Advisory helped frame questions for a Myspace survey in teen friendly language.
- To support the work of authors writing chapters for the MacArthur volumes on Games, Credibility and Unintended Consequences, the Digital Media Youth Advisory worked to distribute a survey in a teen friendly format and then worked to evaluate the results. They selected the results they felt were the most noteworthy which were then compiled in a comic.
- To support the work of Howard Gardner, the Digital Media Youth Advisory met with researchers from his project to give their perspectives on ethics and learning as it relates to digital media.
- To support the work of the MIlls College and the Pew Internet and American Life Project, Global Kids youth read and gave feedback on a survey that will be conducted on youth gaming habits and their effects on civic engagement, making suggestions about both language as well as potential areas the survey could better address.
Virtual World Simulcasts
- Henry Jenkins held a lecture/dance party on Global Kids Island in Second Life, and talked with teens about the pedagogical potential of environments like Second Life.
- The MacArthur Foundations’ announcement of the Digital Media and Learning Initiative was streamed to Global Kids Island, where teens were able to see the proceedings and relay questions into the room. See the pictures and transcript here.
Videos
- A short music video documenting Henry Jenkins’ visit to Global Kids Island in Second Life. See him boogey down as he talks about learning in virtual environments!
- Camp Global Kids – During the summer of 2006, GK held the first ever virtual summer camp in which teens engaged in activities related to global issues and civic engagement. This short video gives a sense of how these spaces can be used for both education and civic engagement.
- To provide youth perspectives for the video announcing the MacArthur Foundation $50 million Digital Media and Learning Initiative, teens from the GK Digital Media Youth Advisory were interviewed.
Sharing Practices on Working With Youth
- Global Kids presented at the New Media Consortium’s Symposium on the Impact of Digital Media on best practices for using virtual worlds for educational purposes. You can read about it and hear the audio from the presentation.
- At the completion of its highly successful Camp Global Kids, this PDF of best practices for educating in virtual worlds was compiled.
- On the MacArthur Spotlight blog, Barry Joseph shared best practices for bringing a youth development model involving global issues into a virtual world.
- Global Kids consulted with Howard Gardner to offer best practices on about working with youth to create digital projects.
- During the MacArthur Foundation six volume meeting in September of 2006, youth from the GK Digital Media Youth Advisory facilitated an hour long workshop on how to realistically incorporate youth voices into the work of the authors.
Go back to the library.
