Two weeks ago, I had the exciting opportunity to go to the AERA (American Educational Research Association) Annual Meeting for the first time! For those of us in educational research, there is probably not a larger or more comprehensive event for researchers to come together and share their work. And from my fellow graduate students to faculty members and company executives, the atmosphere was definitely one of enthusiasm and passion for promoting excellence in education through research.

Vancouver, British Columbia was taken over by nearly 20,000 conference attendees this year – though it’s fair to say that local Canucks fans did a good job of making themselves known amongst the visitors as they cheered on their hockey team in the Stanley Cup playoffs throughout the weekend. The beautiful city on the water with its backdrop of snowy mountains, and cosmopolitan global culture offered a wonderful meeting place – and uncharacteristic amount of sunshine – for those of us in attendance. It would be virtually impossible to speak to the happenings of the entire conference – the AERA program was a lot like the local yellow pages, full of over 400 pages of offerings over the 4-day event. (Thank goodness for the mobile phone app!) But, I wanted to highlight some interesting themes that I saw emerging from a series of talks that I was able to attend, to hopefully provide a sense of what kinds of conversations are taking place in this field.

The conference theme this year, “Non Satis Scire: To Know is Not Enough,” suggested a sort of action agenda for those presenting and becoming involved in discussions at AERA. It brings to the forefront the idea that researchers can’t just find out information in studies and then share it at the conference, but rather, as the organization’s mission states, “promote the use of research to improve education and serve the public good.” But, as became apparent in much of the research presented across various content areas, this theme also holds true for learners.

Especially in the realm of education and technology, researchers are often faced with the challenge of evaluating a new form of media with the potential of becoming the “future” of education. A number of sessions at AERA centered around research being done in media for children in the form of television, games, online environments and toys like robots. But, while watching a TV show or knowing how to play a game may provide information to a learner, knowing is not enough – learning involves interacting, socializing, making meaning, questioning, discussing and so on. Those presenting generally found promising results of children learning from these interventions, but always placed that learning in necessary contexts providing larger goals like bridging experiences between the home and school, promoting co-viewing and family play to support overall learning, or ensuring that media brought into classrooms is purposeful and a good supplement to existing teaching practices.

In terms of family learning, a group of scholars from the University of Toronto have been working with Scholastic to create a curriculum calledLiteracy Fun for Families for young learners to develop skills in vocabulary, storytelling and early writing with the support of their families. Similarly, researchers from Stanford University, as part of the LIFE institute, are examining how existing family interactions like going to the grocery store or taking a car trip could add games on mobile phones to teach math concepts to kids in a more relevant way than might be happening at school in the Family Math project.

For classrooms, SRI International has developed a curriculum for preschools using the popular TV show Sid the Science Kid to support teachers in co-viewing practices ranging from “focused viewing” of show segments with questions to develop science skills to actual hands-on experiments to follow-up with show topics. On the video games front, the Games for Learning Institute, along with the Michael Cohen Group, recently evaluated a PBS Kids online game, Mission to Planet 429, which helps kids in 1st to 3rd grade develop better vocabulary skills in a fun and engaging way, while also using built-in assessment tools for teachers to align game activities with classroom instruction. While in the Northeast of England, researchers at Durham University are looking at how teachers work in classrooms of students ages 9-11, using large multi-touch tables to collaborate (and sometimes compete) on mathematics problems.

As can be seen from the variety of examples, the content areas being studied vary considerably, but all of the research shares the devotion to making learning taking place on these technologies meaningful and beyond just knowing the information at hand.

Photos by Meagan Bromley

Is that a poem in your pocket?

What was your favorite poem from childhood? Do you, like me, occasionally shudder with the echoes of an older brother who could recite “For Sale” from memory? Does a poem evoke fond childhood memories like a shared memory between siblings, as it does for Research Fellow Sarah Vaala? Whatever your connection, poems have the ability to engage us all with a long tail effect.

Today is national Poem in Your Pocket day. The idea, presented by the Academy of American Poets, is to share poems with co-workers, family, friends, frenemies and anyone else you come across as part of National Poetry Month. You can even share with your tweet-verse with the hashtag #pocketpoem.

Who better to share a poem with than a child, particularly a child who is still developing their literacy skills. Today, these skills surpass the traditional concept of communications – as what was previously done by phone or even in person now demands honed reading and writing skills. Anecdotal research – as anyone who has spent time around a toddler engaged in endless rhymes and repetition can vouch – has shown that children very early develop an interest in, and a pre-occupation with, the patterns and sounds of language and syntax.

Poetry can teach patterns, syntax (both as in traditional syntax and that ever popular old computing error) and logic – covering not just the modern needs of reading and writing literacy but also STEM. Sarah Glaz, a professor at UConn and author of Strange Attractors: Poems of Love and Mathematics noted:

“The power [of a poem] may also reside in the heightened interest generated by a presentation of mathematical ideas in a broad context, a context that includes historical, social, and artistic dimensions, in addition to the mathematical one. This pedagogical aspect of either history or art in the teaching of mathematics is present, even if the original reasons for their inclusion in the classroom may have been different. In addition to enrichment of pedagogy through engagement, both history and art are often used in the mathematics classroom to shape course content and to enhance learning, retention, and integration of material.” 1

Looking for ideas? Poets.org, the AAP’s website, has a bevy of convenient pocket sized poems – Poems for Your Pocket. Additionally, we’ve been running an informal month long survey of favorite childhood poems (from pre-school to high school) and here are the top mentions in responses and staff picks.

Readers’ Write-ins:

Dr SeussRobert Louis Stevenson

My Shadow
From a Railway Carriage

Rudyard Kipling, IfHilaire Belloc, TarantellaRobert BurnsWilliam Wordsworth, The DaffodilsLewis Carroll

Jabberwocky
You Are Old, Father William

Staff Picks:
– Michael Levine remembered learning the power of word and satire, from William Shakespeare and his 7th Grade teacher, Mr. Newby, who prefaced Sonnet 130 as “old William making fun of the other less talented writers!”
– Michelle Miller recalled the feeling of freedom in seeing a poet like e.e. cummings craft poetry out of language and departing from the standard concepts, as seen in “who knows if the moon’s”
– Lead Industry Expert Carly Shuler opted for Sick by Shel Silverstein, which resonates with an educational memory for her.
– For Sarah Vaala, Cooney Research Fellow, Almost Perfect . . But Not Quite  evokes an aural memory of Shel Silverstein reading his poems aloud, via tape, on long family car drives. On a side note, her brother wrote his college entrance essay as a Dr. Seuss poem – and got in.

Finally, want to create a poem with your kids or class? Yep, there’s an app for that. (Plus an app of illustrated, narrated poems that supports Save The Children)

This year’s Sandbox Summit, hosted by MIT on April 17th and 18th, ranged from the very low tech (a live action card game) to very high tech FlickerLab’s new live (animation studio).  Despite the diversity of participants, there was one recurring theme: kids need and expect experiences rather than products.  And for producers and developers, that requires new ways of synthesizing ideas.

The first keynote speaker and CEO of Callaway Digital Arts, Rex Ishibashi, argued that while the ecosystem of kids’ media is complete (omnipresent devices, ubiquitous connectivity, cost-effective content development), development is tough because 21st century kids and their digitally equipped parents demand a complex experience. To achieve that level of full engagement, he said that diverse teams of producers and developers need great chemistry, the ability to forget the lessons that no longer apply and validation through user testing. Russell Hampton, President of Disney Publishing Worldwide, also noted the challenge of bringing together “divergent cultures” of a staff in the digital publishing space.  He explained how Disney’s e-books are their most feature-rich products (and require significant investment to reach multiple platforms in multiple languages) but have the most constrained price points.

Allison Arling, Senior Director of Strategic Innovation at The Intelligence Group, shared the latest data on how today’s youth see their favorite mobile device less as a tool and more as a relationship. This leads to changes in the way we typically think about loyalty, engagement and connection. She characterized Generation Z (kids aged 7 to 13) as growing up in a “flatter world” where they expect “digital fluid integration.”  Nickelodeon’s 2011 Mobile Study revealed how some children ages 6 to 11 even create their own personal spaces (bunkers made of blankets and pillows) in which to experience an average of 24 different apps.  Jane Gould, SVP of Consumer Insights at Nick, believes future mobile usage patterns will be determined by preschoolers.

Alex Games, Ph.D., member of the JGCC’s own Games and Learning Publishing Council and Education Design Director at Microsoft, described the informal learning landscape as “a dam that’s about to break”–aided by the semantic cloud, peer-to-peer communication, scalable distribution models and social media business models.  But he also raised concerns about the serious challenges of accessibility, standards, assessment and institutional barriers like bureaucracy in schools.

He wasn’t the only presenter who voiced more caution than celebration of the current digital sandbox. Heather Chaplin, Assistant Professor of Journalism at The New School, reflected on the expression “Show me the games of your children and I’ll show you the next hundred years,” and warned of taking rationality too far.  If most games are a reflection of a systems way of thinking, will that result in a deficit of empathy?  The audience discussed whether role-playing games or games with a social component might foster empathy. Colleen Macklin, Associate Professor in the School of Art, Media and Technology at Parsons, questioned the intelligence of “smart phones,” and used the example of Caine’s Arcade to argue for fewer apps, more cardboard.

In the final presentation of the Summit, game designer Eric Zimmerman described a rising tide against the push for proof that games teach and the view of games as literal instruments, rather than rich experiences and creative forms in their own right.  He used art education as a model for thinking about games and learning, and described his vision for a “Ludic Century” in which games are the defining cultural form.

While digital games and mobile devices are ubiquitous and offer at least as much potential as books or television, Sandbox Summit attendees appeared daunted by the challenges they face.  The most provocative presentations hearkened back to the simplicity and creativity of playing in the sandbox-an environment without the developmental, production and policy complexities of kids’ digital experiences.

Watch videos of the presentations at the 2012 Sandbox Summit on YouTube, courtesy of Scott Traylor at 360kid.org.

Are you the parent or guardian of a child between 2 and 6 years of age? If so, you are eligible to take a survey about children’s books, sponsored by the Joan Ganz Cooney Center at Sesame Workshop. Parents who complete the survey will have a chance to win a $50 gift card to Amazon.com! Please read the information below before deciding to take the survey.

Taking this survey is completely voluntary, and you may stop at any time by closing your web browser tab or window. We are not collecting any personally-identifiable information in this study, such as your name or address. However, at the end of the survey, you will be asked about your age, marital status, race, and family income. This information will help us better understand the needs of different families. All of your responses will be kept private and will not be shared with any other person or organization.

After completing the survey, you will also have a chance to enter your email address into a drawing for one of five $50 Amazon.com gift cards. Entering this drawing is also voluntary. Your email address will not be used for any other reason than to contact you if you win the drawing. Your email address will not be connected in any way to your survey responses, and will be deleted immediately after the prize winner is selected and contacted.

Take the survey here.

Through case studies, roundtables, lectures and demos, the Games for Change Festival (June 18­-20, NYC) highlights models for collaboration on game development and distribution, bridging the gap between commercial and issue driven games. Featured presentations include game designer and author of Reality is Broken, Jane McGonigal, leading researcher, Dr. James Paul Gee, Valve Software, Navid Khonsari (Grand Theft Auto, Alan Wake), and Chris Bell (WAY, Journey). Highlighting the discussions on Games in Cultural Spaces will be representatives from the TATE, Smithsonian, California Academy of Sciences, and more. New features include the Federal Games Working Group, a day-long track uniting federal agencies working in games with game developers and an evening program, “Agitprop Game Design”, curated by the NYU Game Center. Other features include the Games for Change Awards, Demo Spotlight (for projects in development) and Games for Learning Day, curated by the Games for Learning Institute.

If you register by April 20th, you can take advantage of a 30% early bird discount. Use promo code “cooney” for an additional 10% to save a total of 40% by April 20. (You can still save 10% with the code after April 20.)

To register: http://bit.ly/IGFJXI.

View the program for the festival on the website.

Through case studies, roundtables, lectures and demos, the Games for Change Festival (June 18­-20, NYC) highlights models for collaboration on game development and distribution, bridging the gap between commercial and issue driven games. Featured presentations include game designer and author of Reality is Broken, Jane McGonigal, leading researcher, Dr. James Paul Gee, Valve Software, Navid Khonsari (Grand Theft Auto, Alan Wake), and Chris Bell (WAY, Journey). Highlighting the discussions on Games in Cultural Spaces will be representatives from the TATE, Smithsonian, California Academy of Sciences, and more. New features include the Federal Games Working Group, a day-long track uniting federal agencies working in games with game developers and an evening program, “Agitprop Game Design”, curated by the NYU Game Center. Other features include the Games for Change Awards, Demo Spotlight (for projects in development) and Games for Learning Day, curated by the Games for Learning Institute.

If you register by April 20th, you can take advantage of a 30% early bird discount. Use promo code “cooney” for an additional 10% to save a total of 40% by April 20. (You can still save 10% with the code after April 20.)

To register: http://bit.ly/IGFJXI.

View the program for the festival on the website.

Last week I had the chance to head back to my home turf to attend the “Media and the Well-Being of Children and Adolescents” conference at the Annenberg Public Policy Center (APPC) at the University of Pennsylvania.  The conference was organized, hosted, and moderated by Dr. Amy Jordan, director of the Media and the Developing Child sector of APPC and Dr. Dan Romer, director of the APPC’s Adolescent Communication Institute.  The day featured informative and engaging presentations by some of the nation’s top leading researchers, scholars, and practitioners.

Though the subject matter of the morning panel presentations varied greatly, their underlying theme was consistent: content counts!  Convergence in the research evidence indicates that kids do learn from all kinds of media; however, the nature of how and what they learn reflects the nature of the media that they see and interact with. As such, the day’s dialogue began with issues of concern regarding the relationship between media exposure and the health and behavior of youth. Dr. Dina Borzekowksi (Johns Hopkins) discussed the links between exposure to unrealistically thin images in the media and adolescents’ body dissatisfaction and disordered eating, while Dr. Sonya Grier (American University) commented on the barrage of food marketing directed at kids and the implications of those messages for the current child obesity epidemic. Understanding and combating the influence of food marketing, or any other negative messages, urged Dr. Grier, requires consideration of the combination of the frequency, content, and context of kids’ exposure to them. Dr. Victor Strasburger (University of New Mexico) and Dr. Craig Anderson (Iowa State University) described the state of the literature regarding relationships between media exposure and alcohol/drug use and aggressive behavior, respectively. Finally, Dr. Jane Brown (UNC Chapel Hill) rounded out the panel with a discussion of media’s role as a “pseudo-peer” and its influence on adolescents’ sexual behavior.

A particularly lively conversation about the usefulness of media literacy training emerged following the presentations; panelists and audience members alike debated whether media literacy training helped inoculate kids to potentially harmful media messages, or taught them to pay more attention to the messages thereby potentially heightening unfavorable effects.  Agreed upon by all was the need for more — and more rigorous — research on the protective effects of media literacy training for youth.

The researchers on the second panel reminded us that the influence of media is by no means always negative.  Dr. Dafna Lemish (Southern Illinois University) shared highlights from her research on how media can help children who are experiencing major conflict in their daily lives, such as war or natural disasters, by informing them, relieving their tension, and keeping them busy and out of harm’s way.  Dr. Michele Ybarra (Internet Solutions for Kids) described some of the international health interventions and evaluative research she has conducted with youth to lower their risk of HIV. Jim Multari described several on-going initiatives at Sprout aimed at promoting parent-child interaction and “one million acts of kindness” (check out their website to watch the count; currently over 140,000 acts of kindess from kids have been reported).  A presentation from Dr. Ellen Wartella (Northwestern) focused on the large and ever-growing body of research indicating that children learn academic knowledge from well-designed educational media, as well as pro-learning attitudes and behaviors that can have particularly strong and lasting positive effects.

The third panel of the day took the research a step further, as this batch of presenters discussed implications of research for media practitioners.  Picking up the theme of the earlier panels, their presentations focused on strategies for maximizing the positive potential and minimizing the risks of unfavorable influence of traditional and newer media platforms and content.  Dr. Jeanette Betancort (Sesame Workshop) explained the “Sesame model” as it pertains to educational outreach programs like the military families initiative.  After deciding on a particular child need to focus on, chosen based on child development science and/or current events in society (e.g., large military deployments), Jeanette’s team forms and convenes an advisory board of experts, and then conducts formative focus group research with English- and Spanish-speaking families.  With the information gleaned from this process they design outreach materials and then conduct summative research to ensure that their efforts are meeting children’s needs.

Dr. Kevin Clark (George Mason University) discussed his work teaching high school students to design their own educational video games for the National STEM Challenge.  Notably, he reported increased math and science games among these students after two years of participation in his program.  Dr. Clark stressed that interventions like training in video game design should not be considered a “one-time thing,” but rather should be on-going to find maximum impact.  He emphasized further that children’s and adolescents’ own agency in creating the games is a really powerful learning mechanism, especially when there is a specific goal for their created projects, like submission to the STEM Challenge.

Our own Executive Director, Dr. Michael Levine presented on this panel as well, and discussed the importance of child development models that consider children’s whole social ecology as well as the need to extend these models into the modern digital age.  To this end, he presented Cooney Center findings regarding the ability of well-designed digital media platforms and content to reunite generations, and how the Center is conceptualizing the “new co-viewing” through initiatives like our e-book line of research.

A final highlight of the event was an award ceremony during which Rosemarie Truglio, Melvin Ming, and Elmo accepted on behalf of Sesame Workshop the APPC’s “Award for Excellence in Children’s Media.”  The Workshop received accolades for over 40 years of educating and entertaining children through the “Sesame Model”.  These tributes came from the APPC hosts as well as esteemed scholars Dr. Dan Anderson (University of Massachusetts Amherst) and Dr. Sandy Calvert (Georgetown).  Naturally, Elmo stole the show, and perhaps the Annenberg Public Policy Center will even take his advice and rename their institution “Actors Playing Polite Chickens”…  I think it has a ring to it.

All photos courtesy of ASC.

The Consortium for School Networking (CoSN) has released “Making Progress: Rethinking State and School District Policies Concerning Mobile Technologies and Social Media.”  While the title is just barely tweetable at 110 characters, the report could essentially be boiled down to just four letters: BYOT:  Bring your own technology (twitter hashtag #BYOT.)

The goal of the policy report, which is the result of a convening of senior level education leaders and policy makers in December 2011 by CoSN and the FrameWorks Institute, is to influence and inform educators and policymakers to “address new digital media in the context of improved learning.”  It hopes to highlight both the affordances and drawbacks around the use of social media, mobile devices and emerging digital technologies in the classrooms, in order to reconcile policy with both the changing landscape of education, and the changing skills needed by students in the 21st century.  The report boldly advances the once revolutionary and now widely accepted premise that our schools-most of whom only allow students to bring mobile devices to use on breaks and in emergencies-should actually integrate the use of these devices and ubiquitous social media into deeper and more personalized curriculum and teaching strategies.

The report suggests that while compliance with federal regulations such as the Child Internet Protection Act (CIPA)  and E-rate is indispensable to schools across the country, the yeoman’s load of the responsibility for setting acceptable use policies (AUP) as well as scalable integration of ever-changing technology should reside at the district or state level. This individuation may include allowing students to bring their own technology, as well as lifting the ban on mobile technology in classrooms. Driving these recommendations are five critical observations regarding digital media and devices in K-12 schools.

1.       Usage of mobile devices and social media is widespread.  Harnessing this usage allows educators to create more teachable moments in and out of the classroom, and construct and support personalized learning as well as peer-to-peer dialogue.

2.      Social media and mobile devices offer “substantial educational benefits” for students and schools.  The report cites a non-comprehensive list of six possible benefits of this usage, including the importance of mastering 21st century skills that will be key throughout a person’s life.  It also lists five examples of how technology and education can be integrated.

3.       The current realities of mobile device and social media use among students need to be reflected in federal, state and local policies and procedures.  If use of these are increased in schools, policies and AUPs must be updated to instill the knowledge of students in regards to their use.

4.       Plans to structure a positive use of social media and digital technology must be facilitated.  Possible negative behaviors such as TMI, sexting or bullying should be addressed.

5.       Digital Equity.  Instituting a BYOT policy, even with the most consciences AUPs, can increase the digital divide.   Additionally, the use of social media for teachable moments outside the classroom presumes Internet access for all students. As the report says, “Failure to address this will create a critical fault line in the differential learning opportunities available. . . potentially leave some groups of students ill prepared to join in our country’s  21st century workforce.”

The report, based on these observations, follows with suggestions to policymakers, including: rescinding bans on mobile devices and social media in classrooms and emphasizing professional development for all stakeholders that focuses not only on technological integration for higher quality instruction, but also “the ethical, legal and practical issues related to social networking and mobile devices in the classroom.”  It also offers some “real world cases” of classroom integration of digital innovation tools.

The Cooney Center has joined an alliance of educational and public engagement organizations like CoSN and the FrameWorks Institute in advancing many of the ideas in the report.  While technology, well deployed, has great potential for strengthening the quality and impact of our educational system, the issues raised in this important report point out that schools have a long way to go in considering emerging “best practices.”

Read the full report on the COSN website.

Here at the Cooney Center, we have seen the need to provide research-based guidance to help sift through the mountains of kids’ media that is out there (see our reports Always Connected and D Is for Digital) — so we are thrilled that Common Sense Media (CSM), the almost 10-year-old organization known for smart guidance and reviews of kids’ media, has beta-launched a new “ratings” system that deepens the appeal of their already appealing website. The ratings are intended to advise CSM’s audience of parents and educators on the learning potential of websites, video games, and mobile apps.  Products are rated on a 4-point scale: Not for Learning, Fair for Learning, Good for Learning, and Best for Learning. In addition, rich content is provided under headings such as What Kids Can Learn, What It’s About, and How Parents Can Help.

This last heading is especially useful for parents like me, hungry to engage with my digitally native children on their turf. Nice to see a) whether there is any learning potential to the addiction du jour (Draw Something, anyone?), and b) what skills might be developing during all those hours of play.

The CSM reviewers also analyze digital media products for core academic content like reading, math, and science, as well as deeper learning and social skills such as critical thinking, creativity, and collaboration. Media producers striving to create engaging products with learning potential should take a look at the new CSM ratings system, and those with products already on the market can check out how they’ve been assessed (and yes, there is a comments feature should you want to take issue).

The beta launched with ratings of about 150 products, with more than 800 expected by the end of 2012. CSM says that all new products will now be reviewed for learning potential as they enter the market, while their earlier digital media reviews will be updated on an ongoing basis.

The new CSM rating system was made possible through a partnership with SCE, a foundation created by Susan Crown, and based on a comprehensive research and evaluation framework. The framework was developed after conducting interviews with academic experts, a literature review of key 21st-century learning skills, and research with national samples of parents and teachers. (Full disclosure: I served as an advisory board member for this initiative.)

Check it out!  http://www.commonsensemedia.org/learning-ratings

This past fall, I wrote a blog post for the Cooney Center about my experiences at the annual DIY Days conference at UCLA.  In that post, I wrote [emphasis added in bold]:

“Many of the people I met are deeply invested in new ways to approach the role of media in children’s learning ecologies.  I believe that various projects presented at DIY Days (including R<3S and another very special project I’ll share in a later post) have deep implications for […] problematizing and improving education processes and outcomes in the U.S. and internationally.”

That very special project was Caine’s Arcade.

This morning, I’m beaming because the collective digital bits of the Internet have enabled the rapid spread of the story of Caine’s handcrafted analog world, in the form of a 10-minute movie by producer/director Nirvan Mullick.  As I write this, the Caine’s Arcade Scholarship Fund has raised over $70,000 for his college education.  I’m sure that before the day is over that number will be much closer, if not have surpassed, the $100,000 target.

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