As a graduate student studying games for learning, and a general geek extraordinaire, I’ve been given the unique opportunity this summer to teach a new online program for kids who want to learn how to design video games. E-Line Media, a Cooney Center partner in the National STEM Video Game Challenge, and the creator of the game-building […]
Monthly Archives: July 2012

Building Skills from Scratch
July 30, 2012
When it comes to digital media for kids, there is no lack of options in terms of what kids are consuming. From television, to computer games, to e-books, apps, and so much more, children are consuming media in constantly expanding ways. In such an increasingly crowded digital landscape, it’s important to consider the skills that […]

Designing Games for Students
July 25, 2012
Hello again! When I wrote my blog post on my experiences as one of the Educator Winners from the 2012 STEM Video Game Challenge, I didn’t have a chance to discuss my method for designing games for students. I’ve thought about this quite a bit, and wanted to share some of my tips with other aspiring […]
Michael Levine at EETC 2012
July 24, 2012

Lessons Learned Leading a Creative Jam
July 23, 2012
Mark Rabo recently led a Creative Jam as part of the TIFF Nexus New Media Literacies Conferences that took place in Toronto this spring. We asked him to share some tips for producers interested in collaborating with others in this innovative format that inspires creativity while harnessing the talents of its participants. “Good artists steal” “Everything […]

Math Teacher Designs Winning Game for Students
July 16, 2012
Hello everyone! My name is Marty Esterman and I am the Educator Grand Prize winner for the PBS Kids stream in this year’s STEM Video Game Challenge event for my entry, AdditionBlocks. I have been quite humbled by this whole experience-and I want to thank The Joan Ganz Cooney Center, PBS Kids, E-Line Media, and the […]

Es Tiempo de Cambiar: Redesigning Research Design with Hispanic-Latino Families and Media
July 12, 2012
As I have described in my previous two posts, the Hispanic-Latino Families and Digital Technologies Forum, held June 8th in Washington DC, yielded rich discussion among the researchers, practitioners, policymakers, and media producers convened by the National Center for Family Literacy (NCFL), Joan Ganz Cooney Center (JGCC), and National Council of La Raza (NCLR). One […]

TIFF Nexus – Conferences With a Twist
July 9, 2012
This past spring, TIFF Nexus hosted a series of conferences and creative jams to explore new ways of creating media in Toronto, in which our own Carly Shuler participated. We invited Jam Leader Mark Rabo to tell us more about what sets TIFF Nexus apart from other conferences about youth and media. TIFF is known […]
Carly Shuler at TIFF Nexus: New Media Literacies
July 5, 2012

Pushing past the digital divide in research of Latino families’ media practices
July 3, 2012
In my first post from the Hispanic-Latino Families and Digital Technologies Forum, I described participants’ commentary regarding the importance of digital literacy for advancing equity and the need to ensure high quality content and engagement in order to optimize the enormous educational potential of digital media. Numerous participants in the forum also stressed the constant need […]