Category Archives: Industry

I’ve recently read a few articles listing the pros, cons, and questions1 2 3 that come up when we think about the changes education will and is already experiencing with the introduction of AI into learning environments. It seems this topic of personalized learning powered by AI warrants a bit of digging from a fellow concerned adult who is curious about the changing landscape of educational technologies. Going into this work, I wondered: What does personalized learning infused with AI…

As a researcher focusing on AI and child development (and also as a parent of two), I have seen many instances of kids talking to conversational AI agents like Siri, Alexa, or ChatGPT. It seems that kids turn to AI agents to satisfy their curiosity, asking things like what six plus six equals, how far away black holes are, or how to make an invisible potion. And sometimes kids engage in what feels like social chitchat: they share their favorite…

The Call for Applications is now open through October 11, 2024.  If you follow our work, you may have seen the incredible results produced by our inaugural cohort of Well-Being by Design Fellows.  Building from the success of the first year of this program, the Joan Ganz Cooney Center is thrilled to announce a second year of the Well-being by Design Fellowship, supported by Pinterest.  We invite applications from mid-career designers of kids’ technology and media who want to prioritize…

The Joan Ganz Cooney Center is thrilled to announce the 10 fellows who have joined our inaugural Well-being by Design Fellowship, which is supported by Pinterest and foundry10. The fellows were selected from a pool of nearly 100 talented applicants through a rigorous review process. The organizations that our fellows represent range from small to large companies; all of them share a passion for creating great digital experiences for young people. The purpose of the fellowship is to promote “well-being…

Kids had fun using Design Squad Maker, saying they liked “figuring out a problem to solve” and “making something useful with my hands and figuring out how it works and how to fix and make it better.” When science and engineering learning in schools takes a back seat to math and reading, a child’s extended community can fill in the gaps. According to the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) elementary school science position statement, “Tapping into the broader scientific community…

How can we design the digital world in the best interests of children? What principles should guide innovators of digital products and services that may impact children’s lives? In the Digital Futures Commission, we asked ourselves, how can we translate the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) into a tool that’s practical for designers and developers? Digital technologies are part of the infrastructure of children’s daily lives. They are no longer optional for children but, indeed, crucial to…

What happens when you are trying to design a new technology for kids and things do not go as expected?  In the case of the University of Maryland KidsTeam, you might help create Nickelodeon’s Do Not Touch button—an interactive button that plays with kids’ desire to do exactly what they’ve been told not to do. This is an example of the Cooperative Inquiry method of technology co-design in action, where children engage in the design process in equal partnership with…

The following article was originally published on Net Family News and appears here with permission. Even though the United States is the only country on the planet that hasn’t ratified the nearly 34-year-old UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, US-based companies that serve kids and teens around the world no longer have any excuse not to uphold their rights. Why is that the case? Not “only” because young people’s lives are now “digital by default,” as psychology professor Sonia Livingstone wrote, or…

Educational media for children should be designed to ensure learning is meaningful and playful. Children should actively engage with content, connect material to what matters to them, and have a joyful and social experience.1  However, research shows that many apps are not designed in ways that support these and other research-based principles.2 One way to ensure that new technologies meet children’s needs is to involve them in the design process. Allison Druin, a leader in the Cooperative Inquiry field and…

Building online communities that are healthy, inclusive, and allow people to be their authentic selves online is one of Riot’s core goals. It’s a complicated challenge and one we know we can’t do alone. That’s the inspiration behind our recent partnership with Ubisoft, our commitment to the Fair Play Alliance (FPA), and the Designing for Digital Thriving Challenge with IDEO. Back in October, Riot, IDEO, the FPA, and the Joan Ganz Cooney Center at Sesame Workshop put out a call…