Spotlight on Digital Media And Learning

4.7.09 | The MacArthur Foundation and HASTAC have planned a series of events to celebrate the winners of the 2008 Digital Media and Learning Competition and to showcase winning projects supported under the inaugural competition.

The competition is funded by a grant to the University of California, Irvine, and administered by the Humanities, Arts, Science and Technology Advanced Collaboratory (HASTAC), a joint project of Duke University and the University of California Humanities Research Institute.

The 2008 Digital Media and Learning Competition included two categories: Innovation in Participatory Learning and Young Innovators.

The Innovation in Participatory Learning category sought novel projects that used digital media to help learners of any age use new technologies to share ideas, comment upon one another’s projects, and plan, design, implement, or simply discuss their goals and ideas together. Applications were accepted from Canada, Japan, Mexico, the Netherlands, Nigeria, the People’s Republic of China, Russia, Singapore, South Africa, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

Young Innovators, a U.S.-only category for this year, accepted applications from individuals aged 18–25 to bring novel participatory learning ideas from the “garage” stage to full implementation and to think boldly about what comes next.

Events include:

• Opening Reception and Concert
A Digital Media and Learning Competition winner, PLOrk is a visionary musical ensemble of laptopists that in its short lifetime has performed at Carnegie Hall and inspired similar orchestras from Oslo to Bangkok.
Thursday, April 16
Reception, 5:30 p.m.
Performance with Q&A, 6:30 p.m.
Newberry Library, 60 W. Walton Street, Chicago
Free and open to the public but limited seating available; RSVP required by April 14

• Digital Media and Learning Competition Winners’ Showcase
Winners of the first Digital Media and Learning Competition will showcase their work through panel discussions, interactive demonstrations, and exhibits.
Friday, April 17
9:30 a.m.–3 p.m.
Palmer House Hilton,
17 E. Monroe Street,
Chicago
Free and open to the public; RSVP encouraged by April 14

Schedule of Events for April 17, 2009
9:30–10:30 a.m.: Panel Discussion Featuring Inaugural Competition Winners Black Cloud, Sustainable South Bronx GreenFab, and Virtual Peace
10:30–11:15 a.m.: Conversation on Participatory Learning with Mizuko Ito and Howard Rheingold
11:30 a.m.–3 p.m.: Interactive Exhibition of 17 Winners’ Projects from the Inaugural Competition

Click here for a detailed schedule of Friday’s events, including panel speakers/topics and descriptions of exhibitors’ projects.