Spotlight on Digital Media And Learning

4.27.11 | Can education and entertainment sectors work together to create new media that genuinely helps children to learn?

While we’ve already seen collaborations work by way of gaming platforms such as “Gamestar Mechanic,” which teaches kids systems thinking and collaboration skills as they design their own games (see classroom case studies here), a two-day forum in May aims to strengthen the connections among leaders in education, game design, film, television, mobile innovation, philanthropy and policy.

The Joan Ganz Cooney Center’s 2011 Leadership Forum - Learning from Hollywood: Can Entertainment Media Ignite an Education Revolution? - will challenge participants “to identify and activate practical industry actions,” bridging the divide between learning in and out of school. While it’s an invite-only event, co-hosted by the USC School of Cinematic Arts, an open website and blog have been created to start the conversation.

In the introductory post, Joan Ganz Cooney writes:

Almost fifty years ago, then FCC Commissioner Newt Minow famously characterized television as a “vast wasteland.” Public and private sectors were not aligned and funding for innovation was sparse. Of course, Sesame Street and the shows that followed in its footsteps changed that, and today there more than 70 preschool programs in the US alone aimed at educating and entertaining young children.

But now children are facing a new vast wasteland in their digital offerings—a wasteland, frankly, that’s scaring many parents and educators. In a world where videogames, virtual worlds, and mobile media are ubiquitous, shouldn’t we expect that some of them will meet children’s educational needs?

In this Q&A, Carla Sanger, president and CEO of BEST After School Enrichment Program in Los Angeles, discusses the impact of digital media on children’s development. On the subject of values and skills that media can help promote, Sanger notes the importance of digital citizenship, especially as children grow into older users of technology.

“Media that instill values such as online courtesy and etiquette and promote online safety should be targeted at young users, just as good manners are taught, so that from an early age children are discerning and equipped to interact appropriately online,” says Sanger.

In another post, Ryan Blitstein, executive director of the social investment group SCE, acknowledges that no one really knows where the “killer apps” for digital learning will come from—and he explains the constraints on and lacks of incentives in place for textbook publishers, entertainment and media conglomerates, and digital learning start-ups.

In terms of academic, government and social sector successes (all lumped together), Blitstein, who oversees SCE’s Digital Learning program, gives a shout-out to successes such as “Gamestar Mechanic” and “Sesame Street,” though adds: “But it’s unclear that in a distributed, networked world, civic-minded organizations can create competitive products. The real wild card is the open educational resources movement. It’s hard to underestimate OER’s potential after visiting a site like Khan Academy. Nevertheless, how to create quality standards and achieve financial sustainability remain open questions.”

Where else does he see real potential? Look no further than kids themselves.

“Don’t laugh,” writes Blitstein, “look at what teens are creating in the Scratch community, ThinkQuest competitions, and the STEM Challenge. The concept of kid designer-entrepreneurs raises concerns (privacy, commercialism), but if the field is serious about helping kids learn to create and innovate, we need to take seriously what kids are already creating.”

Forum participants are looking to engage on the blog, so whether or not you’re headed to the Leadership Forum in May, you can participate in discussions.