Latest NewsNew Study Shows Time Spent Online Important for Teen Development(November 20, 2008) — Results from the most extensive U.S. study on teens and their use of digital media show that America’s youth are developing important social and technical skills online — often in ways adults do not understand or value. New Study Shatters Gaming Stereotypes(September 16, 2008) — A major new study (PDF) carried out by the Pew Internet and American Life Project in collaboration with the Civic Education Research Group at Mills College shatters stereotypes about teens and video games. Contrary to the notion of the lone gamer playing violent video games, the study reveals that game playing can incorporate many aspects of civic and political life and is social, nearly universal, and encompasses a variety of genres, including racing, puzzle, action and adventure games. |
The MacArthur Foundation launched its five-year, $50 million digital media and learning initiative in 2006 to help determine how digital technologies are changing the way young people learn, play, socialize, and participate in civic life. Answers are critical to developing educational and other social institutions that can meet the needs of this and future generations. The initiative is both marshaling what is already known about the field and seeding innovation for continued growth.
On this website you can find:
information about ongoing projects and emerging research;
a link to the Spotlight blog, where visitors can engage with initiative grantees about their work; and
information about the open-call Digital Media & Learning Competition, which provides $2 million in awards to innovators shaping the field. 
