News & Announcements$2 Million Competition Seeks Ideas to Transform LearningAs President Obama called for new efforts to reimagine and improve education in science and math, MacArthur is launching a $2 million open competition for ideas to transform learning using digital media. President Obama Launches National Lab Day PartnershipPresident Obama announced the launch of a new initiative, National Lab Day, to reinvigorate science and math education in the nation’s schools and learning centers. Event — The Power of Youth Voice: What Kids Learn When They Create with Digital MediaThis forum, held in Philadelphia, brought together experts in digital media and learning to share their research and experiences from in and outside of the classroom. New Center Seeds Research, Collaboration on Digital Media & LearningA newly-created Digital Media & Learning Research Hub located at the University of California-Irvine will provide an international center to study the impact of digital media on young people's learning. Design Challenge to Expand Possibities for Learning OnlineThe Mozilla Foundation launched the Jetpack for Learning Design Challenge to create Mozilla Firefox add-ons to unlock new possibilities for learning online. Meeting of Minds: Cross-Generational Dialogue on the Ethics of Digital LifeA MacArthur-sponsored report based on the first cross-generational online conversation on digital media and ethics highlights the differences in how adults and youth think about ethical issues online. The report was prepared by Global Kids, Inc., Harvard’s GoodPlay Project, and Common Sense Media. Digital Media Are Changing How Young People Learn — Education Experts Urge New Policy ConsiderationsA panel of experts participating in a Capitol Hill briefing stated that digital media are changing the way young people learn, play, socialize and participate in civic life, and these changes have important policy implications. New Online Game Teaches About the Courts"Our Courts," a new national civics education project backed by retired U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, is using computer games to help young people learn. Edutopia Announces the Digital Generation ProjectThe MacArthur-supported project aims to help educators and parents understand how digital media are changing today’s youth. MacArthur Island Opens in Virtual World of Second LifeThe island is a new laboratory for MacArthur’s two-year exploration of virtual worlds, led by the University of Southern California and the nonprofit Global Kids. Global Competition Selects 19 Innovative Digital Media & Learning Projects to Share $2 Million(April 16, 2009) — In a $2 million competition funded by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, winners include a radically affordable $12 TV-computer, a video blogging site for young women in Mumbai, India, and a cutting-edge mobile phone application that lets children conduct digital wildlife spotting and share that information with friends. Groundbreaking Online-Only Journal from MIT Press(March 30, 2009) — With support from the MacArthur Foundation, MIT Press announces the publication of the first issue of The International Journal of Learning and Media (IJLM), which will examine the intersection of media and learning in multiple contexts. New 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.
If you are a reporter looking for more information about MacArthur's Digital Learning initiative, contact: Jen Humke |
