[dmi] Hanging Out, Messing Around, Geeking Out - Digital Youth's Findings
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Today Mimi Ito and the Digital Youth Research group released their long awaited ethnographic report on kids informal learning through digital media, and it's a must read for any parent, educator, policy maker, journalist or administrator who's ever heard the word MySpace. More than anything else, it dispels the myth that youth involvement with the connected, digital world is at best a waste of time and at worst an impediment to their social development. The report outlines the variegated and granular nature of youth habits online, differentiating between those that use technology to "hang out" with friends they already have face to face, those that "mess around" with tech through tinkering and creating, and those that "geek out" through deep engagement with global online communities that are oriented around a common interest.
I think that the most important thing I'd highlight in terms of its relevance to educators is the fact that youth are engaging in self directed learning online, developing habits around the exploration of knowledge areas and skill sets that will be critical later on. One of the key things that we're attempted to do in both our online and offline programs here at Global Kids is create spaces where youth that have these passions personally can have a space to explore and develop them in a way that is safe and supported. I definitely hope that anyone reading this blog post takes the time to read the paper, and integrates at least some of what it has to say into their interactions with young people.
Read the executive overview. [pdf]
Read the full white paper. [pdf]
Read the book.
You can also see videos from the event titled "From MySpace to Hip Hop: New Media In the Everyday Lives of Youth" which we covered last Spring where many of the authors presented at length about the research. Part 1 is here, Part 2, here.
