Liveblogging from MacArthur Press Conference on Digital Learning

The MacArthur Foundation announced today at the Museum of Natural History their new initiative to provide $50 million to fund universities and non-profits for work on using technology for education.   I'm at the press conference right now. 

MacArthur President Jonathan Fanton's summarized the proceeding with the following six points:

1. This is a paradigm shift in technology and society
2. We need to know more and proceed in engaging this shift from the basis of knowledge not fear and anxiety.
3. This is not just about kids, but about spanning the generations.
4. We are learning what it means for learning to be initiated by children.  This will help us re-design schools and institutions.
5. This is about institutional change, schools, libraries, after school physical locations, and virtual worlds. Even changing the MacArthur Foundation.
6. There is much good to be gained from cross-cultural education.  Digital space is more equal and respectful of difference.

More detailed notes after the jump...

Some points I want to highlight from the press conference:

Jonathon Fanton, President of Macarthur Foundation: This is the first generation growing up digital.  We want to help institutions adapt to this new reality. Initiative starting in US, but will broaden to other countries.

There was a demonstration of Second Life in background.  Hi, guys!

Henry Jenkins, Director of the MIT Comparative Media Studies Program and author of Convergence Culture: Where Old and New Media Collide and Fans, Bloggers and Gamers: Exploring Participatory Culture.

• We're closing the Digital Divide in the US. We've moved from the Digital Divide to the Participation Gap.  Between those of who have regular access and those who don't.
• Kid's creating their own media example: kid's writing fan-fic around the Harry Potter universe.
• Parent's Role: traditionally it has been to limit screen time. That's not enough.  There's an opportunity for parents to be involved in their kids digital lives. This extends to community centers, to youth groups, to churches etc.

Dr. Mizuko Ito, Research Scientist, Annenberg Center for Communication, University of Southern California, studying new media (doing ethnography of kid's digital media use)

• Most of children's digital media use is centered around play and communication, not education. We're focused on out-of-school behaviors.
• We know a lot about what happens in classrooms, we know much less about what happens outside of it.
• Kid-driven learning.  Taking perspective of how kid's learning on their own terms in less formal settings.
• Pokemon and Yo-Gi-Go Card Play: Combination of cards, TV, electronic gaming, internet traffic.  Very complex media systems.  Kids learning about trading and selling their cards is a learning experience on markets and valuing goods.
• We also need to intervene in the private sector - video game companies, MySpace, YouTube, etc.  This is an area where we have less experience in intervening in. 

Dr. Nichole Pinkard, Director of Technology and Research Associate, Center for School Improvement, University of Chicago, working to expand after-school media literacy programs

• Implications: need to rethink what is a learning environment.  Asks who are educators? 
• Ubiquity of computing has taken away some of the responsibility from teachers for being the only facilitator of access. Kids are creating their own media, on their own time, outside of the classroom.

Q&A

• Changing incentive structure at educational institutions to reward non-traditional digital learning environments. 
• Study of multi-tasking of youth?
• What is the role of libraries?  Both physical and virtual space for kids.
• My question I didn't get to ask : Who is doing work in advocating positive government policy interventions in this digital learning space? As opposed to being oriented to regulating content, new media as preying on children, etc, but actually raising the next generation to use these tools effectively for learning.

MacArthur President Fanton's Summary:

1. This is a paradigm shift in technology and society
2. We need to know more and proceed in engaging this shift from the basis of knowledge not fear and anxiety
3. This is not just about kids, but about spanning the generations
4. We are learning what it means for learning to be initiated by children.  This will help us re-design schools and institutions.
5. This is about institutional change, schools, libraries, after school physical locations, and virtual worlds. Even changing the MacArthur Foundation.
6. There is much good to be gained from cross-cultural education.  Digital space is more equal and respectful of different.

MacArthur is investing $50 million over the next five years in this work, budgeting $10 million a year, $2 million just for research and innovative projects.  This conversation will continue on the blog at http://spotlight.macfound.org/.  This is the beginning of a fruitful dialogue.