Concept
Rationale
New media and technology are changing the way in which we interact with information in today’s age. Everything from how people experience their physical world to how they record their experiences is often in a constant dialogue with both new and old forms of media and technology. This proportional relationship can lead one to ask a certain number of questions, including those that debate the implications of media and technology on the human experience, as well as on social and cultural structures. While some argue that technology and modern media are harmful to society, others value the advancements which are made possible by these tools. Personally, I tend to fall somewhere in between those two opinions, for while I can appreciate the innovation and opportunity that technology brings, I am also critical of the disproportionate effects that it can have on groups. For example, a technology whose infrastructure disfavors minorities, or media that uses AR or VR to perpetuate negative stereotypes in more realistic ways, all showcase this negative side that may be perpetuated by an otherwise enthralling computational tool.It is consequently the case that I find the study of new media and technology against the backdrop of child education and schooling to be one of great importance and complexity. While some argue that a technology-riddled environment is harmful to education, others see the potential that computers and technology have to reinvent how children and adolescents access and learn information (Papert, Seymour). Thus, when thinking of possible areas to research and eventually utilize to create a prototype for thesis work, I am immediately drawn to the exploration of the relationship between media and child education.
As someone who has worked with Teach for America to create curriculums for lower-school children in public schools, and has tutored children in local after-school programs for over 4 years, I am aware of how it is almost inevitable to stop technology from getting inside a classroom (or learning space). From observational tactics, I have gathered that most kids from a lower school age up have some sort of digital device. So to me, the question is not “how do we stop technology from taking over their lives?” but rather “how can we produce conscious tech-content that favors the learning process and path through the school system?”. When thinking about the latter, and my current environment as a student at an L.A. university, I am drawn to ponder upon how a media maker like myself can create something that impacts some facet of my community. In this case, I am interested in exploring how media and technology can merge to create something that benefits the children in local education sites by engaging them with an entertaining technology that doubles as a tool to aid them in their academic journeys.
While I think this proposal could have many outcomes, it would be interesting to start at a smaller scale and focus on how media and technology can merge to make learning environments for children within USC’s own campus more engaging and interactive. Initially, I thought about JEP programs and Teach for Los Angeles programs and how they could be encouraged to engage more with media and tech. However, thinking of how I could use my own skills to encourage this sort of creation led me to wander somewhere else, outside the classroom and into a more non-structured environment. By this, I am referring to the hundreds of tours that USC gives to children of a wide age-range each month. While many USC students and staff guide these tours and show younger students around campus, the tour that they receive is ultimately structured in very repetitive ways. Some of the children I have talked to while tutoring at A Place Called Home near USC often say that they already know all the buildings, and compete in trying to name them all, because of how many time their own local schools have brought them to do the tour at USC. While these tours are certainly encouraging to children and ask them to envision their careers in academia in certain ways, they can also get very monotone for many of the children (specially in the local public schools) that carry out the same tour over the years.
This is where the powers of computational tools and media can come in to help change the monotonous factor. Since media and technology can be used to create programs that are interactive, change over time, and tell stories in new ways, why not use such combinations to create elements to make USC tours more fun and engaging? If we could incorporate technology in a way that is both captivating for the students and also helpful to their academia, we could showcase the impact that responsible technology and media may have on a child’s education. So, instead of delivering a scripted speech about the many majors in the Cinema school, children could be directed to click something on a device that shows them clips of films from SCA graduates, while also delivering some industry terminology or educational facts related to cinematic arts. A program like this has the potential to become moldable and interchangeable. For example, one could choose from a couple of age groups and thus the program would yield different content. For the younger children, instead of just touring Campus Center and hearing some facts, they could be prompted to play a game (make-your-own pizza) while they hear about the food options on campus, student life and more. Older students (i.e. high school seniors) could be prompted to “take a quiz” and answer questions to find out what USC major and minor they should be in based on their personality. I believe that elements like these, when incorporated into a sort of compact experience, would have a positive impact on how local children experience USC tours, and ultimately have the potential to positively impact their academic experience.
In terms of carrying out research for this exploratory exercise, I think it makes sense to start out with some research on how technology both helps and hinders education in the classroom and elsewhere. Furthermore, I will look at statistics on how today’s kids are engaging with technology, such as how many use phones, interact with games, etc. I will also look for examples of media that uses modern technology to engage some sort of academic aspect that benefit children. This could be anything from successful LeapFrog content, to software developed specifically with the education of children in mind. I will also attempt to mock-up some of the media content I myself would create with the purposes outlined in the write-up. Once I have collected some media-rich content, I will try to apply it to my own aspirations for a possible prototype in the future.
