Transcript Positive Technological Development: Working with children

POSITIVE TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENT:
WORKING
WITH CHILDREN, COMPUTERS
AND THE INTERNET
MARINA U. BERS (2007)
Lindsay Gray CS8932
Research
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Descriptive approaches: technology research aimed
at understanding what young people ARE doing
with technology
Interventionist approaches: technology research
which takes a large focus on understanding which
children COULD be doing with technology
Educational Technology
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A shift from technology use within the areas of math
and science learning and education to more
research interests related to the use of technology
in supporting children’s positive development and
learning about the self
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Within the field of Educational Technology there are
two movements related to the use of technology and
teaching and learning with technology:
COMPUTER LITERACY: instrumental skills
COMPUTER FLUENCY: how to learn and think with
technology in meaningful ways, creativity, expression,
the use and application of technology in effortless ways

What’s missing?
-researchers need to be looking at how
computers influence children’s personal/social
emotional lives
-therefore children need more
skills than just computer literacy and fluency
They also need to develop:
-confidence and competence in using the computer
-character traits supporting their communications and
connections with others in a safe way
*opportunities also need to be created for children to think about
a better world through the use of the computer
Positive Technological Development
(PTD)
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This framework is interested in asking the following
questions:
“How can children use technology in
positive ways to help themselves and
the world?”
“How can educators and researchers develop programs that
help children use technology to learn new things,
express themselves in creative ways, to communicate
effectively, to take care of themselves and each other and
to contribute in positive ways to the self and the world?”
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PTD is supported by two theoretical frameworks:
-Papert’s constructionism
-Positive Youth Development
Appraoch
PTD is both a theoretical framework and a
developmental trajectory; development is
encouraged through technology and programs
which support positive behaviours
The “six Cs by six Cs model”
Communication
Caring
Collaboration
Connection
CommunityBuilding
Contribution
Content
Creation
Competence
Creativity
Confidence
Conduct
Character
A Practical Application of the PTD
Model: The Zora Virtual World
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An on-going project from the Children`s Hospital in
Boston, connected with the Psychiatry and
Transplant programs at the hospital
A virtual world connecting
youth (ages 11-15)
Zora is suggested to support
both positive self-identity and
sense of community
http://ase.tufts.edu/devtech/tools.html
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Features of the virtual city
-creating characters (the use of avatars)
-building and designing virtual homes and other aspects of city life (both
created by children and co-ordinators)
Examples.....
-the creation of a virtual newspaper, virtual health museum, city hall and
values dictionary for Zora citizens
-chat and send messages to other users and the use of bulletin boards to
post memos
-engage in virtual support groups and set up weekly activities to foster
exploration of coping strategies, a sharing of concerns
References
Bers, M. (2007). Positive technological development: Working
with children, computers and the internet. The Periodical of the
Massachusetts Psychological Association, 51(1), 5-19.
Dev Tech Tools
Retrieved from http://ase.tufts.edu/devtech/tools.html