Category: Blog
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Chicago Summer of Learning: Turning an Entire City into a Classroom
Collaboration can be complicated. Any coordinated effort with several moving parts is inherently complex. But what if those moving parts include hundreds of youth programs, thousands of young people, and a legion of community and civic organizations? There’s not really a word to describe it—because it had never happened before. This past summer was a…
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What Do Raspberry Pi and Learning to Code Have in Common? (Hint: 1975)
Think about your laptop, iPad, or smartphone. Are they toys, or something used for entertainment? Maybe they’re appliances, with internal components that work when you push a button without your knowing why. What about when a child thinks of computers—does he or she see a toy, an appliance, or something else? Some experts have argued…
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Are Youth as Digitally Savvy as We Think?
In today’s digitally saturated climate, when toddlers are using iPads and new technologies are finding their way into classrooms, it may be easy to assume that today’s kids are what learning and technology expert Marc Prensky described as “digital natives” in his provocative 2001 paper “Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants.” “Today’s students are no longer the people our educational system…
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New Report Details the Successes and Opportunities of Chicago’s YOUmedia
Mentorship, digital tools, and adaptable interest-driven learning are the recipe for YOUmedia success. Since opening the first YOUmedia space in Chicago’s Harold Washington Library Center (HWLC) in 2009, organizers from the Digital Youth Network, MacArthur Foundation, and the Chicago Public Library have worked to empower youth using digital media tools and mentorship. The informal, yet…
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DreamYard’s Out of School Programs Received the National Arts & Humanities Youth Program Awards 2012
“Chosen from a pool of more than 350 nominations and 50 finalists, DreamYard was one of 12 after-school and out-of-school programs across the country to receive the award, which is a once in a life-time award and the highest honor such programs can receive in the United States.” Click here to read the whole story.…