Toward Connected Learning: Addressing Divergent Digital Media Repertoires and Interests With Latino Families

• In Event: Latino Families, Digital Media, and Learning

Abstract

Objectives. Families often negotiate what constitutes valuable play and learning experiences with new media (Sefton-Green, 2013). In our work on a Connected Learning Research Network (CLRN) study of the everyday lives and new media practices of Latino families, we found that mothers’ and children’s practices diverged the most around digital game play (authors, 2013; 2014; 2015). In this paper, we discuss the ways we addressed the contested territory of family digital media use as an important avenue to engage for the development of connected learning (Ito et al., 2013). We share findings from a design-based research intervention that sought to engage in productive dialogue and activity with children and parents about the opportunities and constraints of digital media, especially digital games, for learning.

Theoretical Framework/Perspectives. We employed several design-based research methods (Brown, 1992; Engestrom, 2011; Gutierrez, 2008) to instantiate an evolving intervention that sought to develop connected learning opportunities. Connected learning is conceptualized as learning that connects youths’ interests across the domains of the home, school, and peer groups towards consequential learning and life opportunity.

Methods/Data Sources. We situate this work in findings from a CLRN research study that included over 200 hours of videotaped participant-observation and 196 interviews with members of 14 predominately Latino families. The ongoing intervention, a video documentary club for elementary school-aged children, discussed in this paper leverages our prior findings about families’ digital media practices, families’ discourses of health and well-being, and their conceptualizations of digital and physical play (authors, 2013; 2014; 2015). We share the development process and findings from two iterations of the intervention. First, we discuss how focused return visits to three families reinforced observations that mothers were interested in and valued engagement with children around physical play or areas of their own interest more than digital game play. The video documentary club was subsequently developed in order to expand opportunities for activity around digital media use, while attending to mothers’ interests. In the club, children developed videos about digital game play and health practices through community interviews, documentation of practices, and feedback from parents. We present an analysis of families’ discourse and the video creation process and artifacts from a subset of participants (n=12).

Results. Our work indicates that mothers play an important role in shaping children’s conceptualizations of what counts as meaningful practice with digital media. We found that children took up their mothers’ discourse about digital game play even when they identified as gamers. In videos, children advocated for digital games as “exercise for the mind” but had far more evidence about their non-digital health practices. Two girls questioned, “do you think that playing on electronics is time well spent?”, and juxtaposed interviews representing the range of mothers’ technology discourse.

Significance. Upcoming work will continue to engage families around issues of new media, learning, and family well-being. Current findings support program development that addresses family media repertoires and interests, especially in the area of family health, for shared learning opportunities.

Authors

• Lisa Hope Schwartz, University of Colorado, Boulder

• Daniela Kruel DiGiacomo, University of Colorado - Boulder