Technology, pedagogy and digital production: a case study of children learning new media skills

Abstract

This article focuses on data collected from a project called ‘Shared Spaces: Informal Learning and Digital Cultures’. The project aimed to build links between young peoples' leisure and learning experiences, by engaging with the content and styles of learning connected with digital cultures in homes and community centres. The article focuses on issues around technology and pedagogy by analysing data collected from computer games making course for young people aged 9–13. The data from the games class is analysed in relation to three models of learning: constructionism, constructivism and situated learning. The article focuses on how these different models explain varying components of the learning environment, and specifically how models work in relation to digital media. The article raises questions about types of software used with this age range and also discusses implications in terms of pedagogy for the use of different software packages.