Program
Day One – Thursday, July 13
| Time | Session | Details |
| 9:00 | Introduction | Sue Bennett |
| Welcome to Country | Aunty Denise Proud | |
| Opening Remarks | Susan Danby Gavin Sade |
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| 9:30 | Keynote Presentation | Rhianna Patrick Rhianna will speak about the representation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island communities in the mainstream Australian media, her experience as an Indigenous journalist and how to get young people thinking critically about the news they consume. |
| 10:30 | Young children speaking out about the digital world | Elodie and Ava; Chair: Amanda Levido. In this session we will be joined by two children who will share their thoughts on digital technology, including what they hope to see in the future. We will also showcase some projects within the Digital Child that centre the voices and perspectives of children. |
| 11:00 | Morning Tea | |
| 11:30 | Dreaming up dirtgirlworld | Cate McQuillen Explore the birth of 'dirtgirlworld' with Cate McQuillen, its visionary creator. From a humble bush Church home to Gene Simmons handing over an Emmy in Cannes , journey through her eco-adventures that inspire global change. Understand how storytelling can empower us to promote environmental stewardship, fostering a sustainable future. Be part of this insightful session on creating content that not only entertains but also educates and motivates the next generation towards eco-consciousness. Dive into the world of 'dirtgirlworld', a testament to the power of dreams, storytelling, and love for the environment. |
| 12:15 | Does the children’s metaverse exist? | Daniel Johnson, Jed Dawson, and Erika Verkaaik. Discussant: Michael Dezuanni The ‘metaverse’ has become one of the buzz words of the past couple of years. Some say Minecraft and Roblox are ‘metaverses’. But does the metaverse exist and are kids already in it? |
| 1:00 | Lunch | |
| 1:45 | Children, Media and Pandemic Parenting Panel | Hyeon-Seon Jeong , Xinyu (Andy) Zhao, Rebecca Willett, Sarah Healy This panel draws from an international comparative study to discuss the key actors that shape and influence children’s access to and experiences of connected learning across social and national settings. Following an introduction by Rebekah Willett, Hyeon-Seon Jeong will discuss South Korean parents’ roles as enablers and constrainers of digital literacy in the connected learning environment for their children. Sarah Healy will then draw on the Australian data to illustrate that when children learn how to make digital creations through programs run by cultural institutions, parents can develop an expanded idea of ‘creativity’, corresponding with new and/or enhanced affinity with children’s digital lifeworlds. Lastly, Andy Zhao will reflect on how China’s state policies and governance in relation to children’s online and extracurricular activities play a crucial role in producing the meanings of (connected) learning for parents and children. |
| 2:30 | Connected Learning Research Panel: Data in Focus | Kate Manell, Tama Leaver, and Luci Pangrazio While digital technologies have a range of benefits that help families organise, entertain, learn and connect, many of these processes rely on the generation, collection and processing of personal data. Yet the rules, policies and social norms around the sharing, ownership and future uses of personal data remain unclear. In response, regulators, advocates, and scholars have raised a range of concerns about how these processes might impact the rights of families and children. This panel will focus on how family life is datafied through everyday technologies in the home and the complex and nuanced connections between these technologies, the multi-billion dollar companies behind them, and their business models which are premised on datafication at an enormous scale. |
| 3:15 | EdTech start up pitches | Lauren Glina, Andrew Duval, and Troy Merrit In this session, three Australian industry experts will ‘pitch’ their innovative EdTech: 1) Lauren Glina from a.ga.pe, a build your own computer kit; 2) Troy Merritt from Bitlink, who supply classroom programming kits with micro:bits; and 3) Andrew Duval from Frankenstories, which is a live multiplayer online writing game. After hearing all three ‘pitches’, the EdTech experts will sit down and engage in a Q&A with the audience to provide insights on opportunities and challenges on creating EdTech in Australia. |
| 4:15 | Close | |
| 4:30 | Social Gathering |
Day Two – Friday, July 14
| Time | Session | Details |
| 9:00 | Welcome | Sue Bennett |
| 9:15 | Mimi Ito in conversation with Julian Sefton-Green | Mizuko Ito and Julian Sefton-Green. Professor Mimi Ito in conversation with Professor Julian Sefton-Green about making connected learning visible. Mimi and Julian will discuss connected learning as a concept, including its history and practices and will discuss why it is important to make connected learning visible. |
| 10:00 | Early Years practitioner panel - digital technologies and young children | Lucy Murrell, Amanda Levido, Natasha Gregory, Karlien Kerr. Chair: Kristy Corser This panel will discuss and share the wonderful work they are doing with young children and digital technologies ranging from practice, a program of activities, or a whole of centre approach. |
| 11:00 | Morning Tea | |
| 11:30 | Dis-connectioned learning: Digital inclusion and low income families research | Michael Dezuanni and Kim Osman This presentation will outline findings from the ‘Advancing Digital Inclusion in Low Income Families’ ARC Linkage project. The project is taking place in six communities around Australia and involves enthographic work in families, complemented by mapping the connected learning ecologies available to families in each community. |
| 12:15 | Co-Designing research in Indigenous communities | Grace Sarra, Marnee Shay, Fred Cobbo. Chair: Annette Wood In this session Professor Grace Sarra and Associate Professor Marnee Shay will lead a discussion about undertaking community-driven research with Indigenous communities. Grace and Marnee will talk about Indigenous research paradigms and their practical application in with educators and children in a Queensland Indigenous community. |
| 1:00 | Lunch | |
| 1:45 | Mapping the Children’s Internet Whitepaper Pre-Launch | Michael Dezuanni, Aleesha Rodriguez, Julian Sefton-Green, and Tama Leaver. A team of researchers at the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for the Digital Child have been mapping the territory of what is, the so-called, ‘Children’s Internet’. Using the term as a heuristic or ‘thought experiment’ for investigating children’s networked digital media experiences, this session highlights how the ‘Children’s Internet’ is experienced through technical access, imaginaries, entertainment, education, regulation, and digital labour. |
| 2:00 | Media Literacy and Connected Learning Panel | Amanda Levido, Stephanie Smith, Alyssa Coursey, Troy Merritt, John Davis. During this session, panellists will discuss the connection between media literacy and connected learning. We will discuss how children learn about and through the media and consider the role of communities, public institutions and industry in supporting this, including current approaches to the delivery of media literacy support and content. Panellists will discuss the current and future considerations of media literacy, including what they consider to be important areas of focus in the near future. |
| 3:00 | Young people’s connected learning panel | Alisa Johnson, Aahana and Layla, Chair: Amanda Levido In this session we invite youth who use digital technologies to discuss how digital technologies can be used for youth activism. We have 2 different projects that the youth will discuss, one from the School Strike 4 Climate and another from Crushed But Ok. The panel will discuss how they used technologies through their respective projects and how this impacted their activism work. |
| 4:00 | Close |