Our Children’s Technology Spaces provide the interface for researcher collaboration with children, families, industry partners, teachers, health practitioners and technology designers.
These dedicated technology spaces are physical sites where researchers and digital technology users investigate concepts and potential technological advances. They are research and professional learning sites for understanding children’s use of a range of different technologies, and to support parents and educators in gaining knowledge about positive digital practices for children. The spaces also hold events, workshops and activities open to the public, where children (accompanied by family members or educators) will have the opportunity to learn, play and connect with digital technology.
QUT Children's Technology Centre
The Queensland University of Technology (QUT) Children’s Technology Centre (CTC) is a purpose-built space located in the Education Precinct at QUT’s Kelvin Grove campus in Brisbane.
The CTC has been designed to enable a broad range of events and research activities related to digital childhoods, for children from birth to age 8, their families, educators (including teacher education students) and other industry and community stakeholders.
Equipped with recording and other data collection tools and resources, the CTC provides a context for research conducted by Digital Child researchers across a diverse range of projects and a space for research translation. The CTC hosts maker and play activities, and workshops and training activities for children, educators, families, teacher education students and industry and community partners.
The QUT Children’s Technology Centre is coordinated by Dr Chris Chalmers in collaboration with Centre researchers based at QUT and wider Centre members.
Upcoming events at the QUT CTC
University of Wollongong Children’s Technology Play Space
The University of Wollongong (UOW) Children’s Technology Play Space is housed within Early Start at UOW (alongside the Discovery Space) where it serves as a living laboratory for the Centre. It offers opportunity for interdisciplinary and intergenerational dialogue as children and their families use technology and engage with the space.
The core work of the UOW Children’s Technology Play Space is driven by children, our research projects and connection with industry. It is an extension to the UOW Discovery Space (through regular Digital Playgroups for Early Start members), and is a key site for Centre research projects and research translation.
The UOW Children’s Technology Play Space bridges research, technology and children’s everyday practices and enables a dialogue between researchers, children, and industry partners. It fosters learning through the development of children’s inherent curiosity. Its engagement with the wider community and Centre partners complements the work of UOW’s Early Start, Discovery Space and Science Space. It responds to the needs of the community (specifically children, families and educators) with opportunity to connect with QUT’s Children’s Technology Centre, Scitech and other community and industry partners.
Professor Lisa Kervin provides academic leadership to the UOW Children’s Technology Play Space, in collaboration with Centre researchers based at UOW and wider Centre members. The space is managed by Dr Clara Rivera.
