"One of the most exciting recent interventions that foster children's digital literacy and creative skills has been the advent of 'makerspaces'. This book shares insights from a project examining how young children develop creative skills and digital literacy through 'making.' Using case studies from environments like schools and museums, contributors show how children use hands-on experimentation as they make all kinds of texts and artefacts, using both traditional materials and new ones such as 3D printers. Editors argue that 'making', with its emphasis on play, experimentation and storytelling is uniquely positioned to explore the competencies of young children"--
Enhancing Digital Literacy and Creativity is an exploration of how young children gain digital literacies in makerspaces. The international authors investigate how hands-on experimentation with a variety of materials - from traditional arts and crafts to contemporary digital tools like 3D printers and laser cutters - can aid children in their development of play, creativity and storytelling. From museums to libraries, nursery schools to community centres, this research shows how making supports the development of creative skills and introduces concepts to be explored in a variety of environments and contexts.
Drawing on examples from around the globe, described by a range of international academics, Enhancing Digital Literacy and Creativity includes chapters on:
- Virtual reality
- Museum and library makerspaces
- Intergenerational making in families
- Making in schools and nursery settings
- Assessing learning in makerspaces
- Links to previous theories
- Social imagination
This book will be a valuable resource for students and researchers in the fields of education and digital literacies; early childhood teacher educators and practitioners; librarians; museum educators; and makerspace staff.
