Paul Mihailidis, Associate Professor and Co-Director of the Engagement Lab @ Emerson College, conducted a multi-year research project exploring how youth use social media to engage in civic life.
One of the key findings published in his book Media Literacy and the Emerging Citizen: Youth, Engagement and Participation in Digital Culture, is that youth engage in social networking and cultural sharing in dynamic ways, but have trouble recognizing how their digital applications provide productive connectivity, vibrant communication, and diverse information consumption in daily life.
Therefore, if students are not able to understand how social and mobile technologies enhance learning experiences, it will be hard for them to see the value that comes from informal or alternative learning pathways. That’s why we created a platform that combines digital literacy learning, user generated content, and game-based structures that’s easy to set-up, fun to play, and educationally powerful.
