In this article I bring artistic production into the learning sciences conversation by using the ... more In this article I bring artistic production into the learning sciences conversation by using the production of representations as a bridging concept between art making and the new literacies. Through case studies with 4 youth media arts organizations across the United States I ask how organizations structure the process of producing autobiographical digital art through a focus on representational tasks and how learning can be traced by examining youth artists' representations over time. Using a distributed cognition framework I analyze data on the process of making digital art in terms of the macro and micro tasks performed in order to identify occasions for external representation construction and use across organizations. I then examine how individual youth engage in these macro and micro tasks by producing representations that demonstrate their understanding. These analyses show that youth media arts organization production processes engage young artists in a representational trajectory that begins with developing a story about the self, moves toward a focus on how the tools of the medium afford representation of that story, and culminates in digital representations that reflect an understanding of the relationship between story and tools.
... living independently Barry Male White 19 Working, living at home Cari Female White 13 Attendi... more ... living independently Barry Male White 19 Working, living at home Cari Female White 13 Attending high school, living at home Jermaine Male African ... Mary was denied identity disclosure as the woman she wanted to be roman-tic with talked about her relationship with a man. ...
In this article, we explore how youth audiences evaluate the quality of youth-produced films. Our... more In this article, we explore how youth audiences evaluate the quality of youth-produced films. Our interest stems from a dearth of ways to measure the quality of what youth produce in artistic production processes. As a result, making art in formal learning settings devolves into either romanticized creativity or instrumental work to improve skills in core content areas. We conducted focus groups with 38 youth participants where they viewed four different films produced by the same youth media arts organization that works with young people to produce short-form, autobiographical documentaries. We found that youth focused their evaluations on identifying the films' genre and content and on assessing how well the filmmakers' creative decisions fit with identifications of genre and content. Evaluations were mediated by audiences' expectations and seemed to inform judgments of quality and creativity. We hope that our work can inform the design of formal learning spaces where young people are producing narrative art.
... Draft day is one of my favorite days of the year.” Mark, owner of The Spiders and member of t... more ... Draft day is one of my favorite days of the year.” Mark, owner of The Spiders and member of theMario Mendoza Memorial League ... b), and children's card games (Gee, 2004; Ito, in press b). Rebecca Black (2006) describes the practice of production in fanfiction, where “fans use ...
... Formal film theory seeks to answer the question, what does this film rep-resent ... A holisti... more ... Formal film theory seeks to answer the question, what does this film rep-resent ... A holistic analysis of these orga-nizations has revealed a reciprocal relationship between the organiza-tion's understanding of identity within the communities of ... REEL WORKS TEEN FILMMAKING ...
In this article I bring artistic production into the learning sciences conversation by using the ... more In this article I bring artistic production into the learning sciences conversation by using the production of representations as a bridging concept between art making and the new literacies. Through case studies with 4 youth media arts organizations across the United States I ask how organizations structure the process of producing autobiographical digital art through a focus on representational tasks and how learning can be traced by examining youth artists' representations over time. Using a distributed cognition framework I analyze data on the process of making digital art in terms of the macro and micro tasks performed in order to identify occasions for external representation construction and use across organizations. I then examine how individual youth engage in these macro and micro tasks by producing representations that demonstrate their understanding. These analyses show that youth media arts organization production processes engage young artists in a representational trajectory that begins with developing a story about the self, moves toward a focus on how the tools of the medium afford representation of that story, and culminates in digital representations that reflect an understanding of the relationship between story and tools.
... living independently Barry Male White 19 Working, living at home Cari Female White 13 Attendi... more ... living independently Barry Male White 19 Working, living at home Cari Female White 13 Attending high school, living at home Jermaine Male African ... Mary was denied identity disclosure as the woman she wanted to be roman-tic with talked about her relationship with a man. ...
In this article, we explore how youth audiences evaluate the quality of youth-produced films. Our... more In this article, we explore how youth audiences evaluate the quality of youth-produced films. Our interest stems from a dearth of ways to measure the quality of what youth produce in artistic production processes. As a result, making art in formal learning settings devolves into either romanticized creativity or instrumental work to improve skills in core content areas. We conducted focus groups with 38 youth participants where they viewed four different films produced by the same youth media arts organization that works with young people to produce short-form, autobiographical documentaries. We found that youth focused their evaluations on identifying the films' genre and content and on assessing how well the filmmakers' creative decisions fit with identifications of genre and content. Evaluations were mediated by audiences' expectations and seemed to inform judgments of quality and creativity. We hope that our work can inform the design of formal learning spaces where young people are producing narrative art.
... Draft day is one of my favorite days of the year.” Mark, owner of The Spiders and member of t... more ... Draft day is one of my favorite days of the year.” Mark, owner of The Spiders and member of theMario Mendoza Memorial League ... b), and children's card games (Gee, 2004; Ito, in press b). Rebecca Black (2006) describes the practice of production in fanfiction, where “fans use ...
... Formal film theory seeks to answer the question, what does this film rep-resent ... A holisti... more ... Formal film theory seeks to answer the question, what does this film rep-resent ... A holistic analysis of these orga-nizations has revealed a reciprocal relationship between the organiza-tion's understanding of identity within the communities of ... REEL WORKS TEEN FILMMAKING ...
Uploads
Papers