What do children imagine the future of digital spaces and technologies to look like?

In these workshops, children between ages 7 and 8 will have the opportunity to design and discuss digital technologies of the future. Sign up to our study at the University of Wollongong’s Makerspaces where children will be asked to speculate about their digital futures through drawing, writing and collaging. 

• When: 4 – 8 March 2023
  Session 1 – 4 March 2023 (Saturday), 12.30pm – 2pm, Makerspace (Wollongong)
  Session 2 – 6 March 2023(Monday), 4pm – 5.30pm, Makerspace (Shoalhaven)
  Session 3 – 8 March 2023 (Wednesday), 4pm – 5.30pm, Makerspace (Wollongong)

• Where: Makerspaces* at the University of Wollongong Campuses (Wollongong and Shoalhaven)

• Who: Workshop for children between ages 7 and 8

• Parents/guardian are required to be present

• Session will involve drawing, writing, collaging and group discussions

• Registration for the sessions can be found here https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/makerspace-speculating-about-your-digital-futures-workshops-tickets-535195794027

*As the Makerspaces are not be easy to find, we will be providing meeting times and places closer to the workshops. Please note that the Makerspace in Wollongong has now been relocated to the main campus and is no longer at the UOW Science Space.

About the Research

These workshops are part of a research project ‘Speculating about my Digital Future’ with the ARC Centre of Excellence for the Digital Child. The project invites children and practitioners to (co)create speculative design fiction about possible digital futures for children and aims to 1) center children’s agency in the design of technologies, 2) explore children’s understandings about the features, values, and ethics of digital technologies, 3) generate critical provocations for the public to engage with regarding future digital technologies, and 4) reflect on broader popular and policy discourses about imagined digital futures for children. For research purposes, the sessions will be:

• Audio recorded (mics attached to facilitators)

• Observed by facilitators and researchers. Notes will be taken on the day about the session

• Photographed (includes photosgraphs of children’s drawings and the session)

For more information, please read this participant information sheet and consent document. By signing up to this event, you are consenting for your child(ren) to participate in this event.

If you would like to learn more about the project, please contact Dr Rebecca Ng ([email protected]) or Dr Aleesha Rodriguez ([email protected]) for more information. Ethics approval by Queensland University of Technology (LR 2022-5726-9443).