Learning Innovation Conversation with Mizuko (Mimi) Ito
I am on the train, on my way back home from attending a talk by Mizuko (Mimi) Ito. Mimi was invited as a speaker by Drexel’s Expressive and Creative Interaction Technologies (ExCITe) Center as part of their Learning Innovation Conversation series. For people unfamiliar with her, Mimi is a cultural anthropologist known for bringing to the fore the nuances of how young people learn through digital media. More recently, her work has culminated into a framework called Connected Learning (CL) which examines the intersections of interests, opportunities and peer culture to support learners in formal and informal contexts. I first read her work in grad school for a course taught by one of my favorite instructors and my dissertation co-chair, Dr. Liz Haslam. It was a joy to listen to Mimi in person.
Graphic Recorder Jim Nuttle beautifully captured the key ideas that surfaced during Mimi’s talk.
I was also able to get a picture of Jim recording attendees’ thoughts after the session, particularly on what learning innovation meant to them and who their learning hero was. I want to give a shout out to Dr. Aroutis Foster, one of my learning heroes. I have learnt a lot from Aroutis as his doctoral advisee and I am fortunate to continue learning from him as a postdoctoral scholar.
Mimi referenced some activities, reports, and resources during her talk. These might be of interest to educators and parents-
1. Connected Camps
2. Youmedia Network
3. Learning Labs in Libraries in Museums: Transformative Spaces for Teens
4. How Effective Are Mentoring Programs for Youth?
5. Great Jobs. Great Lives
I have some ideas from this session that I will be toying with to use in my work. For now, I have to end this post here. My train station is almost here.
