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Posted
March 17, 2024
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Uncategorized
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Gender literacy through the making process: A feminist pedagogy approach

This article aims at exploring how to support students’ awareness on gender stereotypes and the development of gender literacy through the making process of interactive toys. I present a case study with 22 primary students (11–12 years) from a public primary school in Barcelona (Spain) who were involved in a maker workshop series. Building on principles of transformative feminist pedagogy, the article shows exemplary design activities for children to create a space for dialogue and reflection upon gender stereotypes. To this end, the activities were used as a means to spark critical reflections among the students and to guide them in the design of prototypes of cross-gendered interactive toys. By analyzing students’ artifacts and verbal expressions during the discussions, the study illustrates how they gradually discover their own assumptions on gender stereotypes and were enabled to propose cross-gendered alternatives for interactive toys focusing on movement-based and collaborative activities. Finally, the article presents a set of educational activities that support students to reflect upon gender stereotypes in the making process and guidelines for teachers to integrate these strategies into their educational practices.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijcci.2024.100648

Posted
November 17, 2023
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Our special issue on “Computational Empowerment and Children” in the International Journal of Child Computer Interaction is out!

The special issue is honouring Professor Dr. Heidi Schelhowe (1949–2021), whose research and perspectives have been foundational for the development of Computational Empowerment. Building on Schelhowe’s perspective, we included  8 international research articles in the special issue. These contributions showcase how current research in CCI is pushing the boundaries of Computational Empowerment towards novel conceptual perspectives, diverse application areas and participatory strategies for maturing the field. It thus provides an excellent starting point for readers to familiarise themselves with the current state-of-the-art of Computational Empowerment. Each of the contributions offer new opportunities and directions to further develop Computational Empowerment in CCI research and practice towards empowerment, agency and participation. As such, this special issue on Computational Empowerment marks the beginning of an emerging research trajectory within CCI research. It is an invitation to scholars and practitioners to take on the challenges that still lie ahead of us to fully embrace the Computational Empowerment of future generations.

Thank you very much to all co-editors of the special issue Rachel Charlotte Smith, Ole Sejer Iversen, Christopher Frauenberger, Netta Iivari, Anja Zeising, Mike Tissenbaum, Elizabeth Marie Bonsignore and Jason Yip.

Here check out the special issue articles

Posted
June 17, 2023
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Do you develop embodied design techniques for children? Check out our new Think-4-EmCoDe framework! We provide guidelines on how to evaluate and improve your techniques.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhcs.2023.103065

Think-4-EmCoDe framework: Highlighting key qualities in embodied co-design techniques for children

Embodied, co-design and children-specific methods have been gaining traction in Interaction Design for Children, and their potential and benefits are well-established. Yet methods at the intersection of all three areas are scarcer. In addition, design researchers lack tools for the analysis and adaptation of existing methods, and the creation of new ones to suit the particularities of the design project at hand. Here, we present the Think-4-EmCoDe framework for the design and analysis of embodied co-design methods and techniques for children, which foregrounds key qualities in embodied interaction design research: (1) embodied awareness; (2) reflective imaginary; (3) emergence; (4) embodied memory; (5) situated relationality; (6) contingency; (7) playful engagement; (8) play practice; (9) developmental scaffolds; and (10) social dialogue. The framework has been developed drawing from several theories, methods, and frameworks in the areas of co-design and embodied design approaches. This framework allows designers to focus on both general design qualities for embodied experiences and the specific child perspective. We illustrate the use of the framework through the analysis of three design techniques and discuss its potential as an inspirational tool to understand, adapt and refine embodied co-design techniques for children.

Posted
August 3, 2018
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The main goal of the workshop was to initiate the students in basic concepts of augmented reality design and digital fabrication and create their own narratives of an imaginary world with physical objects and audiovisual content using different technologies (touch board, Arduino, 3D printing and tablets) . Throughout the workshop, students were involved in the different phases of co-creation of a project, which are brainstorming, storyboarding, rapid and advanced prototyping of objects in 3D format and audiovisual content (e.g. characters and imaginary creatures). The final result was the realization of different group projects that shaped a world of stories fusing physical and augmented reality.

Posted
December 4, 2017
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Design, Participatory Design, Technology, Uncategorized
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TV Report about Project Magical Movements Co-Design Techniques for Body and Space Awareness

Since December 2015 we have been collaborating with Plàudite Teatre – Espai d’Arts Escèniques to explore novel co-design methods with and for children for Full-Body interactive experiences. For my PhD Thesis I particularly focused on techniques based on theatre practise that promote body and space awareness.

Last Tuesday a short overview of the project and first examples of a prototype using these techniques has been presented by Televisió L’Hospitalet. You can watch the report and an interview with the co-design team here (in Catalan):

Posted
June 11, 2017
Category
Technology, Uncategorized, Women in Technology
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Inspiring Teenagers in Digital Fabrication

During the first two weeks of July, I faciliate together with Laura Malinverni a summer camp for 20 girls from Barcelona in which they learned about the basics of 3D printing, robotics and coding. This hands-on workshop introduced them to the world of Digital Fabrication. The #Girlstech Summer Camp was co-organized by the American Space Barcelona and the Department of Information and Communication Technologies Engineering (ETIC) of Universitat Pompeu Fabra.

I regularly participate in the organization of workshops to inspire teenagers in digital fabrication. Another workshop was held in April 2017 at the American Space Barcelona and focused particularly on a critical reflection upon how technology influenced our personal lives. In June 2017, Maria Santos and I also participated in the Oracle4Girls which aimed to attrack and retain girls in STEM and we conducted a second workshop in this line.

Posted
July 16, 2016
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Uncategorized

World-As-Support | Digital Graffiti on Campus

Child using pico projector

Together with Laura Malinverni, I participated in the Campus Junior event “La universidad y yo” at Universitat Pompeu Fabra. We invited teenagers to explore possibilities of rethinking and changing learning spaces through the use of a mixed reality system. During a brainstorming activity, the participants reflected upon which learning spaces had caught their attention and how they would like them to “transform”. After that, they created first their own ideas for graffitis with pencil and paper. The graffitis were then digitalized and the teenagers explored their application in relation to the physical space of the university campus.