Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
CHAPTER 6
Wearewhatwetell
Designing narrative environments for children
Marina Umaschi Bers
TUFTS University, Medford
Introduction
“Who am I?” “What are the values I hold and cherish?” “Which is my place
in the world?” Young people frequently ask these questions regarding identity
and values. And they use different kinds of narratives to answer them: per-
sonal stories, popular tales, cultural myths. Computational systems can sup-
port young people to tell and listen to stories in order to learn about themselves
andothers.Icoinedtheterm
identity construction environments
to refer to tech-
nological tools specifically designed to allow children to learn about different
aspects of the self through storytelling and computation. While their funda-
mental mission is to help young people construct a well-grounded sense of self
by engaging in the exploration of personal and moral values, they also serve
other educational goals. On the one hand, they support the cultivation of nar-
rative intelligence by engaging in storytelling. On the other hand, they foster
the development of computational intelligence by providing an opportunity to
explore the power of design and programming.
In this chapter I will first present the concept of identity construction en-
vironments. Then I will describe three prototypes that I designed and tested
with children and teenagers: the SAGE authoring environment, the web-based
Kaleidostories and the 3D graphical multi-user environment Zora. I will briefly
describe the technologies, the design principles and the use of each of these en-
vironments by young people in the real world. I will also share lessons learned
with each one.
