Presented on the social and affective aspects of digital learning and identity

As part of a special workshop on the Social, Motivational and Affective Dimensions of Learning through Social Interaction at the International Conference of the Learning Sciences (ICLS 2014) in Boulder, CO, I presented on the importance of understanding the “non-cognitive” factors associated with confidence, efficacy and identification with technology and digital media. My presentation was entitled, “Understanding the Social and Affective Relationships in Digital-mediated Spaces for Learning.” Presenting findings from my long-term ethnography and survey of game culture, as well as research and similar findings in formal and informal educational contexts, I proposed that social, affective and motivational dimensions are intertwined through non-cognitive factors that undergird sense of ability, identification and persistence with digital media and emerging technologies. In order to create more equity in learning and longer-term STEM trajectories, we need to understand and respond to these underlying factors throughout the lifespan.