Domestic Grantmaking : Digital Media & Learning

Digital Media & Learning

About our grantmaking

The digital media and learning initiative aims to determine how digital media are changing the way young people learn, play, socialize and participate in civic life. Answers are critical to education and other social institutions that must meet the needs of this and future generations.

Latest news

What Mozilla Could Teach Government

February 26, 2010

A new report in a MacArthur-funded series on digital media and learning, “Peer Participation and Software,” examines whether Mozilla’s participatory approach to software development could be applied to political and civic engagement. Read more »

Inspire a New Generation of Game Experiences for Children

The Huffington Post
February 8, 2010

MacArthur's Director of Education, Connie Yowell, describes how the Digital Media & Learning Competition taps into the popularity of video games to inspire innovative learning experiences for kids. Read more »

Speeches & Commentary

Measuring Classroom Progress: 21st Century Assessment Project

February 8, 2010

In this guest post on the Foundation's Spotlight blog for digital media & learning, the authors argue that the Race to the Top Assessment Initiative should think more broadly about how we measure progress in the classroom. Read the blog and share your comments »

UNCF Launches Digital Media and Learning Public Forum Series

January 26, 2010

UNCF (United Negro College Fund), the nation's largest and most effective minority education organization, has received a grant from MacArthur for the "UNCF Digital Media and Learning in Multicultural Contexts Public Forum Series." Read more »

Grantee News, Press Releases

President Obama Launches National Lab Day Partnership

November 23, 2009

President Obama announced the launch of a new initiative, National Lab Day, to reinvigorate science and math education in the nation’s schools and learning centers. Read more »

Grantee News, Press Releases

Information Sheet
Digital Media &
Learning [PDF]

November 2009

A downloadable brochure describing the Foundation’s support of digital media and learning. Download PDF »

Information Sheets, Publications

The Power of Youth Voice

November 18, 2009

This forum, held in Philadelphia, brought together experts in digital media and learning to share their research and experiences from in and outside of the classroom. Watch the video »

Events, Multimedia

From the Field

New Digital Library Space Opened for Teens in Chicago
July 30, 2009
YouMedia, a new digital library space for teens, opened this month at the Chicago Public Library. Supported by MacArthur, the new space is designed to engage young adults with library resources and connect them to Chicago's educational and cultural communities through the use of digital technologies. YouMedia houses thousands of books, more than 100 laptop and desktop computers, and a variety of media creation tools and software that allow users to create and repurpose content from the web. All high-schoolers are welcome in the space and need only a valid library card. The design of the space reflects findings from the research supported by MacArthur’s digital media and learning initiative, which is exploring how digital technologies are changing the way young people learn, play, socialize and participate in civic life.

For more information

About MacArthur

The MacArthur Foundation supports creative people and effective institutions committed to building a more just, verdant, and peaceful world. In addition to selecting the MacArthur Fellows, we work to defend human rights, advance global conservation and security, make cities better places, and understand how technology is affecting children and society.

for more MacArthur news