Youth Data Literacy and Informal STEM Learning at the Public Library

Leanne Bowler.

Leanne Bowler, PhD

School of Information, Pratt Institute

Seminar Date: September 28, 2021

Today’s young people, more than any previous generation, have a personal stake in their ability to function with data. Future job prospects might hinge on their ability to participate in the new data economy. But equally, young people are themselves the subjects of data science, being the most thoroughly measured, tracked and analyzed generation. To be active citizens and good stewards of their own data, they need to be data literate.

This talk will report on first steps in the Data Literacy with, for, and by Youth research project. The project asks, how can public libraries support the development of positive data habits of mind? The study, framed by principles of participatory design, does more than look at youth at the library; its aim is to design, build, test and evolve theory and practice around informal data literacy education alongside youth.

The project Data Literacy with, for, and by Youth is supported through a grant from the National Science Foundation, USA. Investigators: Leanne Bowler, Mark Rosin, Irene Lopatovska. Project website

Leanne Bowler is a professor at the School of Information, Pratt Institute, in New York City. Her research and teaching focuses on young peoples’ interactions with information and data, their technology practices, STEM learning, and how family, teachers and out-of-school organizations such as libraries and museums can support young people's competencies in a socio-technical world.

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Tuesday, Sept. 28 at 12 p.m. 
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Meeting ID: 914 3905 1149
Passcode: 952422