2008 Digital Media and Learning Competition

Originally posted on the NetSquared site.

The second Digital Media and Learning Competition from HASTAC and the MacArthur Foundation is here!  This year, the competition focuses on participatory learning, including “the many ways that learners (of any age) use new technologies to participate in virtual communities where they share ideas, comment upon one another’s projects, and plan, design, advance, implement, or simply discuss their goals and ideas together.”

Awards range from $5,000 to $250,000 in the categories of Young Innovator Awards and Innovation in Participatory Learning Awards.  The deadline to apply is October 15th, so get your submission in now!

Innovation in Participatory Learning Awards

This category is intended for large-scale projects, most likely involving collaboration, of new learning environments, whether it be adaptations or entirely new products.  “Awarded projects must demonstrate a strong commitment to making possible new ways of valuable participatory learning, as opposed to simply creating new content.”

Organizations from outside the US are invited to participate in this category, including groups from Canada, India, Japan, Mexico, The Netherlands, Nigeria, The People’s Republic of China, Russia, Singapore, South Africa, or the United Kingdom.  But collaboration can include organizations/individuals from all places.

For more information, visit the Digital Media and Learning Competition site.

Young Innovator Awards

These awards target innovators between the ages of 18-25 to support smaller-scale, participatory learning projects.  “The aim of this category is to encourage young innovators to think boldly about “what comes next” in participatory learning and to contribute to making it happen. These awards are designed to support young innovators in bringing their most visionary ideas from the “garage” stage to implementation.”

Young Innovator awards consist of two components:

  1. Support for project development, including the awardee’s independent work on the proposed idea, and
  2. An internship with a sponsoring organization that would be beneficial to the awardee’s project. Internships can involve physical placement with a sponsoring organization or a mentoring relationship maintained by other means, including online communication.

For more information, visit the Digital Media and Learning Competition site.

Next Steps:

If you apply, be sure to let the NetSquared community know about your project and progress!  It is a great place to find collaborators!

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