I am currently working on my phd thesis on ICT Design and Learning. The research question I would like to ponder about is " What effects for learning can be expected when people are actively involved in an ICT design process?"

I assume that actively designing information technology not only raises technological competencies, but may increase the sense of one's personal potentail to change things, to construct what one wishes for, to get involved, sort of one's sense of agency. While often, especially for people who are not very deep into technology, ICTs may be perceived as threatening because they never work the way one wants them to and instantly may rise a feeling of inadequacy, I would like to look at the potential of a design process to change this into confidence and willingness to become active. In that sense I am looking at an educational and maybe even emancipatory process.

The relevance of this question can be found in the raising necessity in an information society for having active citizens, who have access to information and who are able to participate in a culture of communication. Much activity is addressed in educational programs to raise media or ICT literacy. I hope to be able to identify aspects important for a course design, with the goal of not only increasing ICT literacy but also increasing people's desire to become active in changing their worlds. Also, as I am particularly looking at women and girls, the outcomes may touch the discussion on how to raise the percentage of females in technological disciplines.

I opened this weblog to keep track and provide information on my own learning process, both for myself and for other people interested in these issues.

I am aware of the danger of doing so: One presents fresh thoughts, which have not been thoroughly reviewed. However, I would like to try this out and see what it does to my own thinking processes.

Please feel free to send comments.

I.