We believe in learning through making, and that can be challenging with complex and emergent tools.
That’s why we focus our energy on crafting resources that are accessible, project-based and meaningful. One of those resources is Rep| magazine, which invites learners to understand, evaluate, and make with emerging technologies.
How do we equip students to design equitable technologies?
In our pursuit to cultivate a diverse generation of technology designers and decision-makers, we collaborated with technologists, designers, educators and students, to create Rep|, a learner-centric magazine that engages young people in emerging technologies through analog play. Aimed at middle and high school students, this magazine helps students and educators understand the core concepts around emerging technology and how we can all shape and build more equitable technologies.
We believe in the representative power of technology, that when everyone is represented through design work, we can create a more just world. Emerging technologies have the potential to make great contributions to our world. Yet while new technologies proliferate, there is an urgent need to address the replication of real-world structural inequities. It’s critical that all children are not only knowledgeable about emerging technologies but about the ethical implications of those technologies as well. If we want technology to represent all of us, it needs to be created by all of us.
Through three issues we offer hands-on activities so students can immerse themselves in a variety of new technologies:
Issue 1: Voice Bots
“Help! I need some BOT-y!” Robots are all around us, and AI assistants like Siri, Google Home, and Alexa are often found in our homes and even our pockets. What does it take to build a bot? Try your hand at designing your very own voicebot.
Issue 2: Gene Editing
From farms to the pharmacy, the field of gene editing is vast and rapidly expanding. How does gene editing work? And in what new ways can gene editing be used for medicine, agriculture, and more?
Issue 3: Constella
Algorithms and data are at the core of machine learning. In this story-based, choose-your-own-adventure game you’ll learn how to use data and algorithms to make decisions and solve problems.
Rep| encourages young people, educators, and families to understand and design with emerging technologies. Rep| also aims to activate agency in every student to design, reflect, and participate in the decision-making processes for new technology and its use.
Want More?
Visit the Rep Magazine website
Credits
The Rep Content Team includes Ariam Mogos, Isabel Huff, Megan Stariha, Carissa Carter, Laura McBain, Lisa Kay Solomon, and Karen Ingram