Constructing the Self in a Digital World

This title examines the relationship between identity and technology in the learning and lives of young people.

Cynthia Carter Ching (Edited by), Brian J. Foley (Edited by)

9781107689831, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 1 May 2014

270 pages, 32 b/w illus. 9 tables
22.9 x 15.2 x 1.5 cm, 0.4 kg

"...a scholarly work aimed at serious students and professionals. The book is a compilation of eight scholarly essays and studies exploring the development of self-identity and is written by experts from across the globe with section commentaries by the two authors.... Not only is there much helpful information for the serious investigator, each chapter contains an extensive bibliography for additional resources.... Recommended..."
--C. L. Tannahill, Eastern Connecticut State University, CHOICE

It has become popular in recent years to talk about 'identity' as an aspect of engagement with technology - in virtual environments, in games, in social media and in our increasingly digital world. But what do we mean by identity and how do our theories and assumptions about identity affect the kinds of questions we ask about its relationship to technology and learning? Constructing the Self in a Digital World takes up this question explicitly, bringing together authors working from different models of identity but all examining the role of technology in the learning and lives of children and youth.

Introduction: connecting conversations about learning, identity, and technology Cynthia Carter Ching and Brian J. Foley
Part I. Authoring and Exploring Identity: 1. 'This is me': digital photo journals and young children's technologies of the self Cynthia Carter Ching and X. Christine Wang
2. Digital storytelling and authoring identity Alan Davis and Daniel Weinshenker
3. Building identities as experts: youth learning in an urban after-school space Carol Cuthbertson Thompson and Lisa Bouillion Diaz
4. Positive technological development: the multifaceted nature of youth technology use towards improving self and society Marina Bers, Alicia Doyle-Lynch and Clement Chau
Part II. Identities in Flux and Play: 5. You can make friends easier on a boy face: the creation of 'self' in an interactive online community Brian J. Foley, Melanie S. Jones, Cameron McPhee and Pamela Aschbacher
6. Deleting the male gaze? Tech-savvy girls and new femininities in secondary school classrooms Claire Charles
7. Affiliation in the enactment of fan identity: a comparison of virtual and face-to-face settings Natasha Whiteman and Caroline Pelletier
8. Navigating life as an avatar: the shifting identities-in-practice of a girl player in a tween virtual world Deborah A. Fields and Yasmin B. Kafai.

Subject Areas: Digital lifestyle [UD], Impact of science & technology on society [PDR], The self, ego, identity, personality [JMS], Cognition & cognitive psychology [JMR], Child & developmental psychology [JMC]