Call for Participants aged 10 to 18 yrs in the GTA for a study on children's rights in the digital environment

We are currently seeking participants aged 10 to 18 years in the GTA who are available and interested in participating in a workshop this month where we will explore ideas and opinions about children's rights in the digital age.

This study represents Canada's contribution to a global consultation with children, led by RErights, a project based out of Western Sydney University and that includes researchers in 25 countries around the world. This summer, we are each conducting workshops to gain a comprehensive understanding of children's own thoughts, opinions, and experiences of their rights in relation to digital culture and connected information technologies. The results of this project will inform the UN's upcoming General Comment on Children and the Digital Environment, which you can find out more about here.  The General Comment will provide strategies and guidelines for governments and organizations on how to acknowledge and support children's rights online.

Each participant will be asked to attend one workshop, which will last approximately 4 hours. The workshops will include some group discussions and several individual activities, all centred around the completion of a series of worksheets. The worksheets will be sent back to the main research team in Australia for analysis, and used in a report they will then deliver to the UN. We are aiming to include 10-15 kids in each workshop. The workshops will be held at the University of Toronto St. George campus. We will provide light refreshments, and participants will be given a $25 gift card and TTC fare (return). We have a rigorous research ethics protocol, and both the kids and their parents will be given information about their rights as research participants and asked to sign a consent form.

Here are the dates for the first round of workshops:

Tuesday, July 16, 2019 10am-2pm (light lunch will be provided).
Wednesday, July 17, 2019 1pm-5pm (light refreshments will be provided).

Additional options in July will be made available as/if needed. All of our workshops must be completed before or on July 31, 2019.

If you, your child, or someone you know might be interested, please pass the below Call for Participants along to them. Here is a downloadable version of the call, for circulation. And if you have any questions, don't hesitate to get in touch with me directly.

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Would you like to tell the United Nations what children  think about growing up in a digital age?
Researchers at the University of Toronto have partnered with the RErights project, with 5rights, Western Sydney University and the London School of Economics and Political Science, working with children around the world to find out your experiences of and ideas about digital technology. We invite kids between the ages of 10 and 18 years to participate in a workshop where you and a group of children will complete activities to tell us how you use digital technology in your daily life, and discuss the opportunities and challenges digital technology brings. Our workshops will be held this month (July 2019) at the University of Toronto St. George campus. Each participant will receive a $25 visa gift card, TTC/public transportation fare, and light refreshments will be served.

The work you do with us during these workshops will be sent to the RErights research team in Australia and analyzed with other countries around the world. The results will be included in a report, and will help write the General Comment on Children and the Digital Environment, which is a document that will help governments and other organisations interpret the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

For further information, and to express your interest, please get in touch with Professor Sara Grimes at sara.grimes@utoronto.ca or call/leave a message at 416-978-5269.

Call for Participants aged 10-18 yrs in the GTA for a Study/Consultation Conducted by UofT Researchers on Children's Rights in the Digital Environment

My colleague Prof Leslie Shade and I were invited by the RErights team at Western Sydney University to contribute to a global study of children's own thoughts, opinions, and experiences with the digital culture and connected information technologies. The results will inform the UN's upcoming General Comment on Children and the Digital Environment, so this is a pretty important and unique opportunity for Canadian youth to have their say. Here is the official call for participants (below). If you, your child, or someone you know might be interested, please pass it along to them. And if you have any questions, don't hesitate to get in touch with me directly.

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Would you like to tell the United Nations what children  think about growing up in a digital age? 

Researchers at the University of Toronto have partnered with the RErights project, with 5rights, Western Sydney University and the London School of Economics and Political Science, working with children around the world to find out your experiences of and ideas about digital technology. We invite kids between the ages of 10 and 18 years to participate in a workshop where you and a group of children will complete activities to tell us how you use digital technology in your daily life, and discuss the opportunities and challenges digital technology brings. Our workshops will be held next month (July 2019) at the University of Toronto St. George campus. Each participant will receive a $25 visa gift card, TTC/public transportation fare, and light refreshments will be served. 

The work you do with us during these workshops will be sent to the RErights research team in Australia and analyzed with other countries around the world. The results will be included in a report, and will help write the General Comment on Children and the Digital Environment, which is a document that will help governments and other organisations interpret the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

For further information, and to express your interest, please get in touch with Professor Sara Grimes at sara.grimes@utoronto.ca or call/leave a message at 416-978-5269.

Heads up: Contribute to the UN's upcoming General Comment on Children's Rights in Relation to the Digital Environment

Heads up: The UN Committee on the Rights of the Child has announced that they will be drafting a new General Comment on children’s rights in relation to the digital environment. In addition to holding consultations with children around the world, they are inviting interested parties to contribute comments on aspects of the concept note. Details are as follows. The deadline is May 15 (2019), 6 pages max.

Concept note for a General Comment on children’s rights in relation to the digital environment

Call for submissions

The Committee on the Rights of the Child will draft a General Comment on children’s rights in relation to the digital environment.  

The Committee invites all interested parties to comment on the concept note of the General Comment. Submissions are welcome on all aspects of the concept note for the General Comment, with a particular focus on the following:

• The purpose and scope of the General Comment;
• The structure of the General Comment; 
• General measures of implementation by State parties needed to realise children’s rights in relation to the digital environment; 
• Views on the issues and questions raised in the concept note; and 
• Suggestions for new issues for inclusion in the General Comment.

In particular, the Committee welcomes relevant research evidence; knowledge of the sector; findings from consultations with children; examples of laws, policies or programmes; or evidence of good practice that would contribute to the drafting process.

All submissions:

• Should be submitted in one of the official languages of the Committee - English, French or Spanish; 
• Should be in one concise document focusing explicitly on the implications of the digital environment for the realization of children’s rights and must not exceed 6 pages; 
• Should include a short statement introducing the submitting organization or individual;
• Should be submitted electronically in WORD format to the following email address: crc@ohchr.org; 
• Shall not be translated; and
• Shall be posted on the Committee’s webpage devoted to this draft General Comment.

The deadline for submissions is 15 May 2019.  No submissions received after this deadline will be considered or posted on the webpage.

In parallel, consultations with children in diverse contexts across multiple countries, as well as with experts from relevant fields, will be undertaken to ensure that their perspectives are fully reflected in the General Comment. After due consideration of all inputs provided, the Committee will prepare a first draft of the General Comment for additional consultation with relevant stakeholders.

The concept note is available.

Awesome Event Alert: MediaSmarts @ the KMDI-Semaphore Speaker Series

Kara Brisson-Boivin, the Director of Research at MediaSmarts will be presenting at the KMDI-Semaphore Speaker Series. 

When: Thursday, March 14, 2019 | 3:00 pm - 4:30 pm

Where: Room 417, Claude T. Bissell Building, 140 St. George Street, Toronto

This is a FREE event.  Light refreshments, coffee, tea and cookies will be served.

Please RSVP on the link below.

 https://kmdisemaphorespeakerseries-kara-brisson-boivin.eventbrite.com

Title: “Use, Understand, Create: Cultivating Digital Literacy In Young Canadians”

Abstract

As increasing numbers of businesses, services and even democratic processes migrate online, citizens who lack digital literacy skills risk being disadvantaged when it comes to accessing healthcare, government services and opportunities for employment, education and civic participation. In order to be literate in today’s media-rich environments, Canadians (especially young Canadians) need to develop knowledge, values and a whole range of critical thinking, communication and information management skills for the digital age. MediaSmarts is a Canadian not-for-profit charitable organization for digital and media literacy with a vision to ensure that children and youth have the critical thinking skills to engage with digital media as active and informed digital citizens. In this presentation, I will provide an overview of the emerging issues we see in the areas of technology, information, and society as well as MediaSmarts’ recent and upcoming projects that aim to promote digital literacy in Canada. In particular, I will discuss our community-based research framework including who our stakeholders are, how we disseminate our research, and what our research is used for and by whom.

About Our Speaker

Dr. Kara Brisson-Boivin is the Director of Research at Mediasmarts, Canada’s Centre for Digital and Media Literacy. Kara oversees all of the planning, methodology, implementation, and dissemination of key findings from original MediaSmarts’ research studies. She researches the various impacts of digital technology and digital culture on Canadians broadly and youth in particular. Kara's current research projects examine digital citizenship and the intersections of digital publics and democracy, digital well-being among families, and what life online looks like for young Canadians. Kara also holds an appointment as an Adjunct Research Professor in the Sociology Department at Carleton University. 

Details for the KMDI-Semaphore Speaker Series are posted on our website link below.

http://kmdi.utoronto.ca/events/

RESCHEDULED Awesome Event Alert: Critical Gaming Night on Super Smash Bros. Melee. NOW on Feb. 13 @4pm

PLEASE NOTE THAT DUE TO THE MASSIVE SNOW/ICE STORM, THE EVENT HAS BEEN RESCHEDULED. IT WILL NOW BE HELD ON WEDNESDAY FEB. 13, 4PM IN BL417.

I am so happy to announce the revival of Critical Gaming Nights, a student-run initiative that has yielded many fantastic conversations and play sessions in previous years. Here are the details:

"Bonds Between Players in Competitive Super Smash Bros. Melee" 

- presented by Augusto Schmitt

In this presentation Augusto Schmitt, international Master's student from Brazil, will be talking about the competitive Super Smash Bros. Melee player subculture, and analyze it through the lens of media studies, cultural studies and communication theories. Come to talk about this community and how they have managed to withstand the test of time, build themselves into something that wasn't intended by the developers, and grow stronger than the game's successors in the franchise.

Critical Gaming Nights are an occasional series of events that combine presentations of works-in-progress by digital game researchers (students, faculty, practitioners), informal group discussions, and game play sessions. Each game night focuses on one particular game (or game-related activity), and considers how that game can be analyzed using critical theories drawn from multidisciplinary fields of study. It is sponsored by the Critical Games Lab, a part of KMDI-Semaphore. 

These events are not only for academics, but for anyone interested in games, such as game developers, players, modders or enthusiasts who want to engage with new perspectives and questions relating to the social, cultural and technical dimensions of digital games and gaming. 

This event is more of a conversation than just a traditional talk, so take this as an opportunity to discuss and engage. There will also be a setup available for everyone to play and learn about the game firsthand in the later part of evening.

The event will be held in room 417 in the InForum, on the 4th floor of Bissell Building (140 St George St) from 4PM to 9PM on February 13th, 2019 (REVISED DATE). 

Spread the News: Seeking an RA to assist with preparing a big grant application for KMDI + Semaphore

RESEARCH ASSISTANT POSITION WITH KMDI + SEMAPHORE

Professor Sara Grimes, Director of the KMDI and Semaphore, and Associate Professor at the Faculty of Information, University of Toronto, is seeking to fill a Research Assistant position focused on preparing a literature review and assisting with a large grant application. 

The RA will assist with research and activities relating to an upcoming grant application led by the Institute, its Director and Lab Heads, which will seek to establish a sustainable model for engaging in cross-sector, responsive research aimed at improving the lives of humans within an increasingly technologized information society. 

Qualifications: 

- Previous experience with both research and grant writing
- Formal training in common qualitative social science research methods

- Excellent written/communication skills

- Excellent organizational skills (including scheduling, note - taking, categorizing digital files and
  folders, etc.)

- Ability to work both independently and as part of a team

Preference will be given to PhD students (current or recent graduates), but Master’s students are also welcome to apply if all other criteria and qualifications are met. Qualified applicants must be available to complete a majority of the work in person at the University of Toronto St. George campus. 

Responsibilities:

- Conducting a literature review that incorporates both theoretical works as well as relevant
   previous academic research in the areas requested

- Assisting in the design and coordination of workshops and meetings aimed at establishing
   common themes, goals and methodologies among project partners;

- Assisting in writing portions of the grant application(s) (LOI and full application)

- Assisting in the supervision and coordination of Master’s and undergraduate level RAs

- Assisting in coordinating, communicating and liaising with project partners (e.g. ensuring partner
   access to project documents and online components, providing timely feedback to and from
   partners on deliverables, ensuring partners are reminded of upcoming due dates, etc.)

The successful applicant will be offered an initial contract of 200-275 hours, to be completed over the course of the Winter 2019 semester (with a possibility of renewal for the Summer semester, and beyond). Salary will be commensurate with experience, projected between $35-$39/hour. 

Please note that only successful candidates will be contacted for an interview.

To apply, email a CV and cover letter to Dr. Sara Grimes at sara.grimes@utoronto.ca by January 16, 2019. Questions may be directed to Dr. Grimes or to the KMDI Administrative Coordinator, Rekha Morbia rekha.morbia@utoronto.ca

Cool Event Alert: Loot Boxes: Video Game Gambling, Paying to Win, and the Question of Game Design, Talk by Drs. Mark R. Johnson and Tom Brock

Long time no see!

I am resurfacing after a pretty long hiatus from academic/public life, which included both a yearlong sabbatical (or research leave) and a (nearly) yearlong maternity leave. Work on Kids DIY Media is in full swing, as we are nearing the end of our data collection and analysis, and getting set to finalize our project reports, and I'll have more news on that in the coming months, along with some additional exciting announcements about the status of my book, courses, etc.

In the meantime, however, I'm so happy to be involved in this upcoming talk, hosted by Semaphore,  the Jackman Humanities Institute, and Gambling Research Exchange Ontario, which is happening on June 19th, 2018, 3-5pm, and will delve into some extremely key issues relating to pay-to-play models found in an increasing number of digital games. All of the details are below, and can also be found on the Eventbrite page for the event. I hope to see many of you there!

Loot Boxes: 

Video Game Gambling, Paying to Win, and the Question of Game Design

A Research Talk by

Dr. Mark R. Johnson (University of Alberta) and
Dr. Tom Brock (Manchester Metropolitan University)

Sponsored by the Semaphore Lab, Jackman Humanities Institute, and the
Gambling Research Exchange Ontario (GREO) 

This talk is free and open to the public. Light refreshments will be provided.
Attendees are invited to join the speakers and organizers at a local pub after the Q&A.

Abstract:  A 'loot box' is a consumable virtual item purchased and redeemed within a video game to receive a random selection of virtual items. In the last eighteen months, their implementation in many major and independent titles has led to extensive controversy. For example, in April 2018, gambling authorities in Belgium and the Netherlands declared that loot boxes risk creating a new generation of problem gamblers, whilst China, the UK, US and Canada have expressed concern over whether that loot boxes lower the threshold of gambling by integrating 'games of chance' into otherwise skill-based gaming experiences. Despite public and policy outcry, research has not engaged with those who actually design and develop these systems: the voices of designers are missing from the debate. In this talk, Drs. Johnson and Brock will outline their present research program into this phenomenon, which is believed to be the first project to interview industry actors on loot boxes within video games development and integrate these voices into local, national and international debates about the regulation and funding of games development. They will outline their main research questions, interview data and findings to date, and potential directions for further investigation into loot box implementation, effects, and impacts on both policy and regulation, and video game players themselves.

Speaker Bios: 

Dr. Mark R Johnson is a Killam Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of Political Science at the University of Alberta. His research focuses on the intersections between play and money, such as eSports, live streaming, fantasy sports betting, gamification, and loot boxes. He has published in academic journals including Information, Communication and Society, The Sociological Review, Convergence, and Games and Culture, and his first book, The Unpredictability of Gameplay, is due out in late 2018 from Bloomsbury Academic. Beyond academia he is also an independent game developer and a former professional poker player.

Dr. Tom Brock is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Sociology at Manchester Metropolitan University. His research interests include video games, social theory, digital cultures and political protest. Tom currently co-convenes the BSA Realism and Social Research Group and steers the BSA Theory Group. He is an Associate at the Centre for Social Ontology at the University of Warwick and is also the co-author of the edited book, Structure, Culture, Agency: Selected Paper of Margaret Archer (Routledge).