Mapping learner progression into digital creativity

Much of our work in supporting young people as digital makers has focused on the argument that understanding how digital technologies work is important in supporting more effective participation in online and offline communities. That as digital technologies mediate more of our activities, understanding how they support and constrain our actions is increasingly important – and that becoming a digital maker supports this understanding. We’ve always recognised other motivations for supporting digital makers – the personal creativity of learning how to use the most collaborative tools available to us, and of course the link between digital-making and employability. It is this last motivation that has become the dominant narrative for many who support digital making: to ensure young people are equipped to participate in an increasingly digital economy and jobs market. This research explores that issue, in order to understand how young people learn and develop as digital makers with a particular view on employability. Understanding this progression is vital if we are to effectively support young people to develop as digital makers. This research documents and questions how we can best do that, by thinking not just about skill progression, but the broader experiences and choice-making of young people as they develop as digital makers.