UC Irvine Grant Contest Seeks New Digital Media Tools

The University of California Humanities Research Institute is leading a $2 million grant competition to foster new digital media tools, UPI reported. The project, funded by the MacArthur Foundation, has the broader aim of  finding out how technology is changing the way young people learn, play, and socialize in civic life.

UCI Irvine professor David Theo, the director of UCHRI, said new interactive platforms now under development will yield new ways of teaching and learning. "Social networks like MySpace hold amazing potential as educational tools," he told UPI. "This grant competition will help jumpstart the innovations that leverage the social networks young people are comfortable with as networks to share and create knowledge."

The grants range from $30,000 to $250,000 and will be awarded in two categories: innovation and knowledge networking. Knowledge networking awards will go to projects that exploit the Web's potential for collaboration; the innovation awards will support people or groups designing new online learning environments.

Applications must be submitted by Oct. 15. Winners will be announced in January.

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About the Author

Paul McCloskey is contributing editor of Syllabus.

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