Datos Inteligentes: Desarrollo de la alfabetización en estudiantes pre-adolescentes sobre redes sociales

Using social media is now an important life skill. This research and development project will design and build a social media app that can be used on a range of digital devices to develop the digital literacies of school children who have not yet begun to make use of social media.

Working with groups of ‘pre-teens’ (9-12 years) in Australia and Uruguay, this comparative study will generate detailed insight into the ways that students are able to engage with and understand social media.

A series of participatory design workshops based around the app will develop these young users’ knowledge of the technical features of social media platforms and how personal data are produced and processed as a consequence of use.
In particular, the app will have a dashboard or teacher's view that will aggregate the personal data generated through the app to show how user profiling and prediction can be used for commercial purposes.

The project will have a number of important outcomes.

* First, student participation in the project will result in a better understanding of how their digital identity is constructed through their use of social media and improve their knowledge of the technical and social issues associated with online privacy.
* Second, it will provide rich and detailed insights into the social media practices and understandings of pre- teens in Uruguay and Australia.
* Third, the project will raise awareness of data privacy and the protection of children's digital rights to school authorities and the broader educational community.