Networking News – a Method for Engaging Children Actively in Design

For many years cooperative design was primarily concerned with the development of IT supported systems for professional users. However, the cooperative design approach can embrace other social practices such as children’s everyday life. At a methodological level there is no difference in designing with adults or children. However there is a need for new methods to support communication and collaboration between designers and children. This article proposes a new method for understandings children’s appropriation of new technology in an interactive workshop setting. The method, which we call the Networking News workshop, offers an opportunity to make first hand studies of children’s IT supported social activities in an informal classroom setting.