Renee Hobbs presented at Teachers College Columbia University in 2007, describing the develop of My Pop Studio. com, an online play space designed to introduce girls to media literacy through play.

1. Girls, Media and Online Gaming: Reflections on the Use of Popular Culture for Health Promotion Renee Hobbs Temple University April 10, 2007

3. Launched in July 2006 http://mypopstudio.com

6. A Model of Program Impact Program Mediators Primary Outcomes Secondary Outcomes Media Literacy Activation of Critical Thinking Skills Activation of Creation Skills Sense of Mastery/ Competence Positive Developmental Outcomes Recognition of Constructedness of Messages Recognition of Values Messages Metacognitive Modeling Knowledge Transfer of Skills to Media Environment Awareness of Media’s Role in Health Proximal Distal Repeated Use Participation in an Online Community Activation of Creation Skills Enjoyment / Play Pleasure

18. The Balancing Act http://mypopstudio.com Play vs. learning

21. The Balancing Act http://mypopstudio.com Play vs. learning Immersion/flow vs. meta-cognition

22. Some Reflections & Implications Games provide immersive experiences where users can experience flow states that build a sense of mastery/competence, but… … immersion may work against the process of developing meta-cognitive thinking where critical distancing & analytic skills are important

23. A Model of Program Impact Program Mediators Primary Outcomes Secondary Outcomes Media Literacy Activation of Critical Thinking Skills Activation of Creation Skills Sense of Mastery/ Competence Positive Developmental Outcomes Recognition of Constructedness of Messages Recognition of Values Messages Metacognitive Modeling Knowledge Transfer of Skills to Media Environment Awareness of Media’s Role in Health Proximal Distal Repeated Use Participation in an Online Community Activation of Creation Skills Enjoyment / Play Pleasure

25. Eight Forums Provide Conversation Places for Users Synchronous Communication ie., IM/chatrooms

32. Some Reflections & Implications http://mypopstudio.com

33. The Balancing Act http://mypopstudio.com Play vs. learning Immersion/flow vs. meta-cognition Freedom/exploration vs. control/safety

34. A Model of Program Impact Program Mediators Primary Outcomes Secondary Outcomes Media Literacy Activation of Critical Thinking Skills Activation of Creation Skills Sense of Mastery/ Competence Positive Developmental Outcomes Recognition of Constructedness of Messages Recognition of Values Messages Metacognitive Modeling Knowledge Transfer of Skills to Media Environment Awareness of Media’s Role in Health Proximal Distal Repeated Use Participation in an Online Community Activation of Creation Skills Enjoyment / Play Pleasure

35. Some Reflections & Implications Self-disclosure and authenticity verification are normal communicative processes of social interaction yet they are contradicted by the language of “privacy and safety” used by adults about online communication

36. Some Reflections & Implications Sexual exploration is a natural developmental milestone for adolescent girls and IM/chat provides anonymity to practice or try out various identity roles … .but this doesn’t support our key learning outcomes for media literacy

37. Some Reflections & Implications There was a more authentic sense of community when there were no controls…

38. Some Reflections & Implications There was a more authentic sense of community when there were no controls… … .but IM/chat social interaction was distracting from the educational goals of the site and creating potential safety hazards