Playful Occupations: Mobile Creative Coding for Critical Consciousness

Abstract

The transformative potential of technology is often championed as a catalyst for societal progress, offering pathways to address challenges and create more inclusive futures. Despite this optimistic perspective of technology as a force for positive change, it often falls short of expectations. As the 21st century unfolds there is growing interest and investment in equipping individuals with computational skills so that they can navigate and further shape our increasingly digitally-mediated world. How can we design computational learning environments so that they not only empower individuals with technical proficiency but also foster the critical thinking, agency, and socio-cultural awareness necessary to fully realize the revolutionary potential of technology? This thesis looks to the Brazilian educator and philosopher Paulo Freire’s concept of conscientização (critical consciousness) as a lens through which we can explore this question.

Throughout this research project, I collaborated with the Homeless Workers’ Movement in Brazil (MTST for short). Freire’s concept of critical consciousness as the ability to intervene in one’s reality in order to change it is central to the movement’s grassroots mobilizations and political education. Using a combination of Participatory Action Research and Social Design Experimentation approaches, we co-designed and implemented a series of creative coding workshops and a projects guide tailored to MTST’s community. These computational learning experiences centered on OctoStudio, a mobile programming app being developed by the Lifelong Kindergarten Group.

What insights about computational literacy might we reach by incorporating critical consciousness into computing education? How can we cultivate critical consciousness through creative coding learning experiences? This thesis investigates these questions while also describing how researchers and communities can collaborate more equitably to create meaningful change in the educational circumstances of marginalized groups. Otherwise, technology might not serve as a tool for empowerment and societal progress but as another mechanism to preserve existing systems of marginalization.