In the Bowers article, researchers partnered children and had them interact with the AIM program. This AIM program is an interactive website teaching students about how to treat others, and other socio-emotional topics. The AIM video showed real life examples of how teachers apply it in their classrooms, and how it benefits children of all ages. It shows how internet programs can provide children the space to have meaningful discussions about topics that can be hard to approach. The AIM project website was an interactive view into a friend’s conversation. This is reminiscent of real conversations that take place at school or at the park. The NPR podcast about Dora the Explorer explained how engaging the audience has made the show a success. In addition, her show was a cross-cultural bridge to be relatable to Latinx minorities as well as show new cultures to others.
I have a special connection to Dora since she helped me learn English. Personally, I watched Dora in Spanish with the pauses and explanations for words in English. Since Spanish was my first language, it was all I spoke at home. Dora helped me prepare for kindergarten. Later, I switched from Spanish based Dora to English based Dora. It really helped me realize my language skills were growing. In addition, it was one of the few characters I saw who looked like me. Her family even looked like mine. Thinking back now, that representation was very important considering I dressed up like her for Halloween for 3 years straight.
Do you agree that representation is important for children?
Alicia's Blog 