Dr Clara Rivera’s research focus employs co-design as a participatory approach guided by children’s rights methodologies to develop understandings of children’s conceptualisation of their experiences with digital technologies. Her PhD project, the recipient of the 2021 Beth Southwell Award for Outstanding Thesis in Educational Research, draws from the field of Child-Computer Interaction (CCI) and principles of children’s rights methodologies. The study explored the perspectives of children as co-designers and co-researchers in the development of an app for preschoolers. Clara also brings with her 6-years’ experience of supporting children develop their creative thinking skills through digital media production at the Belfast Computer Clubhouse, Ireland.

She will contribute to the Educated Child program, particularly in the initiative to support young children and their families’ play experiences at the University of Wollongong’s Children’s Technology Play Space. Clara is thrilled to have a role in supporting young children in their digital explorations and hopes to contribute to the ethical representation of children’s voices, particularly in the ways these can inform the evolution of children’s future digital play experiences.

Earliest digital memory
Hearing the sound of the dot matrix printer! Digital text production as a young child meant producing birthday cards, long banners, then later making websites and GIF animations – before ‘meme’ was even a word.