Kids and Computers: CHIkids: A Look Back and a Look Forward

Allison Druin

Some of My Favorite Things Overheard at CHIkids Over the Years

Looking to the Future of CHIkids

Acknowledgments

It's been three long years, over 200 children, over 25 CHIkids Leaders and over 100 donated computers. For me, it's been a learning experience about kids, what they can do with technology, and what that can mean to the CHI conference experience. Back in 1994, I could not have imagined that proposing some changes to the CHI conference's traditional childcare program would lead to changes in the CHI conference itself. Today it's not terribly surprising that children of CHI conference attendees use technology to create the CHI conference web site and daily conference newsletter. It has come to be expected that at the CHI conference these children will test conference attendees alpha and beta technologies. And it's become something of a tradition for these same children to support the conference's Opening and Closing Plenary experiences with videos, parades, and more.

These experiences are just some of what can only be described as the CHIkids program. It has been a program that I have had the pleasure to establish and chair for the past three years. It was never something I expected to become so much a part of my life -- but it was. CHIkids is a program that needs many volunteers, lots of sponsorship, and an exhausting amount of energy to coordinate. After three years and three conferences, the time has come to pass my baby to a new person to nurture. I am happy to say this person is someone I deeply admire and respect. Angela Boltman was a CHIkids leader at CHI97 and a CHIkids Co-Chair at CHI98. She has been a technology teacher for the past three years in Albuquerque, New Mexico and this year she became a graduate student focusing on a Ph.D. which combines technology and education. It will be a pleasure to see how Angela carries on the CHIkids tradition and shapes the program in new and exciting ways.

A CHIkid reporter's notebook

As for me, I know I will continue to be a CHIkids cheerleader, but look forward to continuing my other SIGCHI activities. I have been enjoying my work on the SIGCHI Executive Committee's Advisory Board, and I still have way too much to say when it comes to writing this column for the SIGCHI Bulletin. But before I move on, I cant resist looking back one last time and thinking about what CHIkids has been. What follows are a few things over the years that have made me stop and think. The interspersed pictures are some of my favorite things pictured at CHIkids.

Some of My Favorite Things Overheard at CHIkids Over the Years

"The reason I can write so well here at the CHIkids Newsroom is because we have so much time. At school they let us write, but I never get to finish things." -- a 7 year-old CHIkids thoughts reported in the CHIkids Newsletter

"Hi, my name is Brian, and I'm going to give you a tour of CHIkids." "How old are you?" "10, and I give a lot of tours here." -- a conversation overheard between a CHIkid and a magazine reporter

Adult: "What technology did you specialize in?" CHIkids: "Oh, I specialized in helping the younger kids." -- a conversation overheard between an adult on a CHIkids tour and Elizabeth (age 11)

"How will technology impact the environment in the future?" "Is it possible to get bad eyesight from using computers?" "What will the World Wide Web be like in the year 2000?" -- questions asked by our CHIkids to a panel of adults discussing the design of future technologies for children

"Next year I'll be a CHIkids Junior Leader again. Then three years after that I want to be a CHIkids Leader. Then maybe two years after that I can be a Student Volunteer. Then I expect I'll give my first tutorial." -- a 12-year old CHIkid discussing the future.

"I just finished interviewing Doug Engelbart and Alan Kay. I have to write up my stories now, then I can play kickball." -- an 8-year old CHIkids reporters response to being asked if he wants to take a break

How CHIkids interview people at the CHI conference

Looking to the Future of CHIkids

Finally, Id like to share a special experience that happened to one our CHIkids Junior Leaders, Evita Soliz. She participated in CHI97 and this year she was awarded a $2,500 scholarship from the Discover Card Youth Program Tribute Awards. What was not surprising was that she won -- since many of our CHIkids are exceptional young people. What was surprising was what this 17 year-old wrote in her application that made her a New York State winner. She wrote:

In 1997, I took part in a unique program that was a part of the CHI international conference called CHIkids. The program was aimed at exploring the human-computer interface -- how children interact with computers. I was a CHIkids Junior Leader, guiding children who were taking part in the program and teaching them how to use computer software. Thanks to this experience I intend to be an Interface Designer. Interface designers use human factors, engineering, and graphic design to create an efficient and aesthetically pleasing communication system between a user and a computer. I have the interest and love for this profession, but in order to succeed in it, I know there is a great deal I need to learn.

Evita will be 18 this coming CHI conference and she has applied to be a CHIkids Leader. She will be our first Leader who has grown up in our CHIkids program. It's exciting to see! I had always hoped that the CHIkids program would change the way adults see interfaces for kids. I had never expected though that the same CHIkids program would change the way kids see what is possible in their lives. I can only hope that the future of CHIkids can mean more surprises, excitement, and changes for kids, adults and technology yet to come.

One of our CHIkids hard at work in the newsroom!

Acknowledgments

My deepest thanks goes to all of you that have supported the CHIkids program over the years:

Our hundreds of CHIkids from all over the world that have made CHIkids what it has become.
Our CHIkids parents, without whom CHIkids could not have been.
Our dedicated and talented CHIkids Leaders that made CHIkids a reality.
The many CHI Student Volunteers that gave countless hours to the CHIkids program.
The numerous CHI conference attendees that have brought their new and experimental technologies to be tested over the years by our CHIkids.
The CHI96, CHI97, and CHI98 Conference Committees that have had the patience and generosity to support the CHIkids program

A drawing of Clare-Marie Karat when we lost the digital picture we took of her

The many friends of CHIkids over the years that have hand-delivered software, found sponsors when we needed them, made T-shirts a reality, offered technical support at all hours of the day and night, brought our tired and hungry leaders food, and the many CHIkids cheerleaders that have kept our spirits up.
KiddieCorp, our paid childcare facilitators that have been our untiring partners for three very exciting years.
Our generous sponsors over the years that have supported CHIkids in many important ways: Adobe, Brøderbund, Bell South, Disney Interactive, Eastman Kodak, Hewlett Packard, Intel, John Wiley & Sons, Knowledge Adventure, Living Books Company, Microsoft, Morgan Kaufmann, Netscape, Philips Electronics, Printpaks, Rent-a-Computer, T/Maker, User Interface Engineering, and Voyager.

The newsroom computers that were cursed! Or at least the kids thought they were because the power went down, hard disks stopped working and more!

Allison Druin
chi-bulletin-kids@acm.org
http://www.umiacs.umd.edu/~allisond/

Allison Druin is the founder of the CHIkids Program. She is an Assistant Professor at the University of Maryland in the Human-Computer Interaction Lab(HCIL) and the College of Education. She is the editor of a new book, The Design of Children's Technology.

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Vol.30 No.4, October 1998
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