The MIT Media Lab has a long tradition of developing technologies for learning and community development. Media Lab researchers have developed educational technologies used by millions of people (especially children) around the world, and have implemented pilot projects in diverse geographical, economic, and cultural settings. In Thailand and Costa Rica, for example, Media Lab researchers have worked with remote villages, helping people learn to use new technologies to address local needs and support community development. To this end, Media Laboratory is establishing a new research consortium, called Digital Nations, that will focus explicitly on these major social challenges. Researchers at the Media Lab will collaborate with people around the world, aiming to catalyze social changes that are dramatic but also humanistic, sustainable, and resonant with local needs The consortium will focus especially on populations with the greatest needs – children and the elderly, underserved communities, and developing nations. The consortium will test out ideas and technologies in pilot projects around the world, helping individuals and communities develop innovative strategies in domains ranging from commerce to agriculture to health care – and, more broadly, transform the ways they learn and develop.
