ECT Brownbag: Anna Amato
Participating in Critical Data Literacy Through The Arts
Tuesday, March 29, 12:00 pm -1:00 pm EST
Zoom Link: https://nyu.zoom.us/j/98187593671
How communities are represented through data is a social and ethical challenge that cuts across data science and the arts. While a photograph can tell a story about people and places, it can also be interpreted out of context or used to overgeneralize. Alternatively, patterns in quantitative data and statistics can be hard to make sense of in terms of everyday life. Data science draws on practices from multiple disciplines to support new ways of knowing. Yet, the arts have traditionally served only as a means to widen engagement with STEM literacies. I propose that arts-integrated approaches, which foreground discussion about representation and cultural narratives, offer opportunities to think critically about how data are produced and used in the real world. I draw on a critical data literacy framework, which challenges the perception of data as neutral and objective by situating data in real world contexts and consequences. I ask: How does storytelling generate opportunities to (1) integrate data science and art practices, (2) situate data in broader social relationships and patterns, and (3) center critical questions about how data are produced and used in society?
About the speaker
Anna Amato is a Ph.D. student at NYU in Educational Communication and Technology. She received her M.A. at Teachers College, Columbia University in Cognitive Studies in Education, focusing on creativity and learning. Her current research interests include data literacy and the arts, with a focus on understanding how arts-based techniques can engage K-12 students in critical data literacy. She focuses on understanding the role of storytelling in negotiating personal and public data, integrating tools of multiple disciplines, and engaging critically with social issues through or about data.