Kansas City, Kansas, native Nichole Pinkard is a nationally recognized leader in the area of digital learning, founding the Digital Youth Network in 2006. Three years later, DYN and the Chicago Public Library opened the first YOUmedia lab, a 5,500-square-foot space dedicated to learning through hands-on experience. There are now more than two dozen such labs nationwide.

An associate professor in DePaul University’s College of Computing and Digital Media, Pinkard holds a Ph.D. in learning sciences from Northwestern. She discusses her experiences and the use of digital media to engage, support, and encourage today’s youth in a conversation with Andrea Ellis, the Library’s digital youth engagement manager. They are joined by a panel of Kansas City teens who will share their experiences and hopes for the city’s learning ecosystem.