The Developmental Technologies (DevTech) Research Group at the Lynch School of Education and Human Development at Boston College promotes young children’s learning about computational thinking, coding, making and engineering in a playful, developmentally appropriate way. We focus on the design and use of creative technologies for leading more fulfilling lives and for making the world a better place. DevTech is recognized nationally and internationally as a pioneering interdisciplinary research lab with high impact. The group was started by Prof. Marina Umaschi Bers in 2001 at the Eliot-Pearson Department of Child Development at Tufts University. In 2022, Prof. Bers and DevTech moved to a new home to Lynch School of Education at Boston College.
Theoretical contributions, such as the Positive Technological Development (PTD) framework which enables the design and evaluation of coding playgrounds
Design of new technologies, such as KIBO and ScratchJr, teaching materials, such as the Coding as Another Language curriculum, and strategies for professional development and community engagement
Research centered around technologies like ScratchJr (related projects) and KIBO (related projects), to inform sustainable and scalable evidence-based programs for young children and the adults in their lives
Outreach to scale the impact nationally and internationally, including professional development workshops for educators and learning opportunities for children