This chapter is
based upon the argument that not only are digital technologies and media still
under-utilized in supporting hospitalized children’s learning and well-being,
but moreover, the understanding of their potential and meaning in this context
is under-researched and under-theorized. Through cultural-historical theorizing
on tool-mediation in human agency, learning, and development, and the Self-Determination
Theory (SDT) of motivation and optimal functioning, we will review and examine
current research on how digital technologies and media interact with
hospitalized children’s agency and learning opportunities, entailing a sense of
autonomy, competence, and relatedness. We conclude that while there are
promising findings on how digital technologies can connect children to their
family, school, and peers, more attention needs to be given to the relevant
sociocultural contexts and practices in the use of digital technologies and
media to understand and support hospitalized children’s agency and empowerment
in their healing and learning.