Confronting the Challenges of Participatory Culture: Media Education for the 21st Century
Participatory culture is a new term for me. "Teens who have created media content and have shared it" are part of the participatory cultures. I have had strong bias about media (phones, my space, gaming, xxx, instant messaging, etc...) in the past. I must confess that this digital immigrant is beginning to be swayed - rather, convinced about the positive outcome possibilities there are if good technology, good instruction, and good training and appropriate scheduling are in place. As I read about the reletively low barriers to artistic expression and civic engagement, the support youth experience when sharing their creations, the informal mentorships that evolve, the belief that their contributios matter, and the feelings of social connection I could only think "this is what I want from our students". Especially those who are isolated and experience feelings of marginalization. Or the one who lack social skills, the coolness factor or don't have the clothes mojo. I wonder that the benefits might outweigh the reasons for educators to stay with the status quo.
The article mentioned five potential benefits of implementing the four forms of participatory culture (affiliations, expressions, callaborative problem solving and circulations). The benefits are the kind of things I have, in the past when I taught students, wanted them to develop/do. Participatory culture promotes peer-to-peer learning, a changed attitude toward intellectual property, diversification of cultural expression, development of skills valued in the workplace, and, a more empowered conception of citizenship. Knowing these things will assure students succeed... or be left behind this article states.
Concerns? Unequal access, learning to "see", and the breakdown of tradition (education as we know it).
"Schools have been very slow to react to the emergence of this new participatory culture", this comment in the article reminded me of an educatonal lecture I attended by Hill Walker of University of Oregon. Professor Walker stated that educational reform (referring to any new 'cutting edge' educational change) takes, according to his research, 20 years for the paridigm to shift. Is this because the ones providing the education are left in the dust, uneducated, uninformed and unskilled?
How would one sole teacher even begin to implement instruction for the 11 skills named the "New Skills"? We do education because we want our students to become full participants to society. How will this shift happen? Who will lead us? What will leave the plate of educators if these things are found to be necessary?
It is true that many students are frustrated with school. I wouldn't have my current job if this weren't true. It has always been true that youth gain skills from their informal learning communities, butthe face of these informal learning communities has changed. It is also not new that youth respond best to project based instruction that is relevant. There is the key word. Relevant. What is relevant to our youth?
Because I support teachers in their work with youth that experience a multitude of barries to their education, page 9 resonated with me.
NOT DONE YET MORE TO COME>>>
Thursday, April 19, 2007
April 12, 2007 assignment
I read three articles,
1) Film projects help link students to black history, 2) Technology is music to their ears and 3) Broward schools experiment with multimedia: Schools are experimenting with multimedia projects that expand learning well beyond textbooks and computer programs.
1) The Baltimore Sun Gregory Kane column: Film projects help link students to black history, By: Gregory, Baltimore Sun, The (MD), Apr 07, 2007
The teacher was concerned about students throwing something together to meet a deadline, wanting good quality work attempted to be creative and entice students to "go with a project". The project was accomplished with 50 8th graders. These students demonstrated what they could do with music, narration, writing, computer work (using Windows Movie Maker 2.1), research and presentation.
The project turned out to take longer than the teacher had hoped, due to things such as Maryland state assessments taking time away from the students project. Even so, they were very pleased with the outcome of the project.
Student's projects were exciting and they invested so much into their topics as to embellish things like relevant music that had been discovered during their research using multimedia research tools. Another example was that one student uncovered in his research for his black history project about the Black Panther party that one of their school's teachers was married to a former Panther.
The students were so involved in the production of the project it made the research relevant and interesting to them.
2) Technology is music to their ears, By: Khanna, Samiha, News and Observer, The (Raleigh, NC), Mar 2007
This teacher set out to demonstrate that technology can be used in a meaningful way. He cashed in on student's love of music. Students came out of the project saying, Anyone can be a music producer". The music teacher at this elementary school all participate in mixing songs and writing their own compositions, using audio editing software. The particular project this article focuses on is one that required the students (3rd and 4th grade) listen to the calls of common birds and then interpret those tunes in musical form using keyboards connected to their computers.
"People walk into his classroom and say, 'Oh that's music now?' but it's not meant to replace the traditional. It's really enhancing what they do".
This article made no comments from the students perspective and it is not clear to me their response. It does sound interesting though.
On a personal note, my husband is a musician. He has traveled the world in his 'other life as a rock star' and loves to create music. However, he is facing an obstacle. With new technology he will need to learn technology skills in order to keep up with his peers in this new era. This said, I believe this teacher's projects will enhance his students ability to continue to explore, produce and understand how to create, share and sell their music as life long artists.
3) Broward schools experiment with multimedia: SCHOOLS ARE EXPERIMENTING WITH MULTIMEDIA PROJECTS THAT EXPAND LEARNING WELL BEYOND TEXTBOOKS AND SIMPLE COMPUTER PROGRAMS. Sampson, Hannah, Miami Herlad, The (FL), Mar 18, 2007
This project seemed to desire students develop "workforce skills". A focus was on how to work in teams, manage long term projects, analyze information and present it. They "experienced real-life stress they might face in the workplace. They were required to dress professionally. The community was impressed with the work these high schoolers did. This works outcome was the creation of a healthy recipe book, commercials on fitness and videotaped demonstrations of preparing snacks.
Skills Incorporated were using video, using pod casts, web design and other media.
In this article I was not convinced this project was more meaningful to student learning than traditional teaching.
At this point in class I am convinced that technology can greatly enhance students interest. I also see these projects as meaningful ways for students who are not traditional learners to demonstrate what they know and have learned as an alternative to our traditional ways.
1) Film projects help link students to black history, 2) Technology is music to their ears and 3) Broward schools experiment with multimedia: Schools are experimenting with multimedia projects that expand learning well beyond textbooks and computer programs.
1) The Baltimore Sun Gregory Kane column: Film projects help link students to black history, By: Gregory, Baltimore Sun, The (MD), Apr 07, 2007
The teacher was concerned about students throwing something together to meet a deadline, wanting good quality work attempted to be creative and entice students to "go with a project". The project was accomplished with 50 8th graders. These students demonstrated what they could do with music, narration, writing, computer work (using Windows Movie Maker 2.1), research and presentation.
The project turned out to take longer than the teacher had hoped, due to things such as Maryland state assessments taking time away from the students project. Even so, they were very pleased with the outcome of the project.
Student's projects were exciting and they invested so much into their topics as to embellish things like relevant music that had been discovered during their research using multimedia research tools. Another example was that one student uncovered in his research for his black history project about the Black Panther party that one of their school's teachers was married to a former Panther.
The students were so involved in the production of the project it made the research relevant and interesting to them.
2) Technology is music to their ears, By: Khanna, Samiha, News and Observer, The (Raleigh, NC), Mar 2007
This teacher set out to demonstrate that technology can be used in a meaningful way. He cashed in on student's love of music. Students came out of the project saying, Anyone can be a music producer". The music teacher at this elementary school all participate in mixing songs and writing their own compositions, using audio editing software. The particular project this article focuses on is one that required the students (3rd and 4th grade) listen to the calls of common birds and then interpret those tunes in musical form using keyboards connected to their computers.
"People walk into his classroom and say, 'Oh that's music now?' but it's not meant to replace the traditional. It's really enhancing what they do".
This article made no comments from the students perspective and it is not clear to me their response. It does sound interesting though.
On a personal note, my husband is a musician. He has traveled the world in his 'other life as a rock star' and loves to create music. However, he is facing an obstacle. With new technology he will need to learn technology skills in order to keep up with his peers in this new era. This said, I believe this teacher's projects will enhance his students ability to continue to explore, produce and understand how to create, share and sell their music as life long artists.
3) Broward schools experiment with multimedia: SCHOOLS ARE EXPERIMENTING WITH MULTIMEDIA PROJECTS THAT EXPAND LEARNING WELL BEYOND TEXTBOOKS AND SIMPLE COMPUTER PROGRAMS. Sampson, Hannah, Miami Herlad, The (FL), Mar 18, 2007
This project seemed to desire students develop "workforce skills". A focus was on how to work in teams, manage long term projects, analyze information and present it. They "experienced real-life stress they might face in the workplace. They were required to dress professionally. The community was impressed with the work these high schoolers did. This works outcome was the creation of a healthy recipe book, commercials on fitness and videotaped demonstrations of preparing snacks.
Skills Incorporated were using video, using pod casts, web design and other media.
In this article I was not convinced this project was more meaningful to student learning than traditional teaching.
At this point in class I am convinced that technology can greatly enhance students interest. I also see these projects as meaningful ways for students who are not traditional learners to demonstrate what they know and have learned as an alternative to our traditional ways.
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