My journey so far has consisted of learning about popular culture, experiencing the attraction of digital and social media used by youth, and then experimenting with these as pedagogical practice in my classroom, in order to engage my students. As I reflect on this journey, I find my thoughts now taking a more philosophical path – which ends with very different viewpoint to my original one.
The role of education is to prepare young people for life in the present and future world. This includes conventions of literacy (and numeracy) practices, as well as knowledge and skills for employment, leisure, and political, cultural and social participation in this world. It is to help students become powerfully literate, creative, critical and reflective members of society (Green & Beavis, 2013). When I started this journey, I didn’t believe that popular culture, or even digital technology played such an integral role in this education. That has now changed!
The present, and therefore the future world, is rapidly changing. Due to digital technology, we are experiencing significant conceptual changes in the way we communicate and participate in society. We are living in a time of participatory tools, attitudes and aspirations (Crook, 2012). For me personally, the most significant of these changes is the suggestion that we have moved from a situation where society determines the effect of technology to a situation where technology determines the nature of society (Green & Beavis, 2013). Consumers and spectators of popular culture, media and technology are now becoming interactive participants and producers. This participatory culture is transforming the way we think, interact and create meaning (Jenkins, 2006). Mobile technology is ubiquitous (Cook et.al., 2011) and media convergence enables us, and youth in particular, to individualise learning based on a need or whim. New media forms and practices are now the ‘modus operandi’ for our young people (Green & Beavis, 2013). Consequently, our schools need to embrace the new cultural framework and nature of society and teach 21st century skills utilising 21st century trends in popular culture and technology, to make life and learning in school relevant (Williamson, 2009).
Although improving, my experience tells me that attitudes and therefore pedagogy in our schools needs to improve. We need to embrace the digital media world our kids are living in and teach students to be responsible and discerning consumers, users and producers– and this will not happen by banning digital resources like mobile phones, Facebook, YouTube and games as they are in my school. These resources are often banned because students will be ‘distracted’ by them or ‘mis-use’ them, or turn into obese, violent children (Williamson, 2009) because of them. However, I agree with Cook et.al. (2011) and Green & Beavis (2013) in this matter - schools have a social and cultural responsibility to balance the deteriorating social and cultural transformation driven by ubiquitous mobile technology, with learning options that teach young people how to operate in a 21st century landscape, and encourage the responsible and fair use of new-media resources. We must develop a culture of positive digital use, where students develop core social skills and the capacity to network in an online media landscape, negotiate cultural differences or assumptions, give and receive contextualized feedback, reconcile conflicting information and reflect on their participatory choices (Jenkins, 2006). Our young people can be discerning users and audiences of media but they still need a safe place to master these skills. I strongly believe the need for these skills outweighs any perceived negative outcomes. As educators, we must carefully and purposefully design pedagogy that will give our youth the opportunity to develop and grow as effective, ethical participants and communicators living in this new era of a participatory culture (Jenkins, 2006).
This Youtube clip is food for thought!!
The role of education is to prepare young people for life in the present and future world. This includes conventions of literacy (and numeracy) practices, as well as knowledge and skills for employment, leisure, and political, cultural and social participation in this world. It is to help students become powerfully literate, creative, critical and reflective members of society (Green & Beavis, 2013). When I started this journey, I didn’t believe that popular culture, or even digital technology played such an integral role in this education. That has now changed!
The present, and therefore the future world, is rapidly changing. Due to digital technology, we are experiencing significant conceptual changes in the way we communicate and participate in society. We are living in a time of participatory tools, attitudes and aspirations (Crook, 2012). For me personally, the most significant of these changes is the suggestion that we have moved from a situation where society determines the effect of technology to a situation where technology determines the nature of society (Green & Beavis, 2013). Consumers and spectators of popular culture, media and technology are now becoming interactive participants and producers. This participatory culture is transforming the way we think, interact and create meaning (Jenkins, 2006). Mobile technology is ubiquitous (Cook et.al., 2011) and media convergence enables us, and youth in particular, to individualise learning based on a need or whim. New media forms and practices are now the ‘modus operandi’ for our young people (Green & Beavis, 2013). Consequently, our schools need to embrace the new cultural framework and nature of society and teach 21st century skills utilising 21st century trends in popular culture and technology, to make life and learning in school relevant (Williamson, 2009).
Although improving, my experience tells me that attitudes and therefore pedagogy in our schools needs to improve. We need to embrace the digital media world our kids are living in and teach students to be responsible and discerning consumers, users and producers– and this will not happen by banning digital resources like mobile phones, Facebook, YouTube and games as they are in my school. These resources are often banned because students will be ‘distracted’ by them or ‘mis-use’ them, or turn into obese, violent children (Williamson, 2009) because of them. However, I agree with Cook et.al. (2011) and Green & Beavis (2013) in this matter - schools have a social and cultural responsibility to balance the deteriorating social and cultural transformation driven by ubiquitous mobile technology, with learning options that teach young people how to operate in a 21st century landscape, and encourage the responsible and fair use of new-media resources. We must develop a culture of positive digital use, where students develop core social skills and the capacity to network in an online media landscape, negotiate cultural differences or assumptions, give and receive contextualized feedback, reconcile conflicting information and reflect on their participatory choices (Jenkins, 2006). Our young people can be discerning users and audiences of media but they still need a safe place to master these skills. I strongly believe the need for these skills outweighs any perceived negative outcomes. As educators, we must carefully and purposefully design pedagogy that will give our youth the opportunity to develop and grow as effective, ethical participants and communicators living in this new era of a participatory culture (Jenkins, 2006).
This Youtube clip is food for thought!!
References
Cook, J., Pachler, N. & Bachmair, B. (2011). Ubiquitous mobility with mobile phones: A cultural ecology for mobile learning. E-Learning and Digital Media 8(3), 181-195.
Crook, C. (2012). The ‘digital native’ in context: Tensions associated with importing Web 2.0 practices into the school setting. Oxford Review of Education. 38(1), 63-80.
Green, B. & Beavis, C. (2013). Ch 4: "Literacy Education in the age of New Media." International Handbook of Research on Children's Literacy, Learning and Culture. Eds. Kathy Hall, Teresa Cremin, Barbara Comber & Luis Moll. London: Wiley, pp.42-53.
Jenkins, H. et al. (2006) Confronting the challenges of participatory culture: media education for the 21st century. MacArthur Foundation. Retrieved from http://digitallearning.macfound.org/site/c.enJLKQNlFiG/b.2108773/apps/nl/content2.asp?content_id={CD911571-0240-4714-A93B-1D0C07C7B6C1}¬oc=1
Williamson, B. (2009). Games and learning. Benefits and challenges of using computer games in the classroom. Futurelab UK. Retrieved from http://media.futurelab.org.uk/podcasts/becta_talks/games/
Cook, J., Pachler, N. & Bachmair, B. (2011). Ubiquitous mobility with mobile phones: A cultural ecology for mobile learning. E-Learning and Digital Media 8(3), 181-195.
Crook, C. (2012). The ‘digital native’ in context: Tensions associated with importing Web 2.0 practices into the school setting. Oxford Review of Education. 38(1), 63-80.
Green, B. & Beavis, C. (2013). Ch 4: "Literacy Education in the age of New Media." International Handbook of Research on Children's Literacy, Learning and Culture. Eds. Kathy Hall, Teresa Cremin, Barbara Comber & Luis Moll. London: Wiley, pp.42-53.
Jenkins, H. et al. (2006) Confronting the challenges of participatory culture: media education for the 21st century. MacArthur Foundation. Retrieved from http://digitallearning.macfound.org/site/c.enJLKQNlFiG/b.2108773/apps/nl/content2.asp?content_id={CD911571-0240-4714-A93B-1D0C07C7B6C1}¬oc=1
Williamson, B. (2009). Games and learning. Benefits and challenges of using computer games in the classroom. Futurelab UK. Retrieved from http://media.futurelab.org.uk/podcasts/becta_talks/games/