Although I have not grown up as a 'digital native', our youth (and many adults) now work, think and play within a new media environment as naturally as fish swim in the sea (Green & Beavis, 2013). O'Sullivan (2102) states that educators must learn to integrate popular culture and digital technology into our pedagogy, in order to enhance student meaning and to link learning to their worlds. As I began thinking of ways to use popular culture to engage my own students, I found myself pondering the same question as Hall (2011) – how can we use popular culture texts to achieve academic outcomes. I was interested to discover if other teachers were integrating popular culture into their lessons. I spent the next week talking to teachers and students, in order to gain some insight into this question.
I found that students were being exposed to a variety of digital and media based learning strategies and to varying degrees. Here are some examples:
References
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.
Hall, L. (2011). How popular culture texts inform and shape students’ discussions of social studies texts. Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy. 55(4), 296-305.
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
O'Sullivan, K. A. (2012). Books and blogs: Promoting reading achievement in digital contexts. In J. Manuel & S. Brindley (Eds.) Teenagers and reading: Literary heritages, cultural contexts and contemporary reading practices (pp. 191-209). South Australia: Wakefield Press/AATE.
I found that students were being exposed to a variety of digital and media based learning strategies and to varying degrees. Here are some examples:
- Weebly websites containing multimedia forms of information
- Online tutorials and digital programs such as Mathletics
- Film & TV utilizes multiple programs and online Apps to create movies, ads and print media
- Science use a variety of digital sensors for motion and light
- ICT lessons expose students to range of software programs and programming opportunities, including game design, video editing and graphic design
- Industrial Design and Technology department uses many digital programs and Apps for designing and creating projects in metal, plastic and wood. They have recently added a 3D printer and a programmable plasma cutter.
- Music students create their own music using digital software and equipment.
- Art uses many forms of digital photography and digital equipment to produce graphic art and 3D objects.
- Several subjects have Google+ pages full of relevant online links for students to follow and use.
- The robotics club uses robots, droids and drones
- Some subjects utilize curation Apps such as Pearltrees to curate information
- Nearly all subjects use the internet to search for relevant information sources
References
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.
Hall, L. (2011). How popular culture texts inform and shape students’ discussions of social studies texts. Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy. 55(4), 296-305.
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
O'Sullivan, K. A. (2012). Books and blogs: Promoting reading achievement in digital contexts. In J. Manuel & S. Brindley (Eds.) Teenagers and reading: Literary heritages, cultural contexts and contemporary reading practices (pp. 191-209). South Australia: Wakefield Press/AATE.