Participatory Culture

Since the beginning of humanity our culture have evolved and changed in various ways. Inventions such as language, roads, and print books all took great strides to bring us closer together, and in turn create stronger civilizations. With the advent of technology our strides are getting larger and the creation of a true global community is getting closer all the time. It is apparent to me that through the readings, studies, and plain common sense collaboration builds better ideas, innovations, civic engagement, artistic expressions, social connections and so much more.  A 2005 Pew Study concluded "our focus is not on individual accomplishment, but rather the emergence of a cultural context that supports widespread participation and distribution of media"(Jenkins, H.J. P.6)  However, the schools are not adapting as fast as they need to to prepare our students for the skills of tomorrow. 

With or without the schools, children with access to the right tools are using them to build important skills while having fun with it. Out of school activities such as blogging, mixing and DJing music, pod-casting, shooting and editing video, and video games, just to name a few, all build technical, creative, coordination, analytic, and all around useful skills. Jenkins expands on ten core media literacy skills. These include play, simulation, performance, appropriation, multi-task, distribution cognition, collective intelligence,  judgement, trans-media navigation, networking, and negotiation (Jenkins, H.J. p22-52). These are the skills that allow us to critically look at the technological tools and content, and use them in the most socially helpful ways. These are also the skills the schools should be using in order to mentor our children in the right direction rather than forcing them to learn it on their own without guidance. "It matters what tools are available to a culture, but it matters even more what the culture chooses to do with those tools" (Jenkins, H.J. p.8).

Jenkins also explains the three concerns with learning technological skills. The participation gap (Jankins, H.J. p. 12) addresses the need for everyone to have access to these technologies. Many places such as in Philadelphia are supplying free internet access. Ideally every child should own or have easy access to a computer. This will add to the pool of contributions and the richness of material and innovations. Alongside the contributions of technology, there is also a flip side of adding useless, false, or even harmful material. This is what he calls the Transparency issue (Jankins, H.J. p.14). Determining what content is trustworthy and reliable should be a main focus of technology skills within our schools. This goes hand in hand with his third concern of the ethics of technology (Jankins H.J. p.17) Online personalities may delve into dark fantasies and have different ethical norms then held in the "real" world. There is also the ethics of what we share on social networks. The ancient question of to post or not to post. Often time I wish some had opted not to post. I have seen relationships destroyed over such things.

When deciding how we should teach these technologies we should also keep in mind Green's model. Learning the basics and building on technologies potential consist of its operational use. Culturally, we should learn to work with one another and keep open to as many different perspectives in order to enrich our own global view, and finally we must also have a critical view. We need to learn to determine trustworthy sources, and strive for quality content. We also need to have a good understanding of not only the potential for good in technology, but also the potential of distraction and destruction.

I have found the readings to be fascinating. The need for change in schools has been very apparent. You are told to do well in school if you want a job, but come to find out it is no guarantee. Even with the sky-rocketing rates of higher-education students are still not properly prepared for life on their own. Some get lucky, but many fall between the cracks, and forced to work jobs they hate. Change is in the air and I want to be a part of the movement to revolutionize our education system.

References:

Jenkins, H.J. (2006). Building the field of digital media and learning: Confronting the challenges of participatory culture: Media education for the 21st century. MacArthur Foundation, p.1-68.

Literacy Debate: Online R U Really Reading?

The concept of literacy is evolving.  What was once associated with the ability to read now envelops other categories such as computer literacy or even social literacy. Literacy can thus be described as an understanding and comprehension of content, be it the words in a book, the programming of computers, or the social skills needed to thrive in today's society. 

As technology advances people seem to be moving away from books. We are living in one of the most virtually stimulating times.  We are surrounded by TV, I phones, pod casts, games, i pods, 3D movies and more.  It isn't hard to see how many people find it difficult to get through a couple hundred pages of picture-less print.  The internet also allows us to filter through tons of information and pin-point the details you are looking for.  This saves time by piecing together the information while creating your own coherent picture of the content.

Books on the other hand are a very linear medium.  We read all the details (useful or not) from beginning to end the way the author had decided to lay it out for us.  This kind of reading is very important because it helps us develop our focus, memory, vocabulary, imagination and comprehension.  The focus we use when absorbed in a book, is the same focus we can tap into when we are playing music, a sport, creating art, or doing a job well.  We have all experienced this focus at one point or another, when time seems to fly by, and the reaction from our mind to our body is cut down into mere instinct.  This I believe is when human potential is at its greatest.

In order for us to confidently go towards the future, we must ensure that we are teaching multiple forms of literacy, so we produce well balanced students prepared for the challenges to come.

References:

Rich M. (July 27, 2008). The future of reading: Literacy Debate: Online R U really reading? (WWW page). http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/27/books/27reading.html?_r=1&adxnnl=1&pagewanted=all&adxnnlx=1379520650-kkVwy+mwMjILeTUPofZSVw 

Texts as a Social Practice

"The distinctive contribution of the approach to literacy as social practice lies in the ways in which it involves careful and sensitive attention to what people do with texts, how they make sense of them and use them to further their own purposes in their own learning lives" 

These are issues that people have dealt with since the invention of text. Even before texts information was passed down by word of mouth. Stories were memorized and passed down generation to generation. Unfortunately, what resulted was much like a game of telephone, slightly changing facts and story lines. When people started writing things down this dramatically effected the consistency of the stories. Two problem still remained.  One, knowing the validity of the information the texts contained, and two having the literacy to understand the information.

Today, information is surrounding us in multiple formats. In my spare time I still cling to the enjoyment of a paper bound book switching between informational books on science and philosophy and fantasy books on the other end of the spectrum. Now I find digital text slipping into my life more and more. Email, Facebook, TV, smart phones, I am constantly bombarded with information.  But the same questions remain, how do I verify the information, and how do I make sense of it in regards to how it effects me. 

In order to make sense of this we need to be functionally literate (Lankshear, 1985, p.15). As an active citizen we need to understand these texts in the context of our lives, and filter the information that we are being overwhelmed with into what is most useful. When it comes to any type of media I am an extreme skeptic. I question everything from advertisements, to news, to anything I read online. Primary sources like the journals in the university library are great, but most information we receive are not primary.  As a skeptic I still try and keep an open mind, but I do my research and dig for as much information as possible. The more sources I can find that validate other information the more solid it becomes. However, I never take anything as complete fact. As Socrates says "I am wisest because I know I know nothing".

This withstanding I can not use it as an excuse not to try and learn anything. Instead I strive for content that is  descriptive, analytic, and critically evaluative (Lankshear & Knobel, 2001-2003, p205-206) Content that is descriptive tells me that they have taken the time to go over the topic thoroughly. It is not just some thrown together fluff piece, instead it is put together with much consideration. Ken Burns' and his documentaries come to mind when I think of something descriptive and rich with details. 

Analytic is what gives backing to the descriptive side of the text. Details are only good if they can be backed up through primary sources and/or scientific exploration.  Dan Brown's novels, although not completely factual, were very successful because of all the research he had done to make his story seem plausible. 

The critical-evaluation is very important when considering sources, because it gives other outside perspectives that may catch something you might have missed. Two heads are better than one and a collaboration of experts can make sure that everything is tested and covered. A great example of the critical-evaluative process can be found at Connxions (cnx.org). Connexions is an online, open-source super textbook. It uses XML that connects textbooks, and also allows people to share and add content.  It is evaluated by a social software that allows different groups (or lenses) to peer review all of its content. This I believe will be the the future of information as we know it.

References

Lankshear, C. (1985) Ideas of functional leteracy. In C. Lankshear & M. Knobel, Literacies: Social, Cultural, and Historical Perspectives (p.15) New York, NY: Peter Lang

Lankshear, C. & Knobel, M. (2001-2003). The "new literacy studies" and the study of "new" literacies. In C. Lankshear & M. Knobel, Literacies: Social, Cultural, and Historical Perspectives (p205-206) New York, NY: Peter Lang

http://www.ted.com/talks/richard_baraniuk_on_open_source_learning.html

Introduction

Hey everyone!

      My name is Sean Andrews. I'm currently a tutor and waiter trying to work my way to a job in higher education. After I got my bachelors I became a snowboard instructor. This is where I found my passion for teaching. I believe the education system as we know it is in need of an up-grade. The questions I am mostly concerned with are how we merge with technology responsibly, what are the skills of tomorrow, how do we cultivate the richness and variety of cognitive abilities, and how do we keep personal interactions within an international level? Through the information I learn, tools I use, and relationships I make in the MALET program I should be put on the right path to contribute the best I can to the educational system, and I can't wait to see where it will lead.