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.