New Media and Participation Culture in the Classroom
Jenkins, Purushotma, Weigel, Clinton and Robinson (2009),
define participatory culture as a “culture with relatively low barriers to
artistic expression and civic engagement, strong support for creating and
sharing creations and some type of informal mentorship whereby experienced
participants pass along knowledge to novices” (Bloom & Johnston, 2010, p.114).
I think this is a good starting point for defining participatory culture and
it’s importance. First of all it is important as an educator to understand the
age in which we are teaching. In the 21st century this is the
technological age where let’s face it our students know about technology then
we do. Therefore it is important to learn about the new media and the benefits
that these tools can be used in a classroom. Bloom and Johnston (2010),
discusses that it is important that educators and students exploit the new
media to engage cross-cultural exchange and ultimately gain greater cross- cultural
understanding (p.113). In a digital writing environment, it is possible for
educators to offer opportunities to students to evolve critical think writing
skills in preparation for lifetime learning (Mckee-Waddell, p.27). Therefore,
new media and participation culture in the classroom are crucial and beneficial
for teaching and preparing students for the future. As a future teacher it is
important to understand that we are not teaching students just to teach but
instead we are teaching them skills that will help with students success in
their future. Having a new media in the classroom is also beneficial for
teacher to adjust their instructional strategies for students to better
understand. If you are teaching the students in a format that they understand,
such as using media they are familiar with, their understanding will be
greater. Participatory culture is crucial with regard to new media because it
allows students to share their stories and new media in a safe environment.
Participatory culture in a classroom also allows students to express their
creative expression with people around the world and students can view other
peoples media around the world.
Concepts of Participatory Culture to Enhance Teaching
Bloom and Johnston (2010) explain that the role of an
educator is to train students how to participate in a new environment with
intelligence, skills, and literacy (p. 113). I believe as a future educator
this is very true. I believe that to enhance my teaching in a participatory
culture I need to familiar with the new media that the students are familiar
with. Also incorporating media that the students are interested in will enhance
the engagement of students learning. If students are interested in learning
they will be more likely to complete the work efficiently. Generating a
participatory classroom has the ability to create a globally integrated
environment in which people can engage in social relationships and research (Bloom
& Johnston, 2010, p.113). Bloom and Johnston (2010) identify four forms of
participatory culture – affiliations, expressions, collaborative problem
solving and circulations (p.114). These concepts can enhance teaching in a
classroom as well as student learning especially collaborative problem solving
which is crucial in today’s education system. It is important for teacher to
engage and embrace students’ technological knowledge instead of resorting to
the past teaching practices. (Suzanne Mckee-Waddell, p.26). Suzanne
Mckee-Waddell states “braiding digital tools may be resources into the
curriculum for instructional purposes – a task now available to the teacher in
the educational setting” (p. 27). As a future educator I believe that the
digital tools and education are a perfect match to deliver curricula to the
students and therefore this is the way I personally want to teach my students
and be open to their perspective and knowledge about new media.
Digital Storytelling in the Classroom
Integrating digital storytelling into the classroom has
multiple benefits. Gachgo, Condy, Ivala & Chigona (2014), define a digital
story as a “personal narrative which combines voice, sound and images into a
short video” (p.1). I personally could use digital storytelling to introduce
myself to my students, colleagues and even potential employers. In the
classroom digital storytelling and its techniques have gained an increase in
educational interest among the 21st century students (Gachgo, Condy, Ivala
& Chigona, 2014, p.1). Halah
Ahmed Alismail (2015), discusses seven elements that the Centre for Digital
Storytelling (CDS) that help create digital stories with students include the
following: point of view, dramatic question, emotional content, gift of your
voice, soundtrack, economy and pacing (p.126). I personally believe that these elements
are a good starting point for the beginning of an evaluation fr elementary.
These elements are beneficial for a more mature group of students but in
elementary I would use point of view and soundtrack in particular to assess the
students. Some of the elements such as the gift of your voice can be applied to
differentiation because not all students are comfortable using their voice and
therefore digital storytelling can have the option to not use your own voice. Digital
storytelling can encourage students to engage in discussion, participation and can
help generate a better understanding of the content (Alismail, 2015, p.127).
Digital storytelling is also an excellent tool to emphasize collaboration in a
classroom as well as around the world. Digital storytelling also assists with
students critical thinking skills because of the research, discussion and
analysis of various issues and can use other technology tools to produce their
digital storytelling (Alismail, 2015, p.128). Therefore digital storytelling is
an effective instructional tool for teachers to use that allow students to
thoroughly understand content and become accountable for their learning. I
recommend digital storytelling to all teachers and teacher candidates.
Concepts of Digital Storytelling
to Enhance Teaching
Using digital storytelling in the classroom allows students to see
viewpoint from other perspectives of their peers and even their surrounding
world. Students who understand what is occurring around them helps become
better citizens because they can show empathy and understanding for certain
situations. Creating a digital stories allows students to access different
tools in order to produce their final piece. Students can work collaboratively
to produce a final piece, which helps students build cooperation skills. Using
digital storytelling is also very cross curricular and can be used in various
curricula delivery. In particular digital storytelling goes very nicely with
language. Students can use the writing process to produce their story outlines
and then use the creative process to help complete their final product. Digital
storytelling is an effective tool to enhance teaching and teacher should really
consider incorporating into the classroom as much as possible.
References
Bloom, K. & Johnston, K.M. (2010). Digging into YouTube videos:
using media literacy and participatory culture to promote cross-cultural
understanding. The National Association
for Media Literacy Education’s Journal of Media Literacy Education, 2(2), 113-123.
McKee-Waddell, S. (n.d.). Digital literacy: Bridging the gap with
digital writing tools. International
Journal for Professional Educators. 26-31.
Gachago, D. et al. (2014). ‘All stories bring hope because stories
bring awareness’: students’ preceptions of digital storytelling for social
justice education. South African Journal
of Education, 34(4), 1-12.
Alismail, H.A. (2015). Integrate digital storytelling in education. Journal of education and Practice. 6 (9),
126-129.
