Participatory culture has developed from the shifting paradigms that are present in today’s society. Due to the way that technology and social networks have been constructed it has made it easy for people to use media for creating, sharing, or expressing themselves (MIT TechTV). Participatory culture uses these new forms of technology and networking to create supportive environments in which people can create and share information with others. Participatory culture also showcases the creative process and connectivism in unique ways; users are able to create information and share it with others but they are also able to edit and revise information based on feedback that is given in these supportive spaces (MIT TechTV). When participatory culture is used for education it can expose students to new ideas and information as well as provides students with a safe space for collaboration.
Participatory culture can be applied in the classroom in many different ways ranging from having students collaborate on projects and having whole class discussion, to hosting a google hangout with people across the world. In today’s society children are constantly being exposed to new media outside of the classroom. Considering that students are engaged and take an interest in these new forms of media outside of the classroom it can be assumed that if they are brought in to the classroom to teach lessons than students may be engaged in their learning. Research has shown that students are more successful and have better educational experiences when teachers and students collaborate in building knowledge and improving ideas (Jacobsen, 2015). This idea of collaboration and learning from each other can be done whether technology is available in the classroom or not. For classes where technology is limited, student engagement in a task can be improved by allowing the teacher and student to co-create success criteria or project guidelines. In classes where technology is more readily available this can be done by using google hangouts to communicate with students in other schools.
Another way of using the ideas of participatory culture and new media to interest students is to challenge students with work that has value outside of the classroom and “tasks that captivate their [students] hearts and minds” (Jacobsen, 2015). As we have discussed in class, students are more engaged when citizenship and character education are involved in projects. Students can be challenged to create projects that raise awareness for issues that they feel are important. These projects could then be shared within various communities (such as the classroom, school, community, the world via the internet, etc.) for a greater sense of involving the participatory culture of today.
Although the benefits of implementing new media and participatory culture into the classroom are beneficial it can be difficult for some teachers to apply this to their teaching practices. In some classrooms there can be a divide between a generation raised on standardized tests where everyone is supposed to learn the exact same things and a generation raised on creativity and participation through blogs, podcasts, game sites, etc. (PULL, 2014). Teachers need to be open to the idea of collaboration with students, between students, and with other teachers. Rather than viewing collaboration as cheating it should be viewed as a tool for greater success. Henry Jenkins points out the fact that “as a teacher I can’t teach everything my students need to know but as someone who is part of a larger set of social practices, and if I collaborate with other teachers, and if I create spaces where my students can share what they know then a different kind of learning takes place that is in the long run more valuable” (PULL, 2014). Teachers should be guiding students to use new technology and social medias in a way that is safe and engaging to ensure that students are able to gain knowledge, while being safe and considerate of rules such as copyright law.
Jacobsen, M. (2015). CEA: Teaching in a Participatory Digital World. Retrieved from http://www.cea-ace.ca/education-canada/article/teaching-participatory-digital-world
MIT TechTV. (n.d.). Henry Jenkins: What is participatory culture? Retrieved from http://video.mit.edu/watch/what-is-participatory-culture-3027/
PULL. (2014). How Technology is Changing the Conversation. Henry Jenkins: The influence of participatory culture on education. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HYbSD_GdkjU