Participatory culture refers to published media, and dates back to year ago when newspapers started to circulate. Participatory culture has now transformed into a culture in which many individuals within a society (or the world) can contribute because of the advances in technology. Social media, wikipedia, blogs etc. allow everyday citizens to become a part of the media culture. There are both positive and negatives to this, as teachers we have the ability to help mold this growing culture into a positive.
Teaching this can go hand in hand with teaching our students about technology and the ethics that go along with it. Expose students to this type of culture, explain what it is and the impact it can have, both good and bad. Allow students to get involved, let them be creative with it. The barriers are minimal, which is both good and bad, if we expose them to the implications they will be able to learn and utilize these skills in the real world!
Tara, I love how you want your students to make connections to the educational culture in their classrooms to "real world" interactions! Maybe to encourage good behavior, the class could discuss the "pros and cons" of having such freedom, and some guidelines on how they would like to be treated, and therefore treat one another, in such an environment!
ReplyDeleteI like how you added that there are both positive and negative sides to a participatory culture. I immediately am drawn to social media today and how the adults are often the same if not worst then some of the kids and I think about the fact that they had the technology introduced after their schooling years for many. I believe, like you said, that we have the ability to educate them on this and teach them digital citizenship.
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