connfronting the challenges of a participatory culture

Confronting the Challenges of a Participatory CultureMedia Education for the 21st Century

Reported by: Arlene N. Baratang for Educational Anthropology

Educational Anthropology is a way of examining educational systems from a cultural anthropologist point of view.

– George Spindler (Education and Cultural Process: Anthropological approaches, 2nd edition.1987 Waveland Press).

What is educational anthropology?

Formal Education vs. Informal Education

Formal education is focused about schools, in learning skills, and dispositions. A good education works about what is most important in a person’s life, whether it be religion, political ideology, artistic identity, and all that makes the particular character of a person’s outlook on life.

The informal education teaches the things that we do not explicitly teach in school. For example, consider the natural language of children who seem to achieve competence in the language of those around them (without formal instruction) but in the course of their lives they achieve competence in a second language or different dialects of their first language.

How does cultural anthropology fits in with Information Age Education?

People learn well in informal, interactive, social environments. Consider this statement in terms of the one billion cell telephones using instant messaging, chat groups, the success of online computer games with millions of players, and the success of social networking systems.

Quoting Herve Varenne’s grandmother, who left school after the 6th grade, circa 1914, on the occasion of his PhD, “Remember, you may have more instruction than I have, but you are not more educated.”

“If it were possible to define generally the mission of education, it could be said that its

fundamental purpose is to ensure that all students benefit from learning in ways that

allow them to participate fully in public, community, and economic life.”

— New London Group (2000, p. 9)

Participatory Culture

Teens and Social Media by Amanda Lenhart, Mary Madden, Aaron Smith, Alexandra Macgill

Dec 19, 2007

– Content creation by teenagers continues to grow, with 64% of online teenagers ages 12 to 17 engaging in at least one type of content creation, up from 57% of online teens in 2004.

– Girls continue to dominate most elements of content creation. Some 35% of all teen girls blog, compared with 20% of online boys, and 54% of wired girls post photos online compared with 40% of online boys. Boys, however, do dominate one area - posting of video content online. Online teen boys are nearly twice as likely as online girls (19% vs. 10%) to have posted a video online somewhere where someone else could see it.

– The survey found that content creation is not just about sharing creative output; it is also about participating in conversations fueled by that content. Nearly half (47%) of online teens have posted photos where others can see them, and 89% of those teens who post photos say that people comment on the images at least "some of the time."

– However, many teen content creators do not simply plaster their creative endeavors on the Web for anyone to view; many teens limit access to content that they share.

– There is a subset of teens who are super-communicators -- teens who have a host of technology options for dealing with family and friends, including traditional landline phones, cell phones, texting, social network sites, instant messaging, and email. They represent about 28% of the entire teen population and they are more likely to be older girls.

• Report: Teens, Social Networking, Blogs, Video, Mobile, Web 2.0

A Participatory Culture . . .

With relatively low barriers to artistic expression and civic engagement

With strong support for creating and sharing one’s creations with others

With some type of informal mentorship whereby what is known by the most experienced is passed along to novices

Where members believe that their contributions matter

Where members feel some degree of social connection with one another (at the least they care what other people think about what they have created)

Forms of Participatory Culture

Affiliations — memberships, formal and informal, in online communities centered around various forms of media, such as Friendster, Facebook, message boards, metagaming, game clans, or MySpace

Expressions — producing new creative forms, such as digital sampling, skinning and modding, fan video gaming, fan fiction writing, zines, mash-ups

Digital Sampling - Converting analog signals into digital form

Skinning and modding - In computing, a skin is a custom graphical appearance achieved by the use of a graphical user interface (GUI) that can be applied to specific software and websites to suit the purpose, topic, or tastes of different users. A skin may be associated with themes.

Forms of participatory culture…

Modding - Refers to the act of modifying a piece of hardware or software or anything else for that matter, to perform a function not originally conceived or intended by the designer. The term modding is often used within the computer game community, particularly in regard to creating new or altered content and sharing that via the web

Fan video gaming - A fan translation, in video gaming, refers to an unofficial translation of a computer game or video game.

Fan Translation


Fan fiction writing - Fan fiction (alternately referred to as fan fiction, fanfic, FF, or fic) is a broadly-defined term for fan labor regarding stories about characters (or simply fictional characters) or settings written by fans of the original work, rather than by the original creator. (e.g. the Epic Cycle supplementing the works of Homer and the various re-tellings of King Arthur's tale which spread around Europe from the 8th century AD onward)

A zine (an abbreviation of the word fanzine, or magazine; pronounced zeen) is most commonly a small circulation publication of original or appropriated texts and images. Zines are written in a variety of formats, from computer-printed text to comics to handwritten text. Notable among these are Giant Robot, Dazed & Confused, Bust, Bitch (magazine) and Maximum RocknRoll.


Mash-ups - a mashup is a Web page or application that uses and combines data, presentation or functionality from two or more sources to create new services. The term implies easy, fast integration, frequently using open APIs and data sources to produce enriched results that were not necessarily the original reason for producing the raw source data.


Collaborative Problem-solving — working together in teams, formal and informal, to complete tasks and develop new knowledge (such as through Wikipedia, alternative reality gaming, spoiling).

Circulations — Shaping the flow of media (such as podcasting, blogging).

Implications

Opportunities for peer-to-peer learning,

A changed attitude toward intellectual property,

The diversification of cultural expression,

The development of skills valued in the modern workplace, and a more empowered conception of citizenship.

Implications to Literacy

Participatory culture shifts the focus of literacy from one of individual expression to community involvement.

The new literacies almost all involve social skills developed through collaboration and networking.

These skills build on the foundation of traditional literacy, research skills, technical skills, and critical analysis skills taught in the classroom.

The New Literacies

Play — the capacity to experiment with one’s surroundings as a form of problem-solving

Performance — the ability to adopt alternative identities for the purpose of improvisation and discovery

Simulation — the ability to interpret and construct dynamic models of real-world processes

Appropriation — the ability to meaningfully sample and remix media content

Multitasking — the ability to scan one’s environment and shift focus as needed to salient details.

Distributed Cognition — the ability to interact meaningfully with tools that expand mental capacities

The New Literacies

Collective Intelligence — the ability to pool knowledge and compare notes with others toward a common goal

Judgment — the ability to evaluate the reliability and credibility of different information sources

Transmedia Navigation — the ability to follow the flow of stories and information across multiple modalities

Networking — the ability to search for, synthesize, and disseminate information

Negotiation — the ability to travel across diverse communities, discerning and respecting multiple perspectives, and grasping and following alternative norms.

Blogs

A blog is a website for which an individual or a group frequently generates text, photographs, video or audio files, and/or links, typically (but not always) on a daily basis.

– The term is a shortened form of weblog.

– Authoring a blog, maintaining a blog or adding an article to an existing blog is called "blogging".

– Individual articles on a blog are called "blog posts," "posts," or "entries".

– The person who posts these entries is called a "blogger".

Blogs in School?

Blogs are tools, and like any tools they can be used or misused.

– Misuse occurs more often when there's a lack of instruction. (MySpace, Xanga, Facebook)

Interactivity, publishing, collective intelligence

Blogs in School

Teacher Blogs

Homework

Keep Parents in the Loop

Virtual Inservice

Professional collaboration

Student Blogs

This week in class, we...

Student Work

Online portfolio

Peer/teacher feedback

Why Students Shouldn’t Blog

People will read it.

People might not like it.

They might share test answers with others.

They might be found by a child predator online

They might write something inappropriate.

They might find something inappropriate.

They might get other students to start blogging.

http://blogging101.wikispaces.com/whywhynot

Daily Scribe

Classroom Extensions

Tips for Blogging

http://blogging101.wikispaces.com/bloggersbeware

Blog Hosting for Schools

Blogmeister - http://classblogmeister.com/

Edublogs - http://edublogs.org/

http://classblogmeister.com/

http://edublogs.org/

Podcasts

Podcasts

iPod + Broadcast = Podcast

– Amateur radio

– Podcasting is the method of distributing multimedia files, such as audio programs or music videos, over the Internet using either the RSS or Atom syndication formats, for playback on mobile devices and personal computers.

Why use podcasts?

Podcasts enable students to share their knowledge and expertise with others through a creative outlet.

Podcasts tap into a mode of media input that is commonplace for digital natives.

Podcasts empower students to form relationships with the content and each other in relevant ways.

Why use podcasts?

Podcasting is yet another way for students to be creating and contributing ideas to a larger conversation, and it’s a way of archiving that contribution for future audiences to use.

– Will Richardson, Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts and Other Powerful Web Tools for Classrooms

How can podcasts be used?

In the classroom, educators and students can use podcasts to inform others about class news, current events, and areas of interest.

Students can use a podcast forum to persuade their peers to help others, make a difference, or try something new.

Podcasts can also be used to edutain others through creative narratives.

How can podcasts be used?

Podcasts engage students in thinking critically about their speaking fluency and communication skills.

The opportunity to create a podcast about what students would like to discuss and share with others is extremely motivating.

Other Enduring Benefits

Along with the use of technology there are certain responsibilities that educators and students need to follow.

– Educators need to instruct students on safe and acceptable use of technology in and outside of the classroom.

– Not only do students need to learn how to appropriately research, but also how to safely and properly share information online.

– Podcasts allow students to learn first hand about copyright laws and fair use issues.

Jumping in with both feet . . .

Listen to a few podcasts online

– iTunes > Source List > Podcasts > Education

– http://www.podcastalley.com/

– http://www.ipodder.org/

– http://epnweb.org/

– http://www.jakeludington.com/archives/000405.html (“Podcasting with Windows Media Player)

Get a feel for the genre

– Podcasts are not “polished” – production value is secondary to the content

http://www.podcastalley.com/

http://www.ipodder.org/

http://epnweb.org/

http://www.jakeludington.com/archives/000405.html

Searching for Podcasts - iTunes

Subscribing to Podcasts

Creating a Podcast

1. Write your script.

2. Practice.

3. Record your audio file. (Audacity)

4. Edit your audio (Effect > Normalize)

5. Add and credit legally useable music (optional)

6. File > Save Project.

7. File > Export as MP3 > Edit ID3 Tags

8. Upload the MP3 file to a web server. (GCast and Audioblogger)

Audacity – Audio Editing Software

http://audacity.sourceforge.net/

http://audacity.sourceforge.net/

Publishing Your Podcasts - GCast

Pedagogy for Podcasting

Education Podcast Network

University of Wisconsin-Madison Podcasting

Pod Pedagogy

Online Podcasting Resources

http://jdorman.wikispaces.com/+Podcasting

What is a Wiki?

A wiki is a type of website that allows users easily to add, remove, or otherwise edit and change most available content.

How is a Wiki Constructed?

A single page in a wiki is referred to as a "wiki page", while the entire body of pages, which are usually highly interconnected via hyperlinks, is "the wiki“

– in effect, a wiki is actually a very simple, easy-to-use user-maintained database for searching and creating information.

Are Wikis Safe?

Wikis are generally designed with the philosophy of making it easy to correct mistakes, rather than making it difficult to make them.

Are Wikis Safe?

Thus while wikis are very open, they provide a means to verify the validity of recent additions to the body of pages.

– The most prominent, on almost every wiki, is the "Recent Changes" page—a specific list numbering recent edits, or a list of all the edits made within a given timeframe.

Tracking Changes

Using Wikis as a Source

Wikipedia is as reliable as other external sources we rely on.

Properly written articles cite the sources, and a reader should rely on the Wikipedia article as much, but no more, than the sources the article relies on.

If an article doesn't cite a source, it may or may not be reliable.

Students should never use information in a wiki until they have checked those external sources.

What the Experts are Saying

Wikis are helping young people develop “writing skills and social skills by learning about group consensus and compromise—all the virtues you need to be a reasonable and productive member of society.”

– Jimmy Wales, founder of Wikipedia

What the Experts are Saying

“The media is controlled by people who have the resources to control it,” he says. “Wikis show that all of us have an equal opportunity to contribute to knowledge.”

– Andy Garvin, head of the Digital Divide Network

Ways to Use Wikis

Use wikis as formats for subject guides.

Invite students and teachers to annotate your catalog on a wiki.

Make wikis meeting places for communities inside the school.

Link librarians and teachers in your district in a collaborative enterprise.

Class Wikis

Class Wikis – Online Content

Class Wikis - Webquests

Class Wikis – Student Collaboration

Professional Learning Communities

PLC – Professional Research

PLC – Virtual Training

PLC – Curricular Collaboration

PLC – Supporting Teachers

Links to Getting Started

Wiki Walk-Through http://www.teachersfirst.com/content/wiki/

– What’s a wiki?

– Who uses wikis?

– Wikis or blogs?

– How to use wikis with students.

– Ideas for activities, projects, collaborations, etc.Using wikis in Education (blog) http://ikiw.org/ Classroom use of wikis

http://www.teachinghacks.com/wiki/index.php?title=Wikis

http://www.teachersfirst.com/content/wiki/

http://ikiw.org/

http://www.teachinghacks.com/wiki/index.php?title=Wikis

Wikispaces

Wikispaces is offering K-12 organizations their premium membership for free

– No advertisements

– Greater storage capacity

– Enhanced privacy settings

http://www.wikispaces.com/site/for/teachers100K

NYT Magazine – December 3, 2006

“Open Source Spying” Clive Thompson

– The U.S.A. and other Western countries have embraced 21st century technologies such as blogs and wikis.

– “Once the intelligence community has a robust and mature wiki and blog knowledge-sharing Web space . . . the nature of intelligence will change forever.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/03/magazine/03intelligence.html?ex=1322802000&en=46027e63d79046ce&ei=5090&partner=rssuserland&emc=rss

Social Learning

http://jdorman.wikispaces.com/Social+Learning

Social Learning – Web 2.0

http://jdorman.wikispaces.com/Social+Learning

Del.icio.us

http://del.icio.us/

Stu.dicio.us

http://stu.dicio.us/

Stu.dicio.us Features

Note-taking

– Note commenting

– Note sharing Keyword link to Google and Wikipedia To-Do Lists Schedule Document storage/tracking Grade organizer Privacy Features RSS Feeds Integration with Facebook Social Networking

http://stu.dicio.us/

Furl

http://www.furl.net/

BlinkList

http://www.blinklist.com/

BlinkList

http://www.blinklist.com/static/classroom.php

StumbleUpon

http://www.stumbleupon.com/

Digg

Find an article, video, or podcast online and submit it to Digg.com. Your submission will immediately appear in “Upcoming Stories,” where other members can find it and, if they like it, Digg it.

Subscribe to RSS feeds of particular topics, popular/upcoming sections, individual users, and the search terms of your choice

Digg. Participate in the collaborative editorial process by Digging the stuff that you like best.

Build a friend list; then your friends can track what you’re Digging. They can also subscribe to an RSS feed of your submissions and/or your Diggs.

http://www.digg.com/

Diigo

http://www.diigo.com/

Diigo

http://groups.diigo.com/groups/edn

Gradefix

http://www.gradefix.com/

Gradefix

mynoteIT

http://www.mynoteit.com/

Backpack

http://www.backpackit.com/

Schoopy

http://www.schoopy.com/

Wizlite

Wizlite is a tool allowing users to collaboratively highlight important passages on pages on the Internet.

Users can organize in groups and attach notes to their selections.

Wizlite is activated by a bookmarklet or Firefox toolbar extension.

Wizlite is great for many applications, such as topic discovery (e.g. for talks) or reviewing.

http://wizlite.com/

NoteMesh

NoteMesh is a free service that allows college students in the same classes to share notes with each other.

It works by creating a wiki for individual classes that users can edit.

Users are free to post their own lecture notes or contribute to existing lecture notes.

The idea is that users in the same class can collaboratively create a definitive source for lecture notes.

http://notemesh.com

PageFlakes

http://www.pageflakes.com

Social Networking – 43 Things

http://www.43things.com/

Flickr

What you can do with your photos:

– Upload

– Tag

– Geotag (mapping)

– Blog

– Comment

– Organize

– Organize into online photo albums with annotation

– Form/join groups

http://www.flickr.com

Applications for Flickr

Virtual field trip

Categorize, analyze, evaluate images

Geography practice

Picture books-documentaries

Display original artwork

Online scavenger hunts

Process live field trips

Upload exported (jpeg) Inspiration graphic organizers

Photo Editing Tools

Phixr http://www.phixr.com/

Pxn8 http://pxn8.com/

Picasa http://picasa.google.com/

GIMP http://www.gimp.org/windows/

Free Serif PhotoPlus http://www.freeserifsoftware.com/

Paint.Net http://www.eecs.wsu.edu/paint.net/

Pixia http://park18.wakwak.com/~pixia/

PhotoFiltre http://photofiltre.free.fr/frames_en.htm

Ultimate Paint http://www.ultimatepaint.com/

VCW VicMan’s Photo Editor http://www.vicman.net/vcwphoto/index.htm

ImageForge http://www.cursorarts.com/ca_imffw.html

Picnik http://www.picnik.com/

Online Bibliography Helpers

Easybib - http://www.easybib.com/

KnightCite http://webapps.calvin.edu/knightcite/

Landmarks Citation Machine http://citationmachine.net/

NoodleTools http://www.noodletools.com/

Ottobib http://ottobib.com/

Video Editing Tools

Eye Spot Online Video Mixing http://eyespot.com/

Jump Cut Online Video Editor http://jumpcut.com/

Windows Movie Maker http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/moviemaker/default.mspx

Avid Free DV http://www.avid.com/freedv/

Storyboard Pro http://www.atomiclearning.com/storyboardpro

Microsoft PhotoStory http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/

digitalphotography/photostory/default.mspx

Classroom Resources

NoteStar enhanced research tools http://notestar.4teachers.org/ RubiStar rubric creation tools http://rubistar.4teachers.org/index.php QuizStar online quiz creation tools http://quizstar.4teachers.org/ TrackStar online hotlist and Internet activity creation tools

http://trackstar.4teachers.org/ Web Worksheet Wizard http://wizard.4teachers.org/ Project Poster online project-based activity creation tools

http://poster.4teachers.org/ Discovery School Puzzle Maker http://www.puzzlemaker.com/ National Library of Virtual Manipulatives

http://nlvm.usu.edu/en/nav/vlibrary.html

WebQuests

A WebQuest for K-12 Teachers utilizing the WebGuide Template - Internet4Classrooms version - http://www.internet4classrooms.com/lesson_plan_quest.htm

WebQuest Template - http://www.internet4classrooms.com/lesson-template.htm

San Diego State University Educational Technology Department WebQuests Page - http://webquest.sdsu.edu/

Best WebQuests - http://bestwebquests.com/ WebQuest Templates SDSU - http://webquest.sdsu.edu/LessonTemplate.html Teachnology WebQuest Generator -

http://teachers.teach-nology.com/web_tools/web_quest/ Differentiated Instruction WebQuests -

http://www.lakelandschools.org/EDTECH/Differentiation/nine.htm Using the Understanding By Design Model to create WebQuests -

http://www.bclacts.org/Using%20Ubd%20to%20design%20a%20webquest.pdf

CONCLUSION

The best role for the teacher:

“I shall only ask him, not to teach him, and

he shall share the enquiry with me.”

- Socrates

“I know I cannot teach anything,

I can only provide an environment in which someone can learn.”

– Carl Rogers

“The technology is a very poor tool for teaching; its strength lies in supporting learning.”

– Dr. David Hay, the pedagogy of e-learning, 2007 conference.

Thank you!