Henry Jenkins, (2006), in his occasional paper, Confronting the Challenges of Participatory Culture: Media Education for the 21st Century places digital literacies within the framework of current literacy practices. Read the statement below and write everything and anything that comes to mind as a reponse to his statement. You may want to "take a line for a walk" by beginning your writing with a phrase from the quote. Once you have posted your response, respond to others' postings throughout the week.
"Much writing about twenty-first century literacies seems to assume that communicating through visual, digital, or audiovisual media will displace reading and writing. Before students can engage with the new participatory culture, they must be able to read and write. Just as the emergence of written language changed oral traditions and the emergence of printed texts changed our relationship to written language, the emergence of new digital modes of expression changes our relationship to printed texts.
"Quote taken from:Jenkins, A (2006. Confronting the challenges of participatory culture: Media education for the 21st century. Retrieved February 28, 2007, from The macarthy foundation Web site: http://www.digitallearning.macfound.org/
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"Before students can engage with the new participatory culture, they must be able to read and write." I truly believe that statement in practice as well as a part of the rationale that suppports the use of digital literacies in the classroom.
One thing that has bothered me about technology use as I have seen it most often used at my school is that it becomes glorified typing rather than depth-filled, purposeful use. I think that is where that quote seems to make the most sense for me in that students need to be able to read the visual world around them before they can effectively engage in that world - kind of like or exactly like what Katie Wood Ray purports in Study Driven.
First, they have to be able to make sense of the visual texts and then notice the craft of "writing" with the visual in getting to the intent that was read and made sense out of first. Then students are able to most effectively engage with that media because they can critically read and write withing the digital world.
I believe we need rationales for what we do and what we teach. Often times those who do not know the ways in which tech can be used in depth-filled, purposeful ways see tech as a frill or see it as taking up valuable classtime for learning. Hence, the need to be able to write and read in order to participate fully in the digital world takes some of the wind out of those arguments.
Lots of tech stuff can be cool, but who gives a rats if it does not enhance or provide more depth to learning (at least in school)?
I think there is so much out there that we can be doing with our students to help them make meaning with and from the digital literacies that abound - and keep them engaged in a world that is increasingly friendly and fluid to them.
My brother told me that he really likes the power of the wiki because if its fluidity - the ability to transact with the visual texts with others and construct meaning together (my educationalese wording but his message). I am excited for us to create a wiki together around a theme/topic/area or whatever. Perhaps one centered around our understandings that emerge from the PON leadership training beginning in September could work. Or not. We'll have to think of possibilities - perhaps it could be some white papers about promising practices in teaching writing.
I look forward to hearing replies to my ramblings and commenting on all yours as well.
I think that to some extent, I actually agree that new media will displace reading and writing. I think that in many venues students will be able to engage with this “new participatory culture” without reading and writing or with a very, very minimal skill level. Already you don’t need to know much about reading or writing to watch or post a video on YouTube or communicate on a number of other similar sites. Every year I think you need to know less; many sites have less and less reading and more picture icons that show you what to do. There are going to be more people who can get by and at least survive in our culture by being barely literate in the traditional sense, if they can utilize some of these new ways of communication.
Still, this doesn’t mean I don’t think traditional literacy skills aren’t important. In fact, I think they become increasingly more important in this new technical culture because solid reading and writing skills define whether you will just be participating in what’s happening or controlling it. One thing I don’t think is changing is that those who have the better skills have more opportunities to shape what the world looks like and decide what the culture everyone else is participating in looks like. I imagine that reading and writing are still necessary skills for those proposing, developing, and marketing the new technology, hardware, and applications that are changing our culture’s relationship to printed texts. Maybe people will be able to survive without strong reading and writing skills, but I want the students I work with to do more than just survive.
All of these new developments are still basically tools—tools that can be used most effectively by those who read and write well. Too often in schools I think technology ends up being a distraction rather than a tool. It makes the work more complicated not more efficient or effective. I think figuring out ways to integrate technology so it supports solid writing (rather than distracts from it) is one of the most important tasks facing writing teachers.
I understand what you are getting at Christa when you say "I think that in many venues students will be able to engage with this “new participatory culture” without reading and writing or with a very, very minimal skill level."
However, I am not convinced that these students will be engaging critically with the media without the knowledge of how digital media can influence - being able to read those images and/or text. Are they really engaged or more participating?
Granted, a video or podcast and so forth can be slapped up with minimal skill, but I think they often act as glorified National Enquirers in digital form. Certainly, our political landscape is hugely effected by the new literacies. Yet, I think those with the abilities to think critically, read critically both in image and text, and then write critically have that control you mentioned because they have the knowledge to manipulate for purpose. Those folks, I think are engaged in a participatory culture.
Stuart Selber in Multiliteracies for a Digital Age (part of the studies in writing rhetoric series, 2004 - a CCC NCTE publication)talks about three literacy categories that he means to be suggestive and complementary rather than explicit, discrete, set-in-stone categories that students should become skilled at moving between.
Functional Literacy looks at the computers as tools, students as users of technology with the objective of employment.
Critical Literacy looks at the computer as cultural artifact and students as questioners of technology for the purpose of informed criticque.
Rhetorical Literacy looks at computers as hypertextual media and students as producers of technology for the purpose of reflective praxis.
I wonder, Christa, if that level of engagement in the participatory culture is more of a functional literacy where folks are able to manipulate the tools and know enough skills to "do" but not make purposeful meaning with and from the digital literacies. That what they need is to be working within the critical and rhetorical literacy areas as well to truly engaged in the participatory culture. M m m m . . . Selber's book spends significant time mucking about in each of the three. I too need to spend more time mucking with his book.
He makes a telling statement on pg. 29. "There will never be a final word on computer literacy: Technology and its consitutive contexts are dynamic, contingent, and negotiable by nature. but that does not mean teachers must work in an ad hoc fashion with little to no direction or structure."
"Just as the emergence of written language changed oral traditions and the emergence of printed texts changed our relationship to written language, the emergence of new digital modes of expression changes our relationship to printed texts."
Walking along with this line, I think I believe it. Oral traditions did not suddently disappear with the emphasis on written text. They still have an important role to play (I just read the MWP journal on SLAM)--yet a different role than written text. I think the same will be true for multi-media. It will expand the role of writing to include other kinds of sensory information (photos, sounds), which will only enhance text and give writers more options. I don't think it will--or should-- replace text.
I agree with Christa that kids can probably start messing around with this even before they have a solid grasp or much confidence in reading and writing, because, in thinking particularly of middle school kids, it will be motivating. And motivation is everything. If they see other ways to communicate in addition to writing, I think it may ease their writers' angst a bit.
I just heard a fascinating speech given by Bill Moyers about the press--and the corporate buyout of the press so it has become a "yes-man" rather than the interrogator. He places great hope in the Internet as the great equalizer--that everyone's voices can be heard there. And I wanted to say, "yes, Bill, everyone who has the money to have a computer and the ability--and the will--to be online." That is certainly not everybody. But I see his point. Maybe we could teach to that point. He said that Congress is debating something that may determine whether the Internet can stay wide open, or whether it, too, will be allowed to be taken over by large corporate interests. The speech was a rebroadcast, so it was in January, and I don't know what's become of that.
Next week, I'm going to post earlier. Having waited to respond to Dave's initial posting leaves me with so much to comment on. I love the depth of thinking about this topic! It's kind of like a game of tag, too.
"Just as the emergence of written language changed oral traditions and the emergence of printed texts changed our relationship to written language, the emergence of new digital modes of expression changes our relationship to printed texts."
I agree with Jenkins: our relationship to written language will continue to change as technologies evolve and allow other modes of communication. In one way though, no matter what the technological development--the pencil, the audio recorder, the computer, the internet--the tasks remain the same: telling the stories and communicating with others.
While I mourn over some of the ways in which the advent of a digital world has affected the printed world, there is much to celebrate (and teach) about the richness and possibilities of digital media, starting, of course, with critical reading, writing and thinking skills in those media.
Dave wrote about building rationales for teaching kids to read and write in a digital world. I would want to be sure to include in any rationale the importance of the story. Because the power of the medium lies in how we decide to use it.
Christa made an important point about who gets to control the medium. We do want our students to think critically and develop skills that allow them to shape the stories rather than simply being consumers of the stories. It's important to help students understand as their skills are growing just how much they can ask of a new technology and to teach them to be discriminating users and creators of their own stuff. Many of my students right now are satisfied game players, entertained by the "candy" of a new medium. Nothing wrong with that, but simply receiving what is out there to be had is only a step in the process of engaging a new technology. Part of my task is to extend their understanding about the possibilities of the medium, using what I know about the power of story, the power of richly-textured narrative, the power inherent in being able to create. I worry that the exchanges in this new set of mediums will lack richness. And they might, unless we move beyond the "glorified typing" Dave talks about.
Do U no what I mean?
Having expressed my worry over a lack of richness, I think the opposite can also be true, if we, again, help students understand how to use the technology to greatest advantage.
"Before students can engage with the new participatory culture, they must be able to read and write." I definitely have seen this connection between literacy education and technological opportunities within a classroom. In readings from Donald Graves and Katie Wood Ray, I've been able to put to words the idea of "what students already know" when they enter my classroom. I want to respect that knowledge and harness it to propel literacy education further for each individual student.
I think many of my colleagues see technology as a roadblock to effective education. They fret at the number of students visiting "innappropriate sites" or listening to music online or trying to communicate in a network in some way. If, however, we can begin to see technological opportunities and digital literacies as a legitimate form and outlet to literacy education, then we could open many doors to allow a new generation of literate young people to explore the possibilities of their world.
In many schools, websites like myspace and friendster are blocked/restricted, while music downloading is also a large no-no. I-Pods and other MP3 players are restricted as well. Perhaps the shift of attitude in educators could come from genuine, legitimate ideas for including these literacy outlets that are otherwise seen as literacy roadblocks. If we turn the roadblocks into opportunities, we will have really gotten somewhere.
I think I hear/see/assume some common threads emerging from the conversations. Claudia and Wendy, you both emphasize the idea of story and the importance of student voice - kids telling what needs to be told. Using the technologies not to supplant but intensify or provide the place for voice. I can't wait to find out more about Podcasting possibilities to be one means!
Casey you mention turning the perceived (and real) roadblocks of mp3/ipods and places on the net where kids spend time into opportunities or at least the possibilities those technologies offer into possibilities. That harkens back to your point about meeting the students where they are and honoring the talents and skills they bring - using them to increase abilities and opportunites. Tech can offer that as well.
I wonder if a collaborative project could be the creation of a podcasting site on our MWP site or somewhere where we get those student voices out in the world. Perhaps it could be a means to create our own version of Rural Voices - the CD set of students sharing their works. It could also allow us to tap into Native voices, give everyone access and purpose to what is important and needs to be told. I could see spoken word, oral traditions, slices of life, commentary - all sorts of things in this venue. Mmmm just a metacognitive babblage moment!
We also seem to affirm one another's belief that the power to tell story is in the hands of those who have the ability/access to do so and that a need seems to be to help move our kids to be critical consumers and producers of knowledge within the media literacy domain.
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