Jenkins – Media Education for the 21st Century

According to a study conducted in 2005, more than one half of all teens have created media content, and one third of teens have shared their content over the Internet. In a participatory culture there are low barriers to artistic expression and civic engagement, strong support for creating and sharing creations, and informal mentorship. The way that teens use the Internet in these participatory cultures suggests evidence of learning.

It is true that many teens spend more time and engage more deeply with popular culture than they do with their textbooks, but instead of looking at this as a bad thing, educators can look at this as an opportunity for learning. Within this participatory culture, students of all ages, races, gender, and education levels depend on peer teaching and feedback, creating an ideal peer-to-peer learning community. This informal learning experience is different than formal education systems because it is less rigid, experimental, innovative, and has the potential to evolve and respond to temporary interests. Teens are interested in this type of learning because they have power and they matter as individuals.

People are realizing how important participatory cultures are. Some low-income cities are beginning to provide high-speed wireless Internet access free of charge. Obviously this is not a solution to the fact that millions of people cannot afford a computer in their home. In order to take full advantage of technology, people also need a wide range of skills which include literacy skills, research skills, social skills, play, performance, simulation, appropriation, multitasking, distributed cognition, collective intelligence, judgment, transmedia navigation, networking, and negotiation.

We should encourage youth to be participants of this culture by developing their skills, knowledge, ethical frameworks, and self-confidence.  One major concern that we should educate youth on is making ethical choices on the Internet and the impact that their choices have on other people. We as educators can help students develop the skills necessary to be full participants in participatory culture. We can also use educational simulations, alternative reality games, blogs, or other technologies in our curriculums.