Participatory Media
Thinking about what might be covered in Prof. Barney’s lecture March 14 led me to re-visit some links I’ve kept while lurking on the edtech blogosphere. I re-discovered a source that excited me greatly when I first found it…and reading again now has confirmed why it is time for me to join the conversation.
The work of Howard Rheingold is quite inspirational. In particular the keynote (audio) lecture he gave on participatory media in Australia provides so much food for thought. One thing that stood out as I re-read the summary notes was:
Learning to use participatory media to learn and speak and organize about issues might well be the most important citizenship skill that digital natives need to learn if they’re going to maintain, or revive, democratic governance.
Governance, public voice, community wide collaboration - all things that I’ve personally exercised in my life, but I’m one of the few. Why is that? Absent web tools, it took a lot of time and effort (not to mention confidence) to express one’s views of education, and the “system” seemed able to discourage progress.
NOT ANYMORE. Our new tech tools mean that we can find others with the same ideas and encourage each other, we can find people with different ideas and try to influence each other and we can collectively act to make any “system” take note of our concerns.
Conversation and collaboration can happen when you want, where you want, how you want - the only barriers are learning to use the tools. Rather than “teach” our children how to have a voice in society, we need to let them see us learn how to use participatory media and be real examples for change.
Jeannine…
Let me be the first to trod on your blog…I am excited to see you join the conversations here. You have much to add from the perspective of a parent and activist.
You are right. In this new global community success will be about making connections with people and information. As parents and educators, the best thing we can do for our students is to join them as learners and model 21st century citizenship.
You are definitely joining my netvibes!
(^_^)
Jeff
Comment by Jeff Whipple — March 13, 2008 @ 2:38 pm
Jeannine,
What I like about Rheingold, beyond his message, is that he’s my age. He’s an example of someone who grew up with digital technology who gets it and is help us all to get it.
Welcome to the blogosphere
David Warlick
Comment by David Warlick — March 13, 2008 @ 2:48 pm
Hi, I am Anne MIrtschin a teacher from a small country school in Australia. A partnership with parents in the use of this web2.0 technology is so important (important without it as well) The benefits of these connections and with others outside our local area is nothing short of amazing and will have a huge impact on education and communities in coming years. Now, my relative isolation means that I no longer am ‘alone’ but connected to many wonderful people around the globe who will share with me. Wonderful to see you blogging! Continue on….
Comment by murcha — March 13, 2008 @ 4:54 pm
Hi
This is Kevin, from Massachusetts.
I like that I am following Anne, as she and I and our students have begun some work around podcasting and blogging through a blog site called YouthRadio, and that is one of the powers of this new world: connections and community.
The idea of exposing my students to the world beyond the relatively closed town in which they live (mostly white, mostly middle class) is so powerful to me as an educator.
And it opens up a vast new range of audience for them as writers, too.
Peace,
Kevin
Comment by Kevin H. — March 13, 2008 @ 10:34 pm
I’m a middle years teacher in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada. I was told about your blog on Twitter by Jeff Whipple. To my surprise I “know” three of the four people who commented to your blog post. I listened to David Warlick speak at the National Council for Advisors in Educational Technology this morning on UStream. Jeff, David and murcha are part of my Twitter network. I’m embarking on a collaborative project with Jeff and murcha. Because I’m connected as an educator I’m able to provide my students with the ability to connect with other students around the globe.
Comment by Kimberly Brown — March 13, 2008 @ 11:06 pm
[...] the Internet and how full circle blogging proves what Jeannine St. Amand writes about in her post Participatory Media. addthis_url = [...]
Pingback by The Power of the Internet in promoting parent involvement — Parents as Partners — March 14, 2008 @ 4:42 pm
[...] This morning I received an email from a parent who was starting her own blog and wanted to connect but was not sure what was the proper etiquette in linking blogs. Let me tell you first how excited I was to find a fellow blogger - I called her a kindred spirit - interested in finding and connecting parents using blogs. Second that she found me on the web through her own personal network and searching on the net. Third that she blogged about the Parents as Partners webcasts and this web site. Fourth she had tried to complete the Parent Survey and identified for me a glitch that I had not foreseen and consequently I was able to improve the survey. WOW talk about the power of the Internet and how full circle blogging proves what Jeannine St. Amand writes about in her post Participatory Media. [...]
Pingback by The Power of the Internet in promoting parent involvement — Parents as Partners — March 15, 2008 @ 12:57 am