Today’s middle school and high school students have been drawn to the transparent highways of social networking. According to Jenkins et al. (2006), social networking is in essence a resource of transparency in which students have the ability to explore information, publish personal thoughts, and blend ideas with one another. In the article, Confronting the Challenges of Participatory Culture: Media Education for the 21st Century, it states that “a resourceful student is no longer one who personally possesses a wide palette of resources and information from which to choose, but rather, one who is able to successfully navigate an already abundant an continually changing world of information” (p. 49) The theory of transparency addressed in this article is referred to as “participatory cultures” (p.3). A participatory culture is identified as one in which students possess a stream of philosophy where minimal limitations exist for creative communication where students’ personal influences make a difference to their social network affiliates such as FaceBook. I agree that in order for students to be members of a participatory culture, educators will need to collaborate to ensure that each student best comprehends how media shapes perceptions and mental models.
As said by Jenkins, research shows that although students are innovative they “may lack some of the core life experiences and basic knowledge that might help them to discriminate between accurate and inaccurate accounts” (p.45).
After reviewing this article, one question jumps out at me: via transparent social networking to communicate with one another, how might participatory cultures become productive members of a technological society in which youth are unable to differentiate between what is accurate and inaccurate when making sense of online resources?
Jenkins, H., Clinton, K., Purushotma, R., Robinson, A., & Weigel, M. (2006) Confronting the Challenges of Participatory Culture: Media Education for the 21st Century. Retrieved from http://digitallearning.macfound.org
We're a group of doctoral students. This is a class assignment. We're interested in learning how technological changes are impacting schools, universities and businesses. Leaders today have a lot to deal with. Social technology has made giving up control inevitable. Transparency provides leaders the ability to create change by being OPEN, allowing themselves greater ACCOUNTABILITY and creating a sense of CREDIBILITY among followers. Don't forget to check out our essential questions below.
Drexel
Doctorate of Educational Leadership & Management
Erica,
ReplyDeleteI find this article very true, especially when dealing with the next generation of youth inundated with the wealth of information available online. With the emergence and acceptance of social media into our lives, the internet has the possibility of becoming what many say television has transformed into: mindless programming (thanks in part to MTV, VH1, Snookie, and the Kardashians). Realizing the value of the Internet and specifically social networking and media to future students is definitely a responsibility we need to be accountable for as educators.