New Media Literacies Conference
I attended the New Media Literacies Conference at MIT. During the day they reported on the development of Teaching Strategies and the Learning Library which was rolled out the same day. The learning library is a place for people collect and share media and create challenges (activities). I am only just beginning to explore these tools.
As always I found the conversation before and after the sessions rich and deep. My thinking is always stretch at such events. I have not really had time to process the day but am just sharing some short bits from the day. To see some of the tweets about the day please check out #nml09. The following are some excerpts from the rambling notes I took during the day.
The characteristics of a Participatory culture
1.With relatively low barriers to artistic expression and civic engagement
2.With strong support for creating and sharing one’s creations with others
3.With some type of informal mentorship whereby what is known by the most experienced is
passed along to novices
4.Where members believe that their contributions matter
5.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).
Not every member must contribute, but all must believe they are free to contribute when ready and that what they contribute will be appropriately valued
_____
A clip of Clay Shirky was shown he was commenting that even a four year old knows “A screen that ships with out a mouse ships broken”
____
The 4C’s of participating design.
connections
creating
collaborate
circulate
___
Henry Jenkins spoke at the end of the day
He commented that we should not be talking so much about the digital divide but the participatory gap –
He suggests we should stay away from the term web 2.0, learning 2.0 ….. need to focus on participatory culture – it is not about the tools but what you do with the tools
Schools spend a lot of money on sports, it is said because sports teach leadership, planning, team work, sportsmanship. The is true for World of Warcraft. Yet people say it not worth pursuing. A guild leader is not much different the Student council president.
my thought – no school would object to a chess club but I would think many would object to a WoW club
4 thoughts on “New Media Literacies Conference”
Thanks Beth. Glad to hear it went well. I was thinking about you yesterday. I will spend some in-depth time on the site and begin exploring. Julia
Thanks for your blog. I am new to blogging and am currently taking a class on integrating technology into the classroom. I am posting here because of a class requirement but am intrigued by the topics you are discussing. I agree that culturally speaking there is a gap between what would be acceptable in the classroom. WoW is a great game that does increase leadership skills. I also play Magic the Gathering as well. Both games increase critical thinking and teamwork skills. I believe that these types of games deserve the same consideration that sports recieve. I look forward to your further posts.
Hi Beth,
I agree with Henry Jenkins, there is a ‘participatory gap’ in using technology. Too many people are in their comfort zone. I don’t know how I would persuade someone to come out of ‘their box.’ We do need to focus on the ‘participatory culture’ as Jenkins stated. Easier said then done. David Thornburg had said, “Us users of technology shape how it will get used.” How would you get someone to try something new?
I’d love to chat with you about your experience at the NML conference. It looks like that topic will be the focus of some PD next year at the MS I work in. I booked it in my calendar when you shared the date with me and would love to have attended. It was my Dad’s 77th birthday and the child had skating rehearsal. Alas, it wasn’t my turn.