New Media and Implications for Learning and Teaching

This week, we watched a video about the use of digital media in the classroom and its implications in learning and teaching. According to Henry Jenkins, schools are not evolving in the technology direction and teachers are not ready to use technology in the curriculum. Henry Jenkins focuses on the importance of building a collaborative environment, changing teaching techniques and on the need for teachers to be more creative. He also mentions that teachers should teach twelve social skills, such as collective intelligence, negotiations and judgment to make sure that students are able to work meaningfully with each other.

First of all, Henry Jenkins explains how schools are limiting kids’ access to digital tools. In fact, students cannot access information because some filters block websites such as Youtube even if it contains rich material. I disagree with Mr. Jenkins, because I believe that it is essential to have filters in our schools. Otherwise, students get easily distracted such as when they are logged on Facebook instead of focusing on the work they have to do. What is important is that teachers have access to websites such as Youtube and that they can show meaningful videos on the active board. However, I agree with Henry Jenkins when he mentions that some students who do not have access to technology at home can only have the chance to access it at school. As a matter of fact, if we do not give them the opportunity to access it at school then they will have no access to technology at all. I think that students should have the opportunity to work with ICTs when it is meaningful, because nowadays, technology is part of our everyday life and teachers have to prepare students to this reality.

Henry Jenkins also mentions a participation gap between the school and the community. He says that the use of technology has to be the same inside than outside school. This way, it becomes useful for the learners. I agree with Mr. Jenkins because I see a participation gap between my school and my community. For example, at the university level, we sometimes have to use softwares such as PowerPoint and some students do not know how to use them, while it seems to be the easiest thing to do on earth for others. A solution is to create shared learning opportunities across generations, as most of the time, the gap depends on the fact that people who are older are not used to work with ICTs. Teamwork becomes useful because students can help each others to become more efficient with ICTs. 

Another problem that is mentioned by Henry Jenkins is that schools are not ready to give up control to kids, families and communities of learning. According to him, the reasons are that many teachers are afraid that students will know more than they do about technology and that they are afraid to lose control. I agree with Mr. Jenkins and I believe that if a teacher creates a classroom environment that promotes collaboration, it will only become normal that the students can also help the teacher. This way, people will learn from each other.

The last aspect that is discussed by Henry Jenkins is authorship. I agree with him that students have to learn what is legal and what is not about copyrights. As teachers, it is part of our job to teach students about authorship as I mentioned in my previous post about the GoodPlay Project. 


To watch Henry Jenkins' interview, click on this link: http://www.edutopia.org/digital-generation-henry-jenkins-media-video