Phily's+Digital+Immigration

Kevin Hopkins New Media Literacy

**I. Questions** What forms of digital media do Philadelphia area students interact within school and in what ways are they doing so? How is media implemented into their curriculum, and what they like or dislike about this type of learning? Is the knowledge gained by acquisition, learning, both or are they receiving any at all? How do they use the technology, interpret the messages and apply their knowledge? Does digital media in the classroom help to improve attendance and interest along with scores? **II. I Wonder** I wonder how well students can not only take in media and understand its complexities, but also if they are applying their knowledge and becoming their own authors. Does technology empower teens to learn or simply numb the idea of learning. How students will use their skills to improve their lives. **III. My Plan** I plan to do preliminary research on previous works. I will seek out educators to obtain their opinion on digital media in school along with interviewing teens about their interaction with the technology and how are they using their skills outside the classroom. **IV. What I want to Learn** I expect to learn how the future generation is taking advantage of this big-bang of media tech that has engulfed the 21st Century. I want to know how they will differ from other generations. With an unmeasurable amount of information at their fingertips how are they being affected and how are they affecting others? Ultimately, where are we heading; A premier information society where citizens seem to be inherently brilliant and masterful with technology or an idiocracy where media consumption has diluted education and citizens are illiterate to their messages.

GREENLIGHTED. I would suggest you focus your energy on "out of school" learning opportunities in Philadelphia for young people to gain these skills. Talk to the folks at the Free Library. Check out the BTOP project for Philadelphia (Broadband Technology Opportunities Program) and reach out to Nasha Taylor (a recent Temple BTMM grad) now working at the People's Emergency Center to learn more about what they're doing to address the digital divide. Then talk to Tanya Jackson at the Media Mobilizing Project to get a sense of how they're working with young people in the community.

[|Hobbs, R. (2011). Connecting Kids With News in Their Community. Nieman Reports, 65(2), 48-50.] Renee Hobbs article, “Connecting Kids With News in Their Community” asserts the overall importance of digital and media literacy to forge competency in young students to interpret, understand and translate media messages. Hobbs examines the Powerful Voices for Kids, a university-school partnership between Temple University and Russell Byer Charter School; venture to incorporate new media literacy into elementary school curriculum. Teacher, John Landis brings local news into the classroom as a tool to address the social concern of reoccurring flash mobs in Philadelphia and how different parties, particularly young African Americans are affected by these actions. Students at Russell Byer are using digital media to evaluate the events that plague Philadelphia through collaborative game design rather than typical education practices. The exercise enables students to utilize technology and software such as Scratch, an interactive media program which allows them to create and share their interpretations of situations related to local disturbance. By acquiring these creative skills fosters not only an understanding of the message portrayed by news outlets but also translating the message and putting it into context within their own lives. Incorporation of video games generated interest in how news is constructed and its importance in society as well as how news is presented. The experience endowed the children to access, analyze, create and reflect on their understanding of journalism and their creativity to author their perspectives to others. Hobbs’ purpose is to promote the practices which encourage new media literacy skills in order to infuse digital and media literacy into classroom curriculum. Given the scholarly nature of the article, Hobbs is informing other scholars and potentially educators of the nuances practiced that provide students with valuable life skills.
 * Precis**

**Research Assignment 1** 1. Hull, G. A. (2003). At last: Youth culture and digital media. //Research in the Teaching of English//, //38//(2), 229-233. Retrieved from [] 2. Buckingham, D., Harvey, I., & Sefton-Green, J. (1999). The difference is digital? Digital technology and student media production. //Convergence: The International Journal of Research into New Media Technologies//, //5//(4), 10-20. Retrieved from http://con.sagepub.com.libproxy.temple.edu/content/5/4/10 3. Alty, J. L., Al-Sharrah, A., & Beacham, N. (2006). The emerging roles of performance within hci and interaction design. //Interacting with Computers//, //18//(5), 891-909. Retrieved from [] //**Authors examine the pros and cons of digital media in the classroom and supports its use in new methods of teacher, while counter-arguing proponents who believe media technology should not be a part of the curriculum as it is only a distraction. But educators are convinced digital media can still affect learning outcomes from the perspective of cognitive efficiency. This analysis of digital media brings us to how learners of the 21st Century are growing into a new facet of learning in a new, ever-growing mediated world, and interacting and understanding digital media is vital in acquiring and learning the necessary life skills for our new world.**// 4. Laing, T. (2010). Virtual learning: A solution to the all-black male school debate and the challenge of black male k-12 outcomes. //Journal of African American Males in Education//, //1//(3), Retrieved from http://journalofafricanamericanmales.com/wp-content/uploads/downloads/2010/09/Virtual-Learning-Tony-Laing-.pdf
 * //Educators in other cities, namely Oakland, try to close the digital divide by producing stage productions incorporating digital media created by students. The after school program DUSTY responsible for the performances and similar programs should be implemented in curriculum throughout Philadelphia.//**
 * //In this critical article, authors dissect the advantages and disadvantages of ‘wiring up’ city schools in the United Kingdom. It illuminates the dire issue of the digital gap between the upper and working classes that very much plague American cities such as Philadelphia, however, truly lacks an in-depth examination of infusing digital media with education.//**
 * //In his article, the author illustrates the overwhelming concern for young black men's education in public schools//**. **//This is a very real and relevant concern for the city of Philadelphia//**. **//It examines the practicality and rationale for virtual learning classrooms to create an alternative curriculum which could provide a more stimulating form of education and opportunity to see a rise in graduation rates amongst inner-city African American males////. However, the article is heavily bogged down with call to reforms within education and legality of what is/is not allowed by the education system, along with a singular focus on one portion of the education populous. I found it somewhat helpful to an inside view of and statistical analysis to why digital media can be deemed practical in public schools.//**

FINALE

Class Final Question 2- By Rich

I really like your topic. It is way more serious and effects the lives of many kids in this great city where we live and learn.

A. In relations to this course this topic reflects upon how our culture is having a revolution, a digital revolution. As it could be expected people that in lower incomes are getting left behind and kicked to the curb for not performing well as those with access to school technology and after school programs for kids. This is specifically happening to students in inner-cities. Learning is always an important thing to improve our culture and as were in the middle of a digital revolution more are getting left behind and it is not right.

Author Reene Hobbs would further bolster my statement of the importance of teaching new media literacy in the classroom. "As a result, more and more scholars are using terms such as visual literacy, media literacy, critical literacy and informational literacy and technology literacy to expand the concept of literacy so that visual, electronic, and digital forms of expression and communication are included as objects of study and analysis" (Multiple visions of Multimedia Literacy: Emerging Areas of Synthesis p.15) This means that with new technology comes a need to learn new concepts and understandings of a new medium.

B. (Warm Feed back) I like the over all feel of your website. The first page is not cluttered and has all the basics of what the topic of your essay is about. I also like that you gave your final essay its own page it added to the simplicity of your project. Also your essay is not bunched together which makes it light and easy to read. Also I like the embedded video link that you inserted to the RSA video. That video is directly what your talking about. Because of the new technologies that have spun up in our lifetimes, our learning and teaching systems have not changed to reflect and embrace these new technologies.

C.(Cool Feed Back) I feel that you could have talked more about how the schools in Philly are getting budgets cut when they already don't have the proper necessities to teach there students. I also feel you could have added more of your own opinion and maybe a solution or maybe where to take the first step to reverse this ignorance towards embracing new media into the class room.