Thursday, September 27, 2012

Media Ecology

Last week I started a new graduate course: Instructional Computer II.  Part of the course is to keep an online journal where we can reflect on our readings so for the next 8 weeks, you will be privy to my thoughts and ideas on instructional computing! 

Let me start this first post by putting it out there: I'm late.  This entry should have been posted by Sunday but I have been crazy busy with a new job.  I have moved out of the school library and into the world of children's museums.  But enough about me!
Moving on this week's readings...

I'm really excited about the text we have started reading: Hanging Out, Messing Around, and Geeking Out by a whole bunch of people from MIT. So far it has been an interesting and easy read that paints the picture of how today's youth use digital media.  The first chapter focuses on what the authors call "media ecology" which in layman's terms means how kids lives today are completely infiltrated with digital media. The authors divide children's participation with digital media into three genres: "hanging out, messing around, and geeking out." 

What caught my attention in this chapter is the idea that experimentation and play are important aspects of kids "messing around" online.  Kids love to learn how to produce digital media and create content and most of their learning is done informally.  They figure it out how to use new technologies to create new content on their own.  So while they don't necessarily need educators teaching them how to use technology and make cool stuff, they do need guidance on how to be good digital citizens.  This was one of my hardest jobs in my previous role as a librarian.

But, I'm not a librarian anymore so what does this mean for me in my new position?  I would say that it reinforces the idea of informal education.  Kids need time to figure things out without being told what they should do and how they should do it.  This messing around part of children's lives is not a new concept.  What's new is that now they have this online setting in which to mess around and these really cool digital tools to mess around with.  Children's museums can facilitate this by providing opportunities for kids to mess around with digital media in the safe environment of the museum.  We can also be the informal educators that help kids become good digital citizens.  After all, it can't all fall on the shoulders of the school teachers! 

Reference:
Ito, M., Sonja B., Matteo B., Boyd, D. Cody, R., Herr, B., Horst, H.A., Lange, P.G., Mahendran, D., Martinez, K., Pascoe, C.J., Perkel, D., Robinson, L., Sims, C., & Tripp, L.(2009). Hanging Out, Messing Around, Geeking Out: Living and Learning with New Media. Cambridge: MIT Press