Feb
17
Reading Response 4: Challenges in Participation Culture
February 17, 2008 | | Leave a Comment
Participants feel their contributions matter. This line from the article I think struck me more than anything. People today are interacting in ways few imagined even 20 years ago and it is easy to see why those who are participating feel what they add in today’s digital communication age does matter. Where else before has someone been able to look up which books you like and make their selections based on what you-not a syndicated book critic or talk show host-recommends (ie librarything)? Sure, maybe close friends and family 20 years ago, but now someone in England can take your opinion as well. Social bookmarking sites allow you to find sites other people have found and used-not just what Google spits out as the most relevant and most visited. Communities created by MySpace and the like have launched several people to actual, real-life fame and importance (and not just the creator and owner). Students can see how other people in other places value their opinions, simultaneously shrinking and expanding exponentially our worlds.
However, there are those being left behind. The issue of the digital divide is still there. And while most students (in the US and Europe anyway) have some working knowledge of computers and other technology tools, as the article said it is now more about being able to participate in these activities. As schools, libraries, and other public access places restrict access to things like MySpace, blogs, etc… (debate on the reasons for this another time) those without home internet access, and indeed a high-speed connection (dial-up just won’t do it anymore) are simply not able to participate. Without the time to work on these at home, how can one truly participate in the same manner when time at the library is restricted to an hour? A half-hour? There simply isn’t time to express yourself meaningfully in that kind of time frame. And schools will struggle to find this kind of time for students as well with curriculum requirements and the varying skill levels of the teachers. After-school programs can fill some of that void, but again, we are seeing these types of sites blocked more and more often. In addition, if students can not download and save material, how can they hope to remix, resample, and otherwise manipulate media to express themselves and become a creative member of this community? Dr. Tim Tyson said a couple things at the conference in Tucson that speaks to these issues: first, he said technology is no longer a tool-it is a habitat. This is where students live. In relation to that, with technology changing so fast those who fally behind will find it more and more difficult to ever catch up. So what is going to happen if we don’t meet the needs of students today who can’t participate, and therefor, not live in the same habitat as other students? What kind of culture is that going to create?
