New media literacies as social action: The centrality of pedagogy in the politics of knowledge production

Abstract

In this article, the author illustrates the blurring lines of youth cultural production and participatory politics from the perspective of new media literacies. Drawing on design-based action research, the author discusses pedagogical considerations in the conceptualization of new media literacies in a semester-long course that culminated in inquiry-based social action projects created by university students in the urban Midwest. Noteworthy in the course was an emerging ethos developed through collaboration, participation, and distributed expertise leading to the production of video documentaries and interactive websites. New media literacies served as core cultural competencies and social skills in a new media landscape, but more importantly emerged as key practices toward youth cultural production and participatory politics. The latter offers insights into the centrality of pedagogy in the politics of knowledge production.

Keywords:

• new media literacies
• social action
• pedagogy
• politics of knowledge production
• youth

Acknowledgments

I would like to acknowledge the editorial team of Curriculum Inquiry and three anonymous reviewers for the constructive feedback on the manuscript. As well, special thanks to Jonathan Rosa for additional insights. Any and all errors are mine.

Notes

1. The university is a private research institution. Some students have referred to the university as a bubble and removed from the larger community. Like many universities, there are opportunities for service learning and community engagement or other public service initiatives.

2. For more information, see www.newmedialiteracies.org

3. The classroom also had an interactive Smart Board and computer-media panel to accommodate our needs. Each group presentation included a contemporary multimedia example (typically a video from YouTube) to incite thinking about the topic at hand; there were instances when small group activities (i.e., quick online search, think-pair-share, interactive performance) were embedded in the group presentation. The classroom was equipped with Wi-Fi connectivity and 4 iMac computer stations; several students typically had their own laptops or Smart phones available for use for related activities.

4. All names are pseudonyms.

5. I informed students of my research interests in youth literacies and my ethical responsibilities as a qualitative researcher. A few weeks into the semester, permission was granted to me via written consent forms by a number of students whose digital stories were analyzed in more detail.

6. In order to accommodate project timelines, it became necessary to streamline assigned readings and modify the schedule of two group presentations. I felt compelled to have students spend more time with the inquiry given the short window toward the completion of the video documentaries and interactive websites.

7. The interactive websites had at least three tabs: the Homepage as a blog, an About page, and a “Resources” page. The Homepage contained the embedded video from YouTube. Visitors could post comments and access related information via links. Wordpress, Tumblr, or Google Sites hosted the interactive websites.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Korina M. Jocson

Korina M. Jocson is on the faculty of College of Education at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst. She is the author of Youth Poets: Empowering Literacies In and Out of Schools (2008) and editor of Cultural Transformations: Youth and Pedagogies of Possibility (2013).