The new culture of participation in a changing world with social media platforms opens up endless opportunities for community. We can see community through the interactions, likes, and shares gained from a video, or the various ways that people can connect with one another through media. In Wesch’s video “An anthropological introduction to YouTube”, he describes these platforms as a “celebration of new forms of empowerment” and “global connections” that bring “unimaginable possibilities”. I find that his description is accurate because there is no other way to explain to someone what social media is- other than the many ways it can connect people to one another. No matter what website, video, or social media platform you view or interact with, you are still connecting yourself to someone’s profile, information or media. In this way, we learn more about one another, our society and the changing world we are living in.
Blog Post 3: The New Culture of Participation In A Changing World
In my opinion, the new culture of participation and the integration of technology and media can greatly benefit my future classrooms. As a future educator, I firmly believe that incorporating technology and social media can enhance student engagement and foster a more active and interactive learning environment. Considering that the students will be growing up in a digital age (or have been for a few years already), it is essential to make the learning experience familiar and relevant to their lives. By incorporating Youtube and the other various educational technologies, students can easily connect and collaborate with their peers, regardless of location (maybe educators around the world will connect their classrooms with one another?). This use of technology and media can change education and schools by providing students with unlimited access to resources and connections to others.
Although integrating technology and media into future classrooms has clear benefits, it also brings me questions like “how can we make sure educators are using proper educational technologies”, and “what is too much technology in classrooms?”. One of the most significant challenges that I think teachers face and will continue to face, is the concern of the technology being supervised and regulated (This can be difficult with many students). Establishing limits on screen time and defining appropriate content, platforms and sites will be crucial to maintaining a safe and productive learning environment. I think it will be important for educators to ALWAYS update their technological materials to effectively engage students. Even though there will always be challenges, I think that technology and media offer many opportunities for growth. Below I have attached a video that shows a timeline of history’s educational technologies within classrooms relevant to the time period.