Spotlight on Digital Media And Learning

10.30.08 | With a youth centered approach to learning and using the appropriate digital media tools, young people can become engaged in their communities by learning about and investigating real issues. I argue that this process of engagement will have a meaningful impact on a young person’s understanding of civics and his/her role as an active citizen by providing a deeper learning experience, one rooted in real world experiences that are based on interest. By encouraging youth centered projects, I also believe that young people who are not inclined to think of themselves as civically engaged can participate in these same learning experiences.

At YouthLearn we advocate that in informal settings, such as an online space or afterschool network, learning is most effective when young people are allowed to drive the learning process. Inquiry-based learning, for example, is a process in which a young person learns about an issue or topic by asking questions that he/she cares about related to that issue, explores answers to those questions, synthesizes what is learned and what is already known, and then shares this new knowledge and perspective. This process of investigating meaningful questions can become a far more interesting learning experience when the young person also reflects on their own learning and how they came to understand the issue and consider what in their community, school, and personal life have shaped their ideas and perspectives all along.

Digital media tools can be used to not only represent this learning, but they can also be used to facilitate this process. Take for instance the process one goes through to create media, a young person begins with questions and is then able to use digital media tools to uncover answers and understand the issues. With this model, based on the inquiry-based learning approach, creating media can look very similar to community and civic engagement. The end result is that the young media artists have learned about an issue important to them and the final product can be re-purposed to inform and teach others about the issue and stimulate new dialogue, ideas, and projects.

It is exciting to note that other projects are also valuing the use of digital media as a tool to engage young people in civic engagement. The Puget Sound Off, an online community created for and by young people, has recently launched and they too are exploring the ways that young people become active and engaged citizens through the use of digital media and online communities. I look forward to seeing the site grow and become populated with issues that young people care about, and hope that the project models interesting ways to use technology to engage young people in their own civic learning experiences.