In this edition of StudentSpeak, high school seniors George and James report back on their social networking furloughs (both tried to avoid social media for at least a week) and sum up the lessons they learned from the experience.
So how did it feel to not use Facebook?
“The first time I kind of freaked out was on Valentine’s Day,” said James, explaining that he usually uses the public platform to wish his girlfriend a Happy Valentine’s Day. But the day turned out OK: The couple hung out and went to dinner.
As the digital divide closes, thanks in no small part to mobile media, the question is no longer who’s using digital media, but how. Are African American youth engaging with digital in dynamic ways that will help them develop useful skills and greater capabilities?
In this edition of StudentSpeak, George takes us into the music studio to meet his friend and musical partner, James. The seniors at the University of Chicago Charter High School talk about how learning to make digital music has helped them express themselves and reach wider audiences.
“We connected with people during the summer who were from New York, Atlanta, Los Angeles, who liked our music,” George says. “And I’m still keeping in contact with them, giving them new music, even from the UK.”
In this StudentSpeak webisode, we follow Terrence as he uses the filmmaking skills he learned at the Digital Youth Network (DYN) in Chicago to land a gig creating a promotional video for his former tennis coach’s summer camp.
Terrence then takes us inside DYN and introduces us to other teens—sound engineers, photographers and filmmakers—who are creating their own media and building careers upon the foundation of the digital skills they’ve learned.
Earlier this month, high school students Shani and Terrence told us about what social media was most important to them. And Facebook was at the top of their list. So then we asked: Can they handle a whole day away from the site?
StudentSpeak: Webisode 1 / View more Spotlight videos
Last month we introduced Shani and Terrence, two high school seniors who use digital media in almost every facet of their lives.
In this webisode, they share what types of media are most important to them and how their usage affects family members—even the youngest ones.
Spotlight magazine showcases the projects and people funded by the MacArthur Foundation’s Digital Media and Learning Initiative and covers the intersections of technology and learning. We go beyond the research to show how digital media is being used in classrooms and programs around the world.
