11.27.2007

Media, Learning, and Sites of Possibility - in print!

our book is in print! almost three years to the day since marc and i solicited submissions for our edited volume, which we hoped would transgress the dichotomous tone of media in/and education conversations that we kept bumping up against in our readings on the subject. even in that brief period of time much has changed in how we conceive of and engage media technologies and media texts. in this collection, we feature the work of six colleagues whose work holds resonance for current conversations about the relationships between youth and media, and who push open our conceptions of media and media engagement. we're also excited to see another vision realized - that of having respondents for each chapter who initiate what we hope will be an ongoing conversation for some time to come. among them, one of our wonderful series editors, michele knobel who, along with colin lankshear, our other series editor, were the best cheerleaders we could ask for!

11.26.2007

cycles

we could argue that everything in life, in large part, has a cycle, a rhythm, a predictable heartbeat... and when that momentum is disrupted or derailed, the chain reaction can have unimaginable consequences for which we are left unprepared. in ethnographic work, relationships and local knowledge are the lifeblood of the experience. this is even more true when the work is participatory in nature, and involves multiple people with multiple perspectives, interests, intentions, and histories. so when this rhythm, this lifeblood is thinned, or halted, or cut off for even an instant, the impact is significant...

recently, i was sharing some of my experiences doing participatory research with youth with a class of graduate students in a qualitative methods class. i talked about the various projects i've been involved with over the last decade and what "participatory" has meant across those contexts. and more specifically, how i establish rapport with the youth who are involved with my research. i hadn't really articulated these aspects of my work before, and was excited to have the chance to reflect on these
here's some of what i came up with:
- a pedagogy of play
- multiple modes of participation
- researcher vulnerability
- willingness to let the focus of inquiry evolve and change

i wrote a bit about this in the handbook chapter that's coming out soon, and i'm working on expanding these aspects in a methods piece i'm writing about participatory research in a digital age. i'll also be using this space to tease out these ideas in the near future. for now, i must return to the final stages of a paper that is long overdue to our discussant in prep for the anthro meetings this week...!

11.13.2007

NCTEAR 2008 - Deadline extended!!

the proposal deadline for nctear 2008 has been extended until nov. 30, 2007. see my earlier posting for more on the nctear cfp.

submit, submit, submit!!

11.05.2007

video cultural commentaries; & journal of culture & tec

a couple of youtube videos that have been circulating:
women in art - female portraits in art over 500 years. i loved the background music.
a vision of students today - another one by michael wesch

and a journal that my friend heather recently told me about:
vectors: journal of culture and technology in a dynamic vernacular - gives 'dynamic journal' a whole new meaning!