Negotiation

Jenkins states three questions that I believe are the most important thing we as teachers can take away from this article. They are as follows:

“How do we ensure that every child has access to the skills and experiences needed to become a full participant in the social, cultural, economic, and political future of our society?

How do we ensure that every child has the ability to articulate his or her understanding of the way that media shapes perceptions of the world?

How do we ensure that every child has been socialized into the emerging ethical standards that will shape their practices as media makers and as participants within online communities?” (Jenkins).

These three questions are a great starting point for a media curriculum. They focus on the students’ needs for the future and help us to assess the information we teach.

As such, we have been given many tools to help us as educators, including many studies (a few of which Jenkins used in his article) and, most importantly, access to the same media as our students through the use of the internet. The internet can be used as a wonderful tool in the classroom for research and education through websites, images, video, and other sources. However, part of our job as teachers is to help students to use this tool properly and intelligently. We have to educate them in the area of participatory culture.

A major component of participatory culture is negotiation. This skill is essential in not only student’s online use, but also is practical in everyday life as they deal with friends, family, coworkers, and other acquaintances. The article defines negotiation as “the ability to travel across diverse communities, discerning and respecting multiple perspectives, and grasping and following alternative sets of norms” (Jenkins). Part of negotiation is learning how to be patient and see issues from another’s point of view. This is vital in a world where online communities bring together people from many different countries and cultures. An American sitting in his living room commenting on a video could come in contact with a Japanese teenager in Tokyo who is offended by something the American has said. This does not mean that the American did anything wrong (although that is still possible), it just means that there could be a disconnect between the two different cultures. It is important for both parties to try to understand the other and not lash out at the other. By trying to understand each other and working to find a solution, the two groups are showing empathy and a willingness to work things out.

Working on this skill helps to fulfill the last of the three questions Jenkins poses. As educators, we can provide activities and situations to the students to help them work through issues in a positive way. One such scenario to help students develop these skills is called the Cultura project. This web forum connected youth in North America and France. By answering simple questions they were able to better understand the views of the other group (Jenkins). Another suggestion was to hold debate-like forums. These forums would be more flexible than a debate, however, and would allow students to change and mold their views as they listened to the other group, allowing for better and more efficient problem solving (Jenkins). I want to use this particular idea in my classroom, as I think it will be quite effective.

By addressing cultural difference issues in the classroom, we can help our students to learn how to better negotiate, a skill that will help them in many areas of their lives.