Below you will find my response to a classmate's post.
The original blog source: A. White
Sunday, October 4, 2009
Week 1: Reading/Convergence Culture chapters 1-3
I regret to say that did some skimming for the reading in Convergence Culture. I wish that I had more time this past week to do a more careful reading. My thesis is actually on the idea that teaching high schoolers a more convergent approach to journalism will create more relevancy. So, this book is an excellent resource for my thesis and covers a lot of information I've become familiar with in recent years! I first heard the term "convergence" used in regard to media about three years ago at a journalism convention. I was captivated by the idea because we were paying so much to print our tiny little school newspaper and ad revenue was drying up. Plus, many of the students at my school never read the "real" paper and were only mildly interested in the school newspaper. More often it went like this: We spent a month putting together a paper, we paid $450 to print it, we stuffed fliers in it, and we set it out around the school. Over the course of a week students would pick it up, drop the fliers on the floor and then the janitors would throw the whole thing away. I can think of a lot of other ways to waste $450. So, I looked into convergence media and options we could create online. My principal was adamantly opposed to any kind of participatory journalism (where other students could blog or write their own point of view on a story) because "we can't control it." I told him that was exactly the point! We had a pdf of the newspaper on the school website that was available to view, but only parents read it, which is fine, but students were our focus. All while this was going on, my numbers were dropping in my journalism classes. Students didn't want to grow up and work for a newspaper. I kept losing them to AP classes or other classes that were more relevant to their lives or their future. Everything Jenkins writes about with regard to convergence, participatory culture and collective intelligence seems to speak to the idea that there is a way to create more relevance for kids. While Jenkins might be directly addressing media (gaming, TV, film, etc.) there is a lot of crossover for journalism. I've finally worn down my principal and received permission to start creating a participatory/convergent website. I am so excited and so are my students. It's breathed some new life into our class as kids scour websites for things we could replicate and use for our own. We are trying to create a site that embodies the concept Jenkins calls "transmedia storytelling." We want podcasts, video, surveys, and photos in addition to our traditional news story. It's exciting! I'll keep you updated. We have a bunch of information and research, but we're having trouble putting it all together. We just met with the tech people to see if we can host our site on the school website. Apparently there are some legal issues involved too, so we're looking into that. Any insight, advice, or comments you have would be appreciated! I've added two pictures of our current (boring/static) site mvhs.thompson.k12.co.us and a picture of a site we admire from Francis Howell North High School in Missouri.
NOTE: As a connoisseur of culture (ie: I read Entertainment Weekly) I appreciated all of Jenkins' cultural references. I've spent more time than I'd like to admit on websites looking for clues to TV plots and checking for spoilers (Lost is my latest addiction--talk about playing across multiple media!). I remember Twin Peaks, Blair Witch Project, and am a Survivor fan. I hardly watch any TV anymore though--can't wait until I graduate! :)
Jenkins, H. (2006). Convergence culture. New York: New York University Press.
Jenkins, H. (2006). Convergence culture. New York: New York University Press.
1 comments:
- Hirt said...
- Amy, I am so happy to hear that your principal has come around and allowed you and your students to create online. I can see how a print newspaper without blogging or an online format would deter some students from taking the journalism class. Students can feel and literally see the cultural shift towards a more online format of news. I am sure that when this tangible cultural change was not reflected in your class, students noticed. I even see this shift in my own family where my father, who is not tech-savvy in the least, has canceled his newspaper subscription because he can read all the news he wants online. Instead of spending money on the weekly paper he purchased a new laptop to read the newspaper! Congrats and Good Luck!
No comments:
Post a Comment